Looking forward to Hudson Opera House
May 19 the chamber group will perform at the Hudson Opera House and we are looking forward to very fun evening of music. We’ll be playing music from our critically acclaimed album Galactic Diamonds, and explore some new material for our upcoming fall recording. To purchase tickets, just click here. See you at the show!
Monk
Been diving into Thelonius Monk’s compositions lately in preparation for a west coast tour with Claire Daly in June……concert dates to be announced shortly. Loving his melodies, rhythmic vitality, and how his tunes all make sense in their own way. What is your favorite monk tune? Mine changes by the day, today it happens to [...]
interesting
Heard this on the radio the other day while driving through Philadelphia and immediately wanted to share it with you all. It’s a fascinating discussion on creativity from the NPR show Fresh Air between author Jonah Lehrer and Terri Gross. The author draws ideas from Bob Dylan, Yo Yo Ma, jazz pianists,and others. Check it [...]
space is the place and runner’s high
Just finished recording with the collective, Outer Bridge, yesterday. It was a big group - piano (including rhodes and Hammond B3), bass, drums, sax, trumpet, trombone, and the music felt great. I imagine it will be out in a few months….will keep you posted. Here’s three things I learned yesterday. 1. Space is the Place. [...]
you, me, and the piano
I remember seeing this cartoon in the New Yorker pinned to a bulletin board where there is this guy with a tux walking out to a bare stage except for a grand piano. He’s kind of has his head down as if he is thinking “Oh boy, here we go.” That cartoon captures the daunting [...]
news and quotes
will be recording a new album in February with the collective, the outer bridge ensemble. the group is normally a 5′tet (sax, piano, bass, drums, percussion) but we are going to add trombone, trumpet, guitar to this recording…stay tuned! Here’s a great quote from the guitarist Jeff Buckley I have been wanting to share…..if [...]
All About Jazz feature article
Nice article on the cover of the All About Jazz website regarding the making of the Mary Joyce album I cowrote with Claire Daly. It really gets into the nitty-gritty process of making the album.
best of 2011
Nice to see the album Claire Daly and I wrote/performed on, Mary Joyce: Nothing to Lose, made it on the Night Train Best of 2011. You can hear the music at, www.clairedalymusic.com. Onward with 2012!!! NIGHT TRAIN KMUW FM 89.1, Wichita – Ranked Top 20 nationally AQH Share/Top 30 Cume Rating Mediaguide Monitored/Roots Music Report [...]
What a year
Thank you everyone for making 2011 such a great year! We charted new ground musically, and reached new friends in Europe and the US, all with your help….we drove through the night to reach friends in Virginia in which I gained a new appreciation for caffeine and that yes googlemaps may not be that accurate, [...]
jazztimes review
Hey gang, The December issue of Jazztimes has a nice review of the album, “Mary Joyce Project: Nothing to Lose, which I cowrote and played piano on with saxophonist Claire Daly. Here’s a bit, “On this beautifully realized album, Daly captures Joyce’s adventurous spirit, determination, and love of her surroundings while radiating similar qualities herself… [...]
good times
The crew had a blast in brooklyn (thank you Helen!) last Friday. It was great meeting new friends after the show. Plus it was cool to debut new music…….playing new music is like a first date and test driving a car with no cops around, all in one. More in a bit, S
myths, movies and music
When I was starting out as a teenager playing coffee shops, I saw countless Hollywood movies where musicians were portrayed as talented, misunderstood, sometimes crazy, bohemian, and poor. I heard countless anecdotes from friends and music magazines, that seemed to give ceratin high profile musicians an almost mythological aura….the miles davis mystique. I remember this [...]
Brooklyn Bound – Friday Dec 9
All of us in the chamber group, jody, martin, zach, and your truly are psyched to play the Brooklyn House Series on Friday, Dec. 9. We’ll be exploring some new music and sounds for this show in this intimate setting, including a new piece called “Be with Me.” Seating is limited, so reserve your spot [...]
Baltimore Concert
Everyone in the band is excited for our Friday November 18 show at An Die Musik. Our last concert about a year and a half ago was a special night, so we are psyched to see some old friends and new ones. Percussionist Richie Barshay will be performing with us for this show. He has [...]
Sled Dogs in the City – October 27
Looking forward to performing music with the great saxophonist Claire Daly on October 27 at the Gershwin Hotel in NYC (7 pm, 7 East 27th, NYC 10016). We will be doing music that Claire and I composed together which was inspired by Mary Joyce – the explorer who one day in the 1930′s risked it [...]
First Loves
So at 13 or 14 years old I walked into a record shop on Central Ave. in Albany,New York where I grew up, and decided to buy my first record. Before that I would just listen to my boombox and when I heard something cool I would hit the record button. This resulted in many [...]
One for John
Put together a new video with the tune Song for John Lennon. I always dug his music, his passion, and what he stood for, but after watching a documentary on his life I gained a new appreciation…true inspiration. More in a bit, S
Hidden Track – October Surprise
There is a tune the chamber ensemble recorded on the Galactic Diamonds session which was not released. It’s like nothing else on the album, and I thought we might release it on our next recording or as a single sometime in 2012, but for the month of October only it’s yours. It’s our way of [...]
The Gershwin Problem…..Galactic Diamonds Review.
Call it the Gershwin problem; was he writing classical, jazz or pop? Well, yes he was. He used classical form, technique and craft to make popular, accessible music that was full of the language of the blues and jazz. I think what is confounding is that Gershwin was a great genius, and generally we’re conditioned to [...]
Review of Symphony Space/Thalia Show
Hudson writes catchy, genre-defying instrumentals that ought to be movie themes. Maybe they are movies themes, famous ones, and I’ve just never seen those movies. That’s what happens when you spend your life in dingy clubs instead of at home, glued to the tube. Their first number was a cross between a tango and a [...]
Symphony Space Show
Thanks to everyone who made it out to the Symphony Space show! It was a great show, and we had a chance to premier some new music for the group. We’ll keep you posted on some more nyc shows in the works.
Symphony Space Show this Tuesday, Sept. 13, NYC
The Steve Hudson Chamber Ensemble will be performing on Tuesday, Sept.13, at the Bar Thalia at Symphony Space at 9 pm. We will be performing some new music for this show and play music from our recent release Galactic Diamonds. Admission is free, and the Thalia Cafe offers a wide assortment of excellent food and wine. [...]
Kind Words from the Urban Flux for Galactic Diamonds
There are exquisite pearls of music generously revealed through this intriguing tableau of music on “GALACTIC DIAMONDS.” These gems contain poignant yet unexpected streams of melodies, rhythms, mysterious shapes and provocative voicings. In this care, they are uncorked to unveil an integral pool of sounds orchestrated by composer/pianist Steve Hudson. Hudson opts to draw from [...]
hall pass
I will be teaching a few music classes and small jazz ensembles at Westminster Conservatory in Princeton, NJ this coming fall and spring. If you live in the community, come join us! You can get more info at the Rider University website.
