Category: Turning Jewels

Honored to have been commissioned to create a new work with the Furman U Percussion Ensemble during this residency with bandmate Val Jeanty. We worked with the students over the course of the week to create a piece that utilized cutting-edge music tech tools (such as FSR pads and Sensory Percussion) and built on traditional Indian and Haitian Folk rhythms.

For this US premiere, Turning Jewels Into Water, the live electronic duo Ravish Momin and Val Jeanty  collaborated with the video artist Art Jones and dancers  Ra Dakini and Ivvy to create an interdisciplinary work that depicted the transformation of an individual facing the impacts of climate change.

TurningJewelsIntoWater was awarded a 2020 New Music USA grant (New Music USA) Getting emotional here..I’ve never been part of a community, never been Avant enough, Indian enough, Jazz enough, Experimental enough, Electronic enough, to fit anywhere, and yet I’ve not given up on New York City over the past 17 years..

And now, to have offers from Pioneer Works, Harlem Stage & Roulette to put on this interdisciplinary performance in the Fall, has been mind-blowing ?
–This extended project involves collaboration with a flex dancer, modern dancer, and a video projection artist–
** visual sample: https://youtu.be/TAKwMvOgri0

These things I have come to realize…
*NYC has become increasingly musically conservative and segregated, and is not the center of the musical world.
*The musical future is not male (belongs to all other genders) and my time is limited- and I will pay it forward as best I can.
* The definitions of “experimental music” need to be changed, to reflect the beat-based innovations of people of color from across the globe
*Meaningful change can only come to the scene if the musical ruling-class is replaced by working-class people-of-color and black curators/owners representative of the artists themselves

[deep gratitude to Val Jeanty, Art Jones, Ranubi and Ivvy for being a part of this journey]

“Finding that space between Congolese electronic artist/DJ Nkisi and live Ugandan electronic act Nihiloxica, while drawing on Haitian and Indian folk rhythms, they put on a mesmerizing performance, creating dense arrangements and layered loops from scratch. Val had already been at Earshot, blowing minds with Kris Davis +Terri Lynn Carrington the previous week, so this was an added treat”- (FACT Mag) 

Undertaking a min-tour that will take us coast to coast in the US.
We’re going to perform at the following venues:
Oct 10: Space Gallery, Portland ME
(Curated by Nat Baldwin of Dirty Projectors, the Fall line-up includes genre-blurring artists like Moor Mother and Laraaji)
Oct 11: Terrace Club, Princeton University, Princeton NJ
(the legendary space at Princeton U has been putting on shows since 1984 and some amazing bands have played here. Honored to join the ranks!)
Oct 12: Town Hall, Earshot Jazz Festival, Seattle WA
(eclectic line-up includes lots of non-Jazz artists such as Tinariwen and Dakha Brakha)