Dearest newsletter curiosity fiends and fans of time sound and space art (music),
Welcome if you’re new.
It was 23 degrees Celsius yesterday in my location on this planet for the first time in a while. So I believe it is time to emerge from what you should now know is my habitual winter hibernation.
I shall spare you the details of its esoteric contents (aka blabla) and instead offer you some things to look forward to:
New Music – S.A.F.A.S. Vol. No II
Dears it is finally just about ready to come out in the world. I am aiming for a May 13th release date. This upcoming album will be the first I will be printing on hard copies (CDs) which is exciting.
It features 3S-AMI-5A as my dearest accomplices: Selim Aydin on trombone and tuba, Petra Varallyay on violin, Alex Lepanto on drums, and yours truly on saxophonica, production and a bunch of other things. It was recorded in many layers between Maastricht, Rotterdam, Budapest, and Montréal.
I have mentioned “hard copies” to my surroundings and got multiple unsolicited feedbacks that some of you were possibly interested in a vinyl copy of the upcoming album. I did not even think my music was worthy of the vinyl medium but if you deem it so, let me know, and I will consider it.
So please stay tuned for the second volume of the Ancient Future Adventure Songs series. The previous was released in 2022 so many developments have been made. Furthermore, this new album had some support behind it from Intro in Situ so I got to make sure everything was done as properly as possible…. while maintaining as DIY as possible.
I can be quite a heavy thinker but I tend musically towards impulsivity. I’m quite picky but also quite forgiving, so something done imperfectly but with flowing spontaneity will usually win me over faster than something picked and prodded over in search of something perfect.
However for this project I wanted to test myself and see what happens when I slow down. Which was an uncomfortably confronting process when looking back at my current catalogue of multiple concert bootlegs and released-the-same-day-it-was-finished projects.
Of course now that it is finished, there is also an underlying question of how to release something without social media amongst the current media habits of our society. So I have planned to do what I do best – throw as many things at the wall as possible and seeing what sticks. If you have anything to throw into the pot, let me know.
Upcoming special dates
Here are some concert dates you can add to your agenda if you’re nearby Maastricht. A lot of these are getting quickly booked so reserve your spot in advance.
If you’re not in Maastricht, well that’s what the album (and this whole website) is for 😉
April 10th 2025 – FREE – lunch concert with Lea Lingen’s NYMRA project at Muziekgeterij Playground – (link)
April 11th 2025 – FREE – playing some “in between” praise of Folly with my dear Der Kralinger swimming up the Maas from Rotterdam to join in some fun at the Dominicanen for Museumnacht 2025 – (link)
June 5th 2025 – € 18 / €10 – a special treat for fans of our earlier piano/saxo work Deer You, Chaeyeon Lee and I will perform this cherished project at Lumière – (link)
Onwards
Ok dears wrapping this up.
Stay tuned then for the new music. Say hi if you’re brave. Hug your loved ones.
If I haven’t already blabbed to you how cool it is that Sun Ra’s alto saxophonist Marshall Allen released his first solo album at the ripe age of 100 go listen to it here.
Saxophonica et cetera is some medicine in these times of calamity.
Thankful to my dear saxophone students!! From all ages too, right now they are from 7 to 82. Even when I have my worst days, getting to focus on their journey with this blessing/curse instrument makes me come home inspired. I am lucky that we all got each other through this very dark winter.
Current/returning obsessions: finding a new practice space, the Little Office, writing music from head to paper, using Chat GPT as a counselor, Henry Threadgill, long tones.
In sound and space,
J
J(ulia) Warren 