serenatas disponibles (Brandon López, Margaux Oswald, and Sun-Mi Hong)

SEATED CONCERT – A new project by the New York bassist featuring a top-notch lineup: popular Latin American influences, polyrhythms, microtonality, and the absence of an overarching concept. What remains? A complex feeling designed to get people dancing.

The term “serenade” can be loosely translated as “music of the evening.” It has a long tradition in the Latin American context: it expresses love and remembrance, farewell, and longing.

It may therefore come as a surprise at first that Brandon López, a rising star of the New York avant-garde and improvisation scene, explicitly references serenades in his new program, “serenatas disponibles.” However, what interests this double bassist—who comes from a Puerto Rican family and grew up in New Jersey—about this musical tradition is not so much the finished form as the fragmentation of the musical material. 

In this reinterpretation, small melodic or rhythmic Latin motifs emerge like vague memories from a distant past. They are framed by López’s characteristic passion for polyrhythmic and microtonal experimentation, which attests equally to his elegance and his musical independence.

Word of his distinctive musical style has long since spread: He has already collaborated with leading figures in the international avant-garde scene, including John Zorn, Peter Evans, and Ingrid Laubrock. He also made a name for himself through his highly acclaimed collaboration with the poet Fred Moten, which was named “Best of Jazz” by The New York Times in 2022.

For his current project, he was able to bring on board not only the Swiss improvisational musician Margaux Oswald, but also the South Korean drummer Sun-Mi Hong, who has made a name for herself internationally in recent years as an acclaimed bandleader. Together, the trio creates an atmospheric sound stripped down to its essentials—exactly what seems appropriate for the music of the evening.

Previously:
Bauer / Kalima / Drake

+++ Note: Due to organizational changes, there has been a change in the lineup. Margaux Oswald will be performing in place of Mat Maneri. Materials that have already been printed still list the original lineup. +++