Making a music video from scratch proved to be a lot trickier than I’d imagined. Once we got dancers Ivvy (infinite.byrnn) and Ranubi on board, the setting and narrative fell in place. Excited to have had my vision brought to life! Full video premiers in March 2019.
Multiflora Productions has been killin’ it in DC, bringing an amazingly wide variety of global music to the area. We’re deeply honored to be presented twice!
On Friday Oct. 19th, TJIW will perform at Georgetown University’s afternoon series, and on Saturday Oct. 20th, we’ll perform at the Flash of the Spirit Festival at the Anacostia Arts Center.
Rhythm Science Sound do great community-building work in Louisville KY.
From their website:
“Through our work, and the work of friends in communities all over the globe, we’ve seen that dance music has an unparalleled capacity to create community, facilitate the building, sharing, and mobilization of knowledge and culture, and spurs innovation and forward thinking creativity. We’re working to utilize music and the amazing spaces that can be created around it as a way to build and mobilize culture.We host community events, release music, and create spaces for learning, sharing, and producing music culture. If you want to know more about some of the ideas behind Rhythm Science Sound and how we put them into action, visit our resources and education pages.”
Looking forward to presenting a solo-set and masterclass there on Oct 12th!
I’ll be undertaking a solo US tour from Sept 25-30th as shown below. I’ll be conducting workshops and masterclasses on the “Intersection of Music-technology, Improvisation and Global-rhythms.’ I’ll be artist-in-residence at Champlain College for a full day where I’ll also collaborate with students to create new electro-acoustic works for a culminating performance. In addition to the workshops, I’ll also perform with the esteemed faculty of Susie Ibarra and Michael Wimberly at Bennington College VT and share a bill with Visitors Trio (featuring Jeff Davis) at Machines with Magnets in Pawtucket, RI.
[Filmed by Four/Ten Media in Philadelphia on Aug 14, 2018]
STOMP meets electronic dance music.. 
TurningJewelsIntoWater got to play the porch set up by New Orleans Airlift on Saturday, Aug. 4th. While we didn’t get to play all the structures, this is what was available for us:
“Strings are set along the first set of the railing. One side are bass strings, the other guitar strings. These are all tunable. The house is tuned to D Major, so these are tuned to harmonize with the rest of the house. There are loop pedals on each side (one for bass and one for guitar). You can create a bass loop, and then add to it by using the pedals located at the other instruments.
On the first landing there are a set of large chimes. To the left is a device designed by Quintron that “plays” the weather via sensors and synthesizers. It emits a drone that can be manipulated via the dials on the panel. To the right, there is a porch swing that acts as a “metronome”. As it moves back and forth it activates a striker positioned inside of a wood block.
The steps to the second level have MIDI triggers that play percussion samples. Two panels in the wall also have triggers. Drums, cymbals, and 808s. These can be played using feet and hands, or they can be played with mallets to give you a little more control.
The second level has a marimba railing (n.b. this instrument sounds best when you strike the edge of the bar, unlike the traditional instrument that sounds best when played in the center of the bar). D maj. The marimba has a loop pedal and a delay pedal rigged to it. To the left of that is a PVC tube xylophone.
There is a door at the highest level with handbells, again it has the notes of a D major scale, though they aren’t arranged in scale order. There are also jingle bells attached to the lower half of the door.”
Looking forward to the EP release of Which Way is Home? (FPE Records) at Nublu, NYC, (presented by LPR) in a double-bill with the great Nicole Mitchell and Christina Wheeler.
We’d been honored to have been invited to perform at this years’ Bang on a Can Marathon on May 13 at NYU Skirball, which included the legendary Terry Riley, as well as artists such as Mazz Swift, Ethel Quartet, Xenia Rubinos, Stephin Merritt, et al.
Our debut tour takes us through Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czechia, Switzerland and Italy. We perform at festivals, concert halls, clubs, outdoor spaces and cultural centers alike. Looking forward to making new friends and fans alike!
I just signed with FPE Records to bring TurningJewelsIntoWater into the world. Honored to share the roster with Debo Band (who’s “Ethiopiques” influences are among some of my all time fave life-changing records), Nicole M. Mitchell (who’s ‘Mandorla Awakening’ slayed Top 10/2017 charts across the board, and channeled the AACM “ancient to the future’ practice in earnest) and other equally dope genre-bending artists.
Even to get to this starting point, it’s a community effort. Big thanks to my partner Larisa Mann for continuing to have faith in my music, for the incredible talents of Val Jeanty, for Pioneer Works for giving me the space to experiment and create this project, my cousin/ uber producer Alap Momin , for Tristra Newyear Yeager (Rock.Paper.Scissors) for making the intro, and ofcourse to FPE Records, for offering up a ‘turnkey’ operation, from producing vinyl to working as our booking agent. Taking nothing for granted. 
Cover art/design by Pana Li (Diana Castro)