MUSIC
MUSIC
Christian Sands’ third recording for Mack Avenue Music Group captures and establishes him as a forceful leader in composition and conceptual vision. With Be Water (available May 22 worldwide), the music is akin to the element which has no form of its own, taking on the structure of whatever musical composition and performance in which it finds itself and is a universal necessity. For this recording, Sands has reunited with bassist Yasushi Nakamura and saxophonist Marcus Strickland, and is joined by trumpeter Sean Jones, trombonist Steve Davis, guitarist Marvin Sewell, and drummer Clarence Penn.
It can be overwhelming to realize how much water surrounds us, affects us and impacts our lives. It’s an element vital to survival yet can be utterly devastating; it can be placid and beautiful or torrential and violent. It’s ubiquitous – flowing at the turn of a faucet, comprising 70% of our own bodies – yet somehow intangible, able to change form or assume the shape of its surroundings.
On his stunning album, Be Water, pianist Christian Sands takes inspiration from water’s tranquility and power and muses on the possibilities offered by echoing its fluidity and malleability. Through ten gorgeous and thrilling pieces, Sands alternately conjures the serenity of a sun-dappled lake and the drama of a relentless thunderstorm. Just embarking on his 30s, Sands has already enjoyed a remarkable career trajectory, touring and recording with Christian McBride’s Inside Straight and Trio, as well as collaborating with the likes of Gregory Porter and Ulysses Owens.
The vividly expressionistic recording finds Sands with his core trio of longtime bassist Yasushi Nakamura and drummer Clarence Penn, with brilliant contributions from guitarist Marvin Sewell, saxophonist Marcus Strickland, trumpeter Sean Jones and trombonist Steve Davis. On one piece the ensemble is also supplemented by a string quartet featuring Sara Caswell, Tomoko Akaboshi, Benni von Gutzeit and Eleanor Norton.
Be Water is Sands’ fourth release (including a five-track digital-only EP as an extension of his debut album Reach) for Mack Avenue Music Group. The album takes its title from the philosophy of martial arts master and movie star Bruce Lee (by way of screenwriter Stirling Silliphant, who distilled his thoughts for the screen). Lee’s voice appears on both halves of Sands’ title track offering this profound advice: “Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup; you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle... Water can flow, or it can crash. Be water, my friend.” (Bruce Lee inspirational quote)
“I was trying to practice being more open, more free, more flexible than I usually am,” Sands explains. “Through that I started to have this awareness of just how much water was all around me. As I was touring it seemed to be raining every day; I actually had to change a few dates because of a hurricane. I even started seeing a new doctor who told me I needed to drink more water [laughs]. It seemed to be some kind of a divine message to pay attention to water.”
The music of Be Water flows with the mesmerizing tranquility and awesome power of its namesake. On his most conceptually ambitious album to date, Christian Sands takes heed of Bruce Lee’s wisdom and truly allows his creativity to transform and assume a dazzling variety of forms.
Tour / Performances
Tour / Performances
MASTER CLASS
MASTER CLASS
Christian Sands believes in the power of education. His commitment to the arts and jazz culture in ever present in all he does. He utilizes his love for Jazz in preparing and sharing with future jazz players. “My music is about teaching the way of jazz and keeping it alive"
He participates in the following programs:
"Jazz is like air, I can't live without it"
--Christian Sands
CONNECT
CONNECT
“…having successfully made the case for his breadth of style, Sands is free to follow his music where it leads.” - NPR
“…Christian Sands plays with a restrained touch and a rolling command across the entire keyboard.” - The New York Times
“Sands is skilled, soulful and melodic…” - VICE Noisey
With each passing release, pianist Christian Sands establishes himself as a very potent force. Although his place in the lexicon was well-sealed before his first release for Detroit-based Mack Avenue records. A highly gifted theorist and improviser, Sands has a grasp of the direction of jazz that is rare in one so young. And it's not a stretch to say that he may be one of the primary instigators in moving the art form forward in years to come. Recruiting other young heavies like saxophonist Marcus Strickland, trumpeter Sean Jones and guitarist Marvin Sewell, Sands is challenging band members and consumers alike to rethink the way we listen to music. Which is not to imply inaccessibility, this is pure jazz. But it strives to defy the doldrums that can pervade other musical ventures. —Kevin T. O'Connor, Music Director
88.5 KBEM-FM | Jazz88.FM
@CHRISTIANSANDSJAZZ
Booking & Contact
Booking & Contact
Email: agents@thekurlandagency
Ph. +1.617.254.0007 / Fax 1+617.782.3577
Email: M.mccluskey@imnworld.com
Email: christiansandsmgmt@gmail.com
Phone: 860-910-3660
Email: matthew@mackavenue.com