Calamities of Silence expands on the cinematic sensibility Pate introduced on Human/Alien. With an intricately constructed lattice of melodic themes and harmonic movement the four-part suite is a seamless combination of ensemble improvisation and Pate’s composition, arrangement and post-production sound design. The project is both a response to and sonic mulling of themes that feel particularly resonant in a time of conflict and historical accounting. “The impetus came from some authors I’ve been reading, particularly Albert Camus and James Baldwin,” Pate says. “I’ve also been listening to a lot of contemporary classical music focusing on texture and color.”
Standards reimagined during Shelter in Place. New tracks recorded and released until some normalcy returns. update 6/15/20 - moving forward, all sales of Pandemic Standards will be donated to Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation - funds will go towards supporting grassroots organizational efforts. Without the genius of Black American Music, American Music, including my own contributions would not exist. secure.actblue.com/donate/ms_blm_homepage_2019
Recorded live at Temescal Arts Center, in Oakland, California 6/1/2019. Each composition/improvisation drew inspiration from the work of Artist Joan Miró. Track titles are the same as the paintings they reflect.
an album of forward-minded jazz where the earthy and otherworldly mingle and meld. To bring his music alive, Pate convened a band of kindred-spirit players whom he got to know on the Brooklyn session scene: pianist Dov Manski, bassist Noah Garabedian and drummer Devin Gray. With Human/Alien, Pate aimed to create “a world in sound – music that’s cinematic, which is something a lot of my favorite records share,” he says. “The title, Human/Alien, reflects a duality I’ve always been drawn to, things that are both human and strange – the earthy, human essence being an emphasis on melody, and the alien being an ethereal, atmospheric quality.”