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L-R Al Nawrocki (drums) Evan MacLeod (bass) Martin Gohary (keys)
GroundSounds loves to create lasting partnerships with emerging artists. It’s one of the aspects of running this site that we pride ourselves on. We always stay connected to what’s happening on the ground by having open communication with and getting our news directly from the artists themselves. Today, I’m super excited to introduce the music of my longtime friend and emerging Jazz pianist Martin Gohary, currently based in Worcester, MA. Martin and I used to play music together all the time in college and I can honestly say without a doubt that he will be one of the most influential musicians of my generation. He’s only 27, so he’s got a long career ahead of him, too. I know his age because we were born on the exact same day, month, and year. Yea, that’s life. I guess you could say that we were destined to be friends so that I would eventually share this music you all, is your mind blown yet? Check out my chat with Martin below and listen to his new album. It’s a beautiful, improvised, pristine recording.
You’ve mentioned that the music was improvised in the studio, but have any of these melodies been in the back of your mind for a while?
Not really; this was a lot more urgent than it seems – we were playing a lot of shows leading up to the recording and then the band was on break. Josh McDonald, our trumpet player, went to Italy for a month, so we did a lot of shows without him. Three days after he returned, I was on a plane to Paris as we released our first record Tiger Style. When I returned, we had 13 days before Josh moved to Virginia! As a group, all of our shows were improvised, with nothing prearranged. We wanted to record with Josh one last time; I got on the phone with our engineer, Peter Kontrimas, and got us together at the last minute. We entered Peter’s studio and pressed ‘record.’ What you are hearing is one large improvised session edited and arranged after the recording!
For an album that was largely improvised, the band certainly seems to be on the same page throughout the album. Did you review any of the ideas with them beforehand?
No sir, what you are hearing is a really tight group of professionals who have been playing a lot of gigs and letting loose in the studio.
Does Ayahuasca Day Trip have a deeper meaning to you and the relationship to the music or does it just sound cool? Or both?
It’s actually a weird story. The way I write or conceive music is based off an idea. It could be an image, an art piece, a TV show, a comic book, you name it. A friend of mine was backpacking through Colombia and she took a photo with the words “The Ayahuasca Day Trip” carved into the wall. Right then and there I heard the sound and direction of the album.
While I’m sure you’re inspired by lots of Jazz musicians, I’d love to know what other sorts of artistic mediums play into the creativity of your compositions and jam sessions?
For me, everything I consume plays into my creativity. Literally everything. I can be watching a movie, reading a book, or even be at a show and melodies just come to me. It’s tough because I’ll be ready to sleep, lying in bed when the music comes. I have to get out of bed, go to the piano or sing the idea into my phone. Then, I work on it from there. I can’t sit at a piano and say to myself “Ok, it is time to compose.” When I do, the music sounds forced and cliché. It’s only when I’m doing something that shuts off my brain (like doing the dishes) that the creative side of me comes out.
What is your opinion on the current Jazz scene in modern day music?
Man, what a time to be living in. Today, there is some of the best jazz and music in general out there. We are really fortunate with the technology we have. We can go on the internet and hear music that was created one minute ago or 100+ years ago. What I love about jazz today is that they are influenced not only by the greats but by contemporary music, including music from other parts of the world. It’s really a beautiful thing. On this record and the first one we were influenced by genres outside of jazz, whether it is dub music from Jamaica, or rhythms found in South America.
If you could describe your new album in one word, what that would be?
I’ll describe it in four! LATINO SPACE JAZZ FUSION.
I like the sound of that! Do you think you will ever put out any music videos to accompany your magnificent sounds?
Absolutely, we’ve worked with Tommy and John Vo (John did our album art for our debut Tiger Style) on a video for our song “Jungle After Dark” (track from Tiger Style). I want to collaborate with a videographer for my next project. Videos are the way to go these days, especially if you are trying to build an audience who wouldn’t normally listen to instrumental music.
What’s next after this album? More records? More shows?
More shows and more records. We/I aren’t slowing down anytime soon. I’m working with an organization here in Worcester to put on a jazz festival in our city. I also pulled a great team of friends together to start a record label, so keep your eyes peeled for that! We are actually closing this chapter with Death Wish and starting a new project with a new vision. We are mixing the harmonic freedom of Wayne Shorter with the rhythms of J Dilla. Very exciting stuff; it has me thinking in a whole new way.
Well, thanks for chatting with us man. Can’t wait to hear more music in 2017!
