The profound emotional impact of the September 8, 2023 earthquake in Morocco inspired this composition as a tribute to the victims and a celebration of the nation’s rich musical heritage. Initially conceived as a sextet, the piece was premiered on June 9th by the American Modern Ensemble under the baton of Eric Bodnar. It subsequently underwent a transformative journey when my friend and fellow composer, Ian Weise, proposed an adaptation for Pierrot ensemble during the Mostly Modern Festival in Saratoga Springs, June 2024. His vision of a 2025 concert featuring this arrangement ignited a new creative path.

This piece stands as the inaugural movement of a larger suite exploring the multifaceted layers of Moroccan musical tradition, with a particular focus on the evocative melodies of the High Atlas. By reinterpreting these melodies through the unique lens of the Pierrot ensemble—flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano—I seek to create a contemporary musical dialogue that honors the past while forging a new path forward.

Through this composition, I hope to offer a poignant and evocative musical experience that resonates with listeners on both an emotional and intellectual level.

Moroccan Dances - I Hight Atlas The Majestic (Pierrot Ensemble Pre-Release Version)

https://brianhiggins.bandcamp.com/fan-club 

A&R Reps and scammers will be blocked and reported.

Kickstarter album launch campaign coming soon!


Many of the tracks reposted here are from my followers, so if you are discovering anyone here, please let them know I sent you! And thank you for listening and all your kind and  constructive comments

Born in Virginia, raised in Maryland; survivor of an alcoholic  family; graduated High School and Union Carpenters Apprenticeship; a student of Algebra, a student of Life, a  brown belt Samurai Chess Player; gave up clarinet in 2nd grade because he was too young to understand;  gave up French class 5 years later because he could not speak the language; turned down Ms. Maria Blautzig for the Sadie Hawkins Dance because she had turned  down his request earlier in the school year; walked out of typing class on day one, hell HOUR one, because he could not handle the stress of it;  walked out of Oklahoma State University because he really needed help at that point and did not know how to ask for it, so ‘tear it all down and blow it up’ seemed to be the only way to find any; experienced the deepest loneliness of his entire life to date out on that highway, with no direction anywhere.  He has worked as a ditch digger, a grass cutter, a TV Guide door to door salesman; he has been a farm worker, carpenters’ helper, apprentice, a Journeyman carpenter in Local 132, a Home Improvement contractor and a Facilities Maintenance Engineer.  He has passed up more opportunities than cars on a freight train; he has hitchhiked, hobo’ed and walked across tens of thousands of miles of America's roadways, and a few in Canada, for good measure.

By virtue of  a chance encounter one snowy January night in 1993, when he met and eventually married the revolutionary communist, aspiring novelist, multi instrumentalist soprano and as yet unheralded expert at fitting leftovers into the refrigerator, the  beguiling, and sumptuous Ms. Juliana; this union subsequently created the talented, smart, bubbly, and eye-catching Ms. Sophia, she of the musical pipes.
Mr Higgins first picked up the guitar at age 23, the harmonica at 57, and wrote his first book at age 5, or 6. It shall remain forever unpublished, as the only handwritten master of it is lost to the dustbin of history.


Numerous of the photos here are by my friend Charles Steck, who recently unexpectedly passed away. Thank you so much Charles, we are missing you .Thank you for listening to my music.  Voting link for Distrokid/Spotify playlisting
https://distrokid.com/spotlight/brianhiggins/vote/

How it works

Anyone (not just DistroKid members) can listen & vote on their favorites. Songs with the most votes will be added to a big DistroKid Spotify playlist. Playlists are updated each week, and votes are reset to zero.

I put Ave Maria up for voting on this week. 
Thank you for your support!
Brian

Ad hoc Blues band, tucked away in the mountains of Greece.

Music promotion expert | Artist development specialist. Helping emerging artists achieve success. Send me a DM to discuss business opportunities.

Aure-Lion is an emerging artist known for a captivating fusion of world vibrations that blend Reggae, Funk, Jazz, Soul, Blues, Indie, Pop, and French influences. Since picking up music at the age of 16, Aure-Lion has drawn inspiration from childhood favorites to craft heartfelt tracks that resonate with themes of love and revolution. His music carries a powerful message about maintaining faith and protecting one's soul. With a growing presence in the music scene, Aure-Lion is open to collaborations and exchanges with both new and experienced artists. His latest work is set to release in February 2024, showcasing his dedication to continuous improvement in self-production, songwriting, and melody composition. As he navigates his artistic journey, Aure-Lion invites listeners to join him in exploring the rich tapestry of his sound.

Simon Alami is a Canadian composer with a passion for blending different musical styles and traditions. He draws inspiration from master composers. Simon's compositional style is characterized by a fusion of diverse elements and a willingness to experiment with new forms of expression. He currently lives in Montreal, Canada and is a proud member of the Canadian League of Composers (CLC), Canadian Music Center CMC and SOCAN.

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Please feel free to check out my YouTube channel and Instagram accounts
https://youtube.com/@mugfish76mugfish40?si=RTpuCuetokQsRVjA

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Hanging out in the cloud forests of the Sierra Juárez mountains in Oaxaca, I’m tapping into the sounds of the universe like a mushroom-drunk nahual, reaching into the heart of nature to grasp at the mysteries of existence.

You’ll hear influences from deep time and across as many cultures as I can get my hands on. I get obsessed, man. Seriously, everything else melts away around me. I can spend days absorbed in an idea, like that stone statue guy—but with a stone guitar instead.

My approach to music? About as unpredictable as my ability to remember where I last saw my passport (pretty crucial when you live abroad all the time, right?). My unique way of processing the world often leads to an avant-garde approach to life. And yeah, maybe there’s been a mushroom-induced revelation or two along the way, but who’s counting? I don’t need a million-dollar studio—just a good instrument, a decent interface, a computer, and some monitors that hopefully survive my absent-minded chaos.

I’m a multi-instrumentalist who loves complexity, especially when it sneaks up on you through unexpected rhythms or harmonies from the far corners of the globe. From Carnatic ragas to garage rock grooves—why not just mix every cool sound and see what happens? Maybe I’ll start with a harmonic progression from Bach’s Goldberg Variations and slap it into a Hindustani 7/4 thaal (that’s rhythm, if you’re wondering). It’s a bit technical but, trust me, as cool as—well, let’s just say it’s the kind of vibe that might inspire a dream-like hallucination about nailing the perfect groove. (Music available for film, TV, and media licensing.)

Yeah, I am a Ph.D. trained evolutionary biologist, and... that sounds impressive until you find out I bailed on it the second I landed a good job. I was bored out of my mind. People look at me like a guy who won the lottery and then spent it all on the greatest collection of rare video games (I mean, I’m not that bad, right?). But switching from science back to music wasn’t just quitting—it was finally tuning into something deeper. Music and science might seem like distant cousins, but to me, they’re intertwined—both ways to unlock the secrets of the universe.

Now, I live in Capulálpam De Méndez, a mystical town in the Oaxacan mountains. The ancient Zapotec culture runs deep here, and creativity flows as freely as the mezcal at the fiestas (and trust me, there are plenty of fiestas).

Art is for everyone, and I’m always pushing to create something that connects—whether it’s a complex harmonic structure or just the right amount of groove to make you forget your troubles (or your keys, in my case).

So if you’re into music that teeters on the edge of chaos but mostly lands right where it needs to be—well, welcome. Just don’t expect me to remember how I got here, or where I left my bag. Seriously, my passport might’ve been in there… Was it the tuk-tuk? (sounds like a joke right... Err.. its not....)


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Relajándome en los bosques nublados de la Sierra Juárez en Oaxaca, estoy sintonizando los sonidos del universo como un nahual borracho de hongos, llegando al corazón de la naturaleza para intentar comprender los misterios de la existencia.

Escucharás influencias de tiempos profundos y de tantas culturas como pueda explorar. Me obsesiono, hermano. En serio, todo lo demás desaparece a mi alrededor. Puedo pasar días absorbido en una idea, como ese tipo de las estatuas de piedra—pero con una guitarra de piedra en su lugar.

¿Mi enfoque hacia la música? Tan impredecible como mi habilidad para recordar dónde dejé mi pasaporte (bastante crucial cuando vives en el extranjero todo el tiempo, ¿verdad?). Mi forma única de procesar el mundo a menudo me lleva a un enfoque vanguardista de la vida. Y sí, tal vez haya habido una o dos revelaciones inducidas por hongos en el camino, pero ¿quién está contando? No necesito un estudio de millones de dólares—solo un buen instrumento, una interfaz decente, una computadora y unos monitores que, con suerte, sobrevivan a mi caos despistado.

Soy un multiinstrumentista que ama la complejidad, especialmente cuando te sorprende con ritmos o armonías inesperadas de los rincones más lejanos del mundo. Desde ragas carnáticas hasta los grooves del garage rock—¿por qué no mezclar todos los sonidos geniales y ver qué pasa? Quizás empiece con una progresión armónica de las Variaciones Goldberg de Bach y la meta en un thaal hindú de 7/4 (es decir, un ritmo, por si te lo preguntas). Es un poco técnico, pero créeme, es tan genial como—bueno, digamos que es del tipo de vibras que podrían inspirar una alucinación soñadora sobre encontrar el groove perfecto. (Música disponible para licenciamiento en cine, TV y medios.)

Sí, tengo un doctorado en biología evolutiva, y eso suena impresionante hasta que descubres que lo dejé en cuanto conseguí un buen trabajo. Estaba aburrido como una ostra. La gente me mira como a un tipo que ganó la lotería y luego lo gastó todo en Beanie Babies (no soy tan malo, ¿verdad?). Pero pasar de la ciencia de nuevo a la música no fue simplemente abandonar—fue finalmente sintonizar con algo más profundo. La música y la ciencia pueden parecer primos lejanos, pero para mí, están entrelazados—ambas son formas de desentrañar los secretos del universo.

Ahora vivo en Capulálpam De Méndez, un pueblo místico en las montañas de Oaxaca. La antigua cultura zapoteca corre profundo aquí, y la creatividad fluye tan libremente como el mezcal en las fiestas (y créeme, hay muchas fiestas).

El arte es para todos, y siempre busco crear algo que conecte—ya sea una estructura armónica compleja o solo la cantidad justa de groove para hacerte olvidar tus problemas (o tus llaves, en mi caso).

Así que si te gusta la música que oscila en el borde del caos pero que la mayoría de las veces aterriza justo donde debe estar—bienvenido. Solo no esperes que recuerde cómo llegué aquí, o dónde dejé mi bolsa. En serio, creo que mi pasaporte estaba allí... ¿Fue en el tuk-tuk? (suena como una broma, pero... ehh, no lo es...).

Moroccan Dances - I Hight Atlas The Majestic (Pierrot Ensemble Pre-Release Version)

Simon Alami Composer