Spark+Echo Arts: Music

Compilation Album (Work in Progress)

Awesome Music

"I'm Small" is from a song cycle, "Cities", personifying biblical cities. It is sung from the point of view of Bethlehem, specifically inspired by the passage in Micah 5:2, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

The bulk of this song was written a few years ago before my wife Emily and I had kids, imagining a small Bethlehem embracing this news, but it didn't come into focus until jamming with my then 20-month old Walter. I guess it takes playing with someone small to finish a song about smallness.

Jonathon Roberts: vocals, piano, drum programming 
Emily Clare Zempel: vocals
Ariana Rosen: violin
Kevin Gosa: soprano and alto saxophones, backing vocals
Meaghan Burke: cello, backing vocals
James Hall: Trombone, backing vocals
Walter Roberts: backing vocals

Music, lyrics, and production by Jonathon Roberts

Buy on Bandcamp

I'm Small

Aaron Beaumont’s new song explores the psychedelic nature of Peter’s vision leading to his introduction to Cornelius as described in Acts 10. 

FROM THE ARTIST:

Acts 10 is an incredible – incredibly wacky – story. Intense heat, a meditation sesh on a seaside rooftop, culminating in a trance where exotic animals appear out of thin air THREE times. Raving mad or psychedelic?  Either way, Peter looks kind of like a person who, I confess, I would take pains not to sit by on the subway. This made me wonder, “What WOULD this story look like if it happened today? What would I have done in Peter’s shoes?” That’s the basis of Narwhal and Ocelot… that, plus, the irresistible opportunity to come up with a bunch of rhymes for “ocelot,” which I’ve never had an excuse to work into a lyric (and it was still a stretch) #lifegoals.

Joppa becomes L.A., my beloved former home and a place not especially scared of a little casual afternoon rooftop meditation (possibly paired with hot yoga). Peter’s dietary restrictions? So L.A.! Having grown up a vegetarian, I get it, and still dabble. I too would abstain from eating narwhal and ocelot, probably even if I thought it was the Lord’s bidding?

And therein lies the crux of this story: it isn’t simply that Peter gets this zany vision, but rather, that he also acts on it; traveling to a whole new city to rendezvous with an officer from foreign occupying forces. Highly taboo. And the outcome of all these absurd, weird decisions was (likely) the first non-Jewish Christian community. I, for one, as a healthy skeptic, given to perhaps excessive rationalization, would probably have dismissed this vision out of hand (perhaps even as a byproduct of the “shellfish that I ate”). But as an artist, and moreover, as a human, I’m constantly challenged to act on a tenuous vision – to organize my life around a conception of reality that is frequently at odds with the actual reality I’m confronted with.

In a recent interview, Todd Rundgren says something to the effect that he’s an idealist and boldly believes in a bright future for humanity – and as a result, he often finds himself angry at humanity for regularly challenging this organizing principle. Acts 10 illustrates the conundrum perfectly: the problems of perception and apprehension, and the elusive, complicated, sometimes absurd, and often frustrating nature of chasing a vision. This time, it works out for Peter. But what do we do with all the days when the crazy, transcendent rooftop vision isn’t accompanied and affirmed by an ensuing knock at the door?

ARTIST BIO
Aaron Beaumont makes music for stage, screen, and practically any other thing, whenever possible.

As a writer and performer, he’s shared his work in wide-ranging venues from the Sziget Festival in Budapest to KCRW Santa Monica to Theatre 80 in the East Village to the main stage of the West Hollywood Carnaval. L.A. Weekly wrote that Aaron’s music brings “a new life to the ancient music-hall/pop piano-man tradition, with clear-headed songs of genuinely witty lyrical oomph and, most of all, a historically informed musical depth – all delivered with style, grace, wit and elan, of course.” Most of which, Aaron’s mom agrees with, depending on the day.

He was a recent finalist as a composer and lyricist for the Fred Ebb Award, and premiered a new song cycle, Midtown Antoinette, with French soprano Lorelei Zarifian in April for Florida Tech/Foosaner Museum/WFIT. He’s currently developing a handful of musicals with collaborators in LA and NYC. Occasionally he helps produce outrageous Rebel Bingo raves such as L.A.’s Globe Theatre for Night on Broadway 2016.

He works as a producer/arranger/music editor for the Gregory Brothers, and is thrilled Sarah asked him to write for Spark and Echo. In his spare time, Aaron enjoys playing the piano, eating, making coffee, drinking coffee, going for brisk walks, being near coffee, and writing brief autobiographical sketches in the third person. www.aaronbeaumont.com

Narwhal and Ocelot (Dietary Restrictions)

Narwhal And Ocelot (Dietary Restrictions) - Aaron Beaumont

Singer-songwriter Anthony LaMarca worked with his brother to bring us a beautifully thoughtful song in response to suffering and Revelation 21:5 for Spark and Echo Arts' Bible Illumination Project.

FROM THE ARTIST: 

This song is based on Revelation 21:5. This past August I found out I had multiple myeloma. It was a big shock and ultimately resulted in my having to have a bone marrow transplant in January. Before I went into the hospital my sister-in-law and her kids made me this painting that had that verse written on it. For the two weeks I was in the hospital that painting was something I could return to and find peace and reassurance. I was scared and uncomfortable. I missed being home. I missed cooking. But I knew that that verse was true. My body was being renewed. Learning to trust and face fear head-on is not easy. It’s hard to give up control, but it is also freeing to realize when you are in a situation that is out of your control. So, this song aims to illustrate a change from fear to reassurance and peace.

ARTIST BIO:

Anthony LaMarca is a musician from Youngstown, Ohio. He currently plays in The War On Drugs, sometimes with Dean & Britta, and previously with St. Vincent. He and his brother, Angelo, make records as The Building. He also has a wonderful German Shepherd named Petra.

All Things New

All Things New - Anthony LaMarca

We are thrilled to feature a follow-up version of Noah Lekas’ solo blues song, “Don’t Let Me Be Put to Shame.” This song was originally commissioned by Spark and Echo Arts in 2011 and is a response to Psalm 25 and Psalm 91. Now with a full band, Kenyon Adams & American Restless have ramped up the original and will be releasing “Shame” as part of their debut EP.

FROM THE ARTIST:

Noah Lekas: I really liked the idea of contending with God for His name’s sake – as if to say, “I know I am not worth helping, but You have to help me because of who You are.” So the song is sort of exploring that and this idea of being completely out numbered and surrounded in a Psalm 91 sort of way, with nowhere to turn but to the Lord.

ARTIST BIO:

The personal histories of Kenyon Adams and Noah Lekas (American Restless) have converged at the crossroads of the blues, where black music of the American south meets the Midwest, much as it did during the 1950's as many southern blacks (including Muddy Waters and Little Walter) headed north from their sharecropping communities to seek job opportunities and play for dollars on the city streets.

The blues was never nihilistic but presented a gut-wrenchingly honest spirituality which was, in its deep concern for the human situation, both theologically and philosophically concerned. The music of Kenyon Adams & American Restless seeks to represent these aspects of the blues in our post-postmodern setting in which we live among a generation which, while being privileged and educated to an unprecedented degree, is perhaps more confused and discontented than any in recent history.

To this picture and in this scenario we wish to contribute our own "cries" out to God in solidarity with all who struggle to reconcile inner longings with the besieging cruelty of the mundane.

Band Instrumentation: Inspired by Muddy Waters Band, The Allman Brothers Band, The Black Crowes, Little Walter, Jimmy Hendrix, Elmore James, among others.

Shame

Shame - Kenyon Adams & American Restless

Actor and sound designer Matt Bittner presents an intriguing musical exploration of the meal Zacchaeus shared with Jesus, and the change it had upon his life. This work is in response to the theme of “meals” and was inspired by Luke 19:1-10 for Spark and Echo Arts' Bible Illumination Project.

ARTIST STATEMENT:
When I first began to think about this project, I was attempting to view modern day meal experiences through a biblical lens. For example, a question I asked myself early on: “How can I somehow extract the beauty of the gospel (or the trinity, or Love) through the picture of a shared meal?” Then I thought of a small portion of a sermon I had heard during Lent. The speaker, as part of a larger theme, briefly examined the significance of Jesus sharing meals with people. He spoke of the act not as some spiritual gesture (or as a physical gesture wherein the spiritual world was magically accessed) but as the real life, every day, human event of sitting down to talk and eat. That event is necessary. So, I imagine, because Jesus knew this, much of his time of uplifting, teaching, nurturing, and redeeming was spent sitting down to talk and eat with people. After all, when we eat, we truly rid ourselves of all pretense of being anything other than simple humans with needs. And only then (it seems) can we begin to practice the world-toppling exercise of seeing others as simple humans with needs too.
 
I then reinvested in the project with a different approach: to find a biblical example of a shared meal as it ought to be. Suddenly the story of Zaccheus, which I’d known seemingly forever, took on a new meaning. There is an embittered, unloved outcast working selfishly to fortify himself against a world of which he is so wholly terrified and with which he is so wholly angry. He hears tell of a man that selflessly gives himself to a world with which he is so wholly in love and by which he is so highly esteemed. The outcast pushes himself to his physical limits just to catch a glimpse of what it must be like to truly live in communion with others. When Jesus spots the lost soul alone in a tree, he calls him down. Not to offer a sermon, not to lay hands on him, but to ask if Zaccheus would like to experience true community through hosting a group of people and eating with them. (I understand that the text does not clearly state that food was part of the deal, but culturally it would have been implied.) Zaccheus finally experiences the wonderfully simple reality of communion. The result? He does not suddenly have friends thronging to his house. Nor does he begin to preach. He doesn’t even leave his home to follow Jesus as so many did at the time. He instead subverts a lifetime of fear with a brave leap into generosity. He begins a new life of love and community.
 
This is the story I hope to have captured with this song.

ARTIST BIO:
Matt Bittner is an actor and sound designer based out of Ridgewood, Queens. He has composed original music and designed sound for collegiate, regional, and NYC theatrical projects. He holds an MFA in acting from Rutgers University and his musical education comes primarily from church and participating in choral groups in school. He is currently performing in Much Ado About Nothing — the first of this year’s Free Shakespeare in the Park productions.

Fellowship, Food, and Redemption

Fellowship, Food, and Redemption - Matt Bittner

Banjo player Cameron DeWhitt joins us for a look at yeast in his new piece Leavener. The work is in response to the theme of “meals” and 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 for Spark and Echo Arts' Bible Illumination Project.

ARTIST STATEMENT:

Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch–as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Recently I made the switch from commercial yeast (like, from the packet) to wild Philadelphia yeast. And boy, it’s sure made a big difference in my bread. I got my sourdough starter from my neighbors, who got theirs from a friend, so I like to think that all of our loaves and boules and baguettes are related.
I had a conversation with my good friend Jon Roberts about baking sourdough and maintaining a starter. Apparently some starters are very fragile; the yeast inside will die if they have any competition for the available sugars. He used to work at Sullivan Street bakery in Hell’s Kitchen, and when he’d try to bring home a lump of starter it would start producing acetic acid before he could use it. Once removed from its sheltered existence in one of America’s finest bakeries, it couldn’t handle the pressure of the real world, and allowed itself to be eaten up and turned to vinegar.
So, I’m proud to eat bread with the hearty and worldly yeasts of Kensington, Philadelphia. It’s yeast is like it’s people: determined to survive, willing to fight, and not deterred by a little pollution or systematic oppression. This is how the Kingdom of Heaven is spread. It’s a resilient culture, and it’s all around us, waiting to be fed.
If your culture is eating itself, and getting sour in all the wrong ways, throw it out, and start a new one. Maybe you need something a little less fragile, a little less pretentious. A culture that won’t disintegrate at the first sign of stress.  Chances are, you know someone who can help get you started.

Special thanks to Christian Guerrero for mixing this song. 

ARTIST BIO:

Cameron DeWhitt is an American clawhammer banjoist and songwriter born in Portland, Oregon. His live show is interactive, with sing-along sections, open discussions about song themes, and storytelling. His self-titled record is available on Bandcamp.

Cameron’s songs explore themes of love, death, marriage, judgment and forgiveness. His lyrics display a quick, profound wit, enriched throughout with weighty metaphors and literary cross-references. Through personal and biblical stories, he prompts the listener to contemplate the definition of love, the character of God, and the human struggle towards hope and redemption.

Cameron has developed a unique, melody-driven banjo style. While fluidly shifting modes and meters, he quotes popular melodies, improvises with other musicians, and makes musical jokes. His songs feature trumpet, string bass, drum set, complex vocal counterpoint and improvised solos.

Cameron lives with his wife, Rebecca, in the East Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, where he is a part of the Circle of Hope Community. He plays an Ome Jubilee banjo with a Moon bridge and a John Balch goat skin head.

Leavener

Leavener - Cameron DeWhitt

We are thrilled to welcome the band, Lowland Hum, to Spark and Echo Arts with a new song in response to the theme of poverty and 1 John 1:5; 2:4, 9-11 for Spark and Echo Arts' Bible Illumination Project.

ARTIST STATEMENT:

“The Father” was written on a day off during our first cross country tour. As we read through the scripture in 1 John, a few ideas struck and inspired us. The passage dramatically draws attention to the disparity between our identity as children of God and the way we treat one another. The subject that we were assigned by Spark and Echo was “poverty” and as we read the scripture we recognized our own poverty in a profound way. How can you say you love the father if you hate your brother who is made in His image? It is so easy for us to take a self-protective stance, putting others down, even if its just in our minds, to escape our own darkness and inadequacy. The story of this song is written in hopes of drawing attention to the lack inherent in our love for one another, especially in our families. At the end of the song, we hope to refocus on the freeing and glorious character of God, our only way toward wholeness. In the contrary way of Jesus, we aim to tear our eyes from our inadequacy and to dwell on His goodness and overabundance. In this act we are on the path toward healing, change and we are given the strength to love. In our poverty, He is rich.

ARTIST BIO:

Lowland Hum is Daniel Levi and Lauren (Plank) Goans. Hailing from Greensboro, North Carolina, the duo met in 2010. They married in 2012 and spent their first year of marriage touring the East Coast. During this time they began writing the songs that would become their first album, Native Air.

Since releasing Native Air in August 2013, Lowland Hum has performed for 70 audiences in 13 states. Combining Daniel’s musicianship and Lauren’s inclinations in visual art, Lowland Hum’s shows are a multi-sensory experience, engaging sight, sound, smell, and touch–inviting listeners to be fully present and reducing the space between artist and listener. During performances, Lowland Hum readily shares the stories behind their songs and invites listeners to offer real-time reflections.

Lowland Hum tours full time, playing house shows, listening rooms, colleges and universities, and other spaces conducive to an intimate listening experience.

The Father

The Father - Lowland Hum

Musician Aaron Kruziki brings us this beautiful and intricate song in response to the theme of “lies” and Ephesians 4:25 for Spark and Echo Arts' Bible Illumination Project.

ARTIST STATEMENT:

“When We Lie” is a piece based on Ephesians 4:25: “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.” Because we are all part of one body, we are part of one another. Humans are all part of a collective consciousness that bends and folds, opens and closes, much the same as a lotus flower. As a lotus flower opens at dawn, it’s neighbor  opens as well. At dusk, when the flower starts to close, it’s neighbor follows suit. Much in this manner,  humans open and close, often simultaneously with our neighbors, friends, lovers and strangers. When we close off, we don’t see others closing, and often assume we’re the only ones that are closing. This closing is the lie. This lie, whether it comes from family, friends, or ourselves, is this act of closing. We  are dishonest and go about our lives in a state of denial, making these lies sound true and be true. With  this new false-truth, we start to close, often not realizing how the lie affects those around us. When we  face the righteous truth within us, we start to open, and often find others open around us. Like the lotus flower opening with the sun and closing with the moon, we are all connected. The lies we tell neighbors and ourselves connect us, just as the inner-truth connects us. We have to make a choice: to choose the inner truth or the false-truth. We make the choice to either face our demons or to avoid them.

ARTIST BIO:

Wisconsin born and bred, Aaron Kruziki is a dynamic musician and composer, educator and producer.  Residing in New York City, Aaron’s training in jazz and classical music, his inherent ability to find good in all music (from David Bowie to American Barbershop), and his belief that every person may reinvent themselves to find happiness, sustains his artistic output.  As a saxophonist and clarinetist, Aaron has received consecutive degrees in Jazz Studies from the New England Conservatory and Western Michigan University, studying with George Garzone and Trent Kynaston respectively.  Aaron has received grants that include the Emerging Artist Grant from the Greater Kalamazoo Art’s Council, and in 2012, was commissioned by the Chelsea Music Festival to compose music based on John Cage’s “Lectures on Nothing”.  Aaron frequently performs with Andy Milne’s “Dapp Theory”, and is an active member of the Brooklyn D.I.Y. scene.  His voice moves fluidly from woodwinds to synths and vocals, performing in genres ranging from avant-pop to education reform rock and jazz.  Aaron has had the honor to perform at major music festivals in Canada, Europe, Africa and America.  In his spare time, Aaron likes to garden and practice yoga.

When We Lie

When We Lie - Aaron Kruziki

Anna Paddock’s beautiful song captures the seeming simplicity of Lydia’s conversion juxtaposed with the depth of the life changing event in Acts 16:13-15 for Spark and Echo Arts' Bible Illumination Project.

ARTIST STATEMENT:

This song is written from the perspective of Lydia. As I spent time reading this passage, it struck me as an interesting conversion story. Lydia seemed to have her life in order and wasn’t in a state of physical need or apparent desperation of any kind. She was already a follower of God, had a family, lived in the city, and was an established working woman. And yet, on presumably just an ordinary Sabbath day, she heard a message from strangers that inspired her to believe and be baptized. “The Lord opened her heart”, it says, and I wonder what that felt like to her in that moment. It’s a mysterious thing, and yet I can relate to the feeling of knowing that our seemingly mundane existences can be interrupted with inexplainable heart awakenings and understandings, and it was a reminder to me to stop and listen.

ARTIST BIO:

Anna Paddock is a singer-songwriter and pianist based in Brooklyn, NY, although her family roots are in Manitoba, Canada. Anna studied piano at Trinity Western University and then received her Masters in Music Theory and Composition from New York University. Anna has collaborated with filmmakers, choreographers, and other songwriters as a composer and vocalist, and released her first solo album, “Feel Better” in 2013. She currently teaches in New York, and recently released a self-titled EP “The Lay Awakes” – a collaboration with her husband (rockstar Canadian paralympian) Patrick Anderson. Anna and Patrick make their home with their baby boy, Stanley, and are members of Resurrection Williamsburg Church.

Stop Listen

Stop Listen - Anna Paddock

Composer and musician Dan Musselman uses his musical talents to express the multiplying power of generosity. This work is in response to the theme of “meals” and was inspired by Luke 3:11 for Spark and Echo Arts' Bible Illumination Project.

ARTIST STATEMENT:

Being generous does not deplete one’s own resources, but rather multiplies for the good of all. Whether regarding clothing, food, money, or energy, the gifts that we offer are exponentially increased by God to enrich and impact the lives of those around us. If we play just the small part that we are each allotted, our combined efforts transcend the single contribution that we individually make and coalesce into something profound and meaningful, capable of sustaining everyone in a self-supporting system based on compassion and giving.
 
“Do the Same” was composed with this mindset. No single part dominates the piece or demonstrates virtuosity. There are only small offerings from each voice that combine to make something larger and more beautiful than the sum of its parts. The individual parts may be even somewhat disjoint from one another—through different time signatures, harmonies and rhythmic cycles—but the collective result is that each part becomes affirmed in its role as the conglomerate grows to forge new meaning and conviction, just as we are called to work together within the body of Christ.

ARTIST BIO:

Dan Musselman started studying Suzuki piano at the age of 5 but had a very eclectic musical background. Beginning in middle school, he played trumpet in the concert and jazz band, and played guitar in rock bands. Dan would go on to receive the full ride, Diana Ross scholarship to attend McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul, Minnesota. There he completed his bachelor’s degree in piano performance in 2008, graduating summa cum laude, salutatorian, and was the sole recipient of the “Outstanding Student Award.” Dan’s solo CD, Ruminations (2008), which contains all original improvised material, has over 200,000 plays on internet radio. 

Beginning in 2009, Dan has been teaching full-time at McNally Smith College of Music, teaching piano courses and lessons, music theory, and ear training. He has lead his own ensembles at the major music establishments in the Twin Cities, including the Artists’ Quarter and the Dakota Jazz Club, in addition to performances with the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, John Moulder, Brian Hemstock, and many others. 

In 2013, Dan released his album Devotion–a jazz album is based off of books of the Bible–which has received airplay on over 200 radio stations internationally. He also is a musician and arranger for Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Dan is is currently finishing his doctorate in composition at the University of Minnesota, and is expected to complete his degree by January of 2015.



Do the Same

Do the Same - Dan Musselman

Trees of the Field is an original song reflecting on 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 and Isaiah 55, written and performed by Wendell Kimbrough for Spark and Echo Arts' Bible Illumination Project.

ARTIST STATEMENT:

Trees of the Field is a reflection on the value of work in a broken world. Does our work matter? For all the time, toil, and frustration we put in, will our work ultimately be of any value? The song wrestles with these questions in light of 1 Corinthians 3 and Isaiah 55. It sees the Corinthians passage as posing a question to which Isaiah 55 suggests answers.

ARTIST BIO:

Wendell Kimbrough grew up in tiny Mt. Olive, Mississippi, listening to his Dad’s James Taylor, Randy Newman, and Simon & Garfunkel records. After a short stint playing bluegrass in the Carolinas in college, Wendell landed in Washington, DC in 2007 to help plant a church. Though he’d been songwriting since high school, it was the support and encouragement of his friends in DC that gave him the courage to begin pursuing music as a career. Since putting out his first album in 2009, Wendell has shared the stage with Damien Jurado, Elizabeth and the Catapult, Revolver, and Dennison Witmer, to name a few.

Find Your Way Home

Trees of the Field

Trees of the Field - Wendell Kimbrough

This contemplative piece by composer Pascal Le Boeuf explores the theme the morality of eavesdropping, along with the following passages for Spark and Echo Arts' Bible Illumination Project.

ARTIST STATEMENT:

As an atheist I consider the Bible to be an inspirational work of art. A work of art that has moved enough people to define many aspects of western culture or at the very least, the framework upon which many choose to base their goals, social behaviors and self-conceptions. I am proud to be a part of a project that builds a community through creative expression.
 
The composition “outside listenINg” explores the moral implications of eavesdropping by using piano and string quartet to represent the subject and the eavesdropper respectively. This analogy is accentuated by disparate approaches to recording production in which each part functions as a separate composition: the “subject” a new original work and the “eavesdropper” derived from the string part of an earlier composition (“Calgary Clouds” from the Le Boeuf Brothers’ album, “In Praise of Shadows”). The goal of this piece is to guide the listener to question the morality of eavesdropping and how it effects our daily lives.

ARTIST BIO:

Described as “sleek, new” and “hyper-fluent” by the New York Times, Pascal Le Boeuf is an EMMY award-winning pianist-composer and electronic artist whose interests range from modern improvised music to cross-breeding classical with production-based technology. Le Boeuf’s most recent awards include his eighth Herb Albert ASCAP Young Composers Award (2013) and a New Jazz Works Commission from Chamber Music America (2011) to be recorded in 2014 by JACK Quartet. In 2012, his music was awarded “Best Electronica Song” and “Best Eclectic Song” by the Independent Music Awards for remixes of his compositions. He was also nominated for “Best Keyboardist” in the 2012 Downbeat International Readers Polls, composed music for the 2008 Emmy Award-winning movie King Lines, and won first place in the 2008 International Songwriting Competition.

Le Boeuf has released eight albums as a leader; his most recent, King Pony (2014) features collaborations with rock guitarists Billy Norris (Gavin DeGraw), Adam Levy (Norah Jones) and Armand Hirsch (Bobby McFerrin). Previous albums include House Without a Door (2009), In Praise of Shadows (2011) and Remixed (2013) – the acclaimed electronic follow-up to In Praise of Shadows featuring the Le Boeuf Brothers ensemble. The 2013 release of Pascal’s Triangle (Linda Oh, bass; Justin Brown, drums) was described by the New York Times as “reaching for the gleaming cosmopolitanism of our present era.”

In 2010, Le Boeuf made his Blue Note debut opening for Chick Corea as part of the Blue Note Emerging Artist Series.  

In 2010 and 2011, Le Boeuf was commissioned by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts to compose music for a multi-interdisciplinary performance (music/words/video/dance) at the the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, FL to honor Bill T. Jones, Desmond Richardson, Kerry Washington and Liv Ullmann. 

His unique style and musical inspiration stem from exploring many genres of music, helping him challenge the boundaries of composition. 

The multi-rhythmic sound of Le Boeuf’s music has reached a diverse range of listeners in venues such as the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the DiMenna Center for Classical Music, the Monterey Jazz Festival, and the Umbria Jazz Festival.  His music can be heard on Universal/Alma Records, Nineteen-Eight Records, ESC Records, FrameMusic and Capri Records.

Christina Polcari

outside listenINg

outside listenINg - Pascal Le Boeuf

Sarah Gregory continues our focus on Psalm 107 with this beautiful song in response to Psalm 107:17-22 for Spark and Echo Arts' Bible Illumination Project.

ARTIST STATEMENT:

On Psalm 107:17-22

Who doesn’t like food? I could not fathom the fools described in Psalm 107 who “loathed any kind of food and drew near to death.” At any given moment, I’m either eating or thinking about eating. It’s the only thing in my life that has my loyal attention. So, I tried to imagine the kind of state I’d have to be in to truly dislike food. And then I remembered, oh yeah, just last week I ate a huge plate of fries right after I’d just eaten a huge bagel dripping with cream cheese and afterward I never wanted to taste, smell, touch or even see food ever again. So I suppose these idiots in Psalm 107 filled up on all the crap food and completely lost their appetite for food at all. But then these jerks did the smartest thing anyone can ever do when she screws it all up: they started crying. That cry that you cry when you just finally give up. You don’t care anymore about your embarrassment over the massive plate of french fries and the jumbo bagel. I admit it, I’m an idiot and I just don’t want to be an idiot anymore. Please, I just don’t want to feel this way ever again. So you cry to the only thing that can pull you out of this misery, this misery that is yourself. And then, hot damn, He actually pulls you out of the misery. You get saved from a literal drowning in french fries and bagels. You move from the gates of hell to God’s house where the twenty four hour chef makes you hand crafted salads that actually taste delicious and you have more energy throughout your work day. Then at dinner He pours you a perfectly portioned glass and a half of chardonnay – just enough to give you the happy buzz but not so much that you start silently panicking about your career choices and fixating on your husband’s flaws. Then, buzzed from that beautiful buttery wine, you sit down together in front of a crackling fire, pull out the guitar and sing a sappy love song about how I love you more, no way, I love you more.

Except the french fries are sin, and the salad is Jesus? Something like that.

ARTIST BIO:

Sarah Gregory’s lush and quicksilver vocalism is most frequently showcased in her work with the online music-comedy quartet The Gregory Brothers, who are responsible for The Double Rainbow Song, The Bed Intruder Song, and other viral hits that have garnered the group two Comedy Awards, three Webbys, a gold and a platinum record and over 600 million YouTube views. In the last ten years since moving from her home state of Texas to New York, Mrs. Gregory has crooned all over town with her soul band The Stanleys and has lent her voice to many amazing artists and projects, such as Kelley McRae, Andrew Rose Gregory, Pony of Good Tidings, The Welcome Wagon, Sufjan Stevens, BiFrost, Dishman + Co., The Key of Awesome and Josh Rutner’s Twelve Gates. Here Mrs. Gregory lays forth a rare vulnerability, stripped of both her precious autotune and her usual co-conspirators.

I Was a Fool

I Was a Fool - Sarah Gregory

Spark and Echo Arts is creating or commissioning a work of art, music, theatre, poetry, dance, or film in response to every verse of the Bible.