LUMAMA presents
Fairmount
LUMAMA
-
Luis Salcedo
Guitar, Composer, Producer
-
Matt Roads
Bass
-
Marshall Williams
Drums, Producer
-
Nathan Bickart
Piano
-
Sam Priven
Alto Saxophone
Have a feeling…
and
share it in a beautiful way…
Composing is just putting ‘and’ in between the sentences
— Luis Salcedo
Luis:
“Each tune began as a study of how I pronounce a friends name. How do I, in a casual and comfortable way, use timbre, inflection, rhythmic emphasis, and syncopation to compress a wealth of feeling and familiarity into only a few syllables?
The exception is LS: a self portrait in which each close friend was given a unique phrase inspired by their unique way of phrasing my own name.”
1.SP
2.NB
3.MR
4.MW
5.LS
Featured Friends
This album is about LUMAMA’s personal relationships as well as the larger community that we create with our friends.
Fairmount:
"fun, mysterious, exploratory"
"heartwarming"
Fairmount:
"opportunity"
"new, inspirational, challenging"
Fairmount:
"collaborative, experimental, love"
"spontaneous, connected"
Fairmount: "fun, mysterious, exploratory" "heartwarming" Fairmount: "opportunity" "new, inspirational, challenging" Fairmount: "collaborative, experimental, love" "spontaneous, connected"
From our friends
“I do a lot of drum recording from my home studio, but this project was particularly creative. I remember trying to get a inspiring sound that felt a bit different, with more dry and chunky sounds than are sometimes used for improvised music. I love the Bay Area music community so much, and this record was such a fun way to get to participate and “play” with so many musicians I love!”
- Zev Shearn-Nance
SP, LS: Drums and percussion
“It's such a sweet feeling to sing music written about people you know and love! I definitely noticed that I was improvising in a different way getting to improvise while thinking about a stellar human like Matt! I was taking lessons with Theo Bleckmann at the time and I originally viewed my contribution as sort of a background /additional texture, but Theo kept urging me to dig deeper into what it meant to be asked to contribute a voice to a lyric-less composition. I kept singing it as if I was hiding behind the other instruments, trying not to get in the way, and Theo constantly encouraged me to breathe life into the melody instead of hiding inside of it. It's a sentiment I still hold with me on a daily basis now.”
- Danielle Wertz
MR, LS: Voice
“I was initially puzzled that Lu would want bass clarinet sounds produced by a guitarist, but I took the very challenging request earnestly and had a blast stepping into a different world. Recording on a very new instrument provided an opportunity for a fresh beginner's mind perspective. It was valuable for me to feel trusted and valued to contribute something musically that was on the edge of my comfort zone.”
- Ryan Pate
MW, LS: Bass clarinet
“I collaborated on two pieces. One I actually used for inspiration for another piece I wrote. Thanks, Lu! I was a bit intimidated, but Lu had spacious direction. He asked me to engage with the music in a playful way and bring myself - to not fit into something I think I'm suppose to fit into. That made it easier! Fairmount asks us to prioritize spaciousness and celebrate each contributor's artistry.”
-Mia Pixley
NB, LS: Cello
“I played saxophone and electronics on two tracks; one composed piece and one structured improvisation. I was also experimenting with a new synthesizer and had a lot of fun exploring what it could do and learning it’s ins and outs. The process is a little blurry since it was a while back but I think I've learned to be less precious, which was difficult to do given the isolation and seemingly endless time of 2020 lockdown. Hearing the end result of all the different voices (some I knew and some I didn't) coming together in really unexpected and creative ways gave the individual recording experience really valuable perspective. This project felt like a really special way to connect with special people in my life during a difficult and uncertain time.”
- Nora Stanley
MR, LS: Saxophone and synth
“I played piano on a piece. I was inspired, and my part came about quickly! It was important to feel connected during Covid. I just had a baby, and it was great to be making music with friends. I loved how spontaneous it was!”
- Ruthie Dineen
NB: Piano
“Lu contacted me during the pandemic lockdown with an exciting message: "Hey, I have a big question...will you be on my next album?". I was thrilled that he reached out. That was a pretty depressing time for many musicians, and it was uplifting to have a small part in creating something that was special to Lu. I sang on two tracks - one part was completely charted out and the other Lu asked me to improvise in a classical style. I tried to strike a balance of singing in a classical style while having an awareness of the jazz elements on the demo. After I recorded both parts, I kept wondering if I should rework them. I really appreciated Lu's inclusive approach to making all musicians feel like they were part of this project, down to the incredible cover art! It was so valuable for me to be able to add a small contribution to my friend's project!”
- Melinda Becker
MW, LS: Voice
Andy Wilke
SP, LS: Trumpet
Andrew Stephens
NB, LS: Trumpet
Ian McArdle
SP: Keyboards, Organ
More friends featured:
Juan Ele
MW, LS: Voice
Casey Mattson
MR: Concertina
Masaru Koga
MW: Shakuhachi
Owen Clapp
SP, LS: Acoustic Bass
