Closer Than We Think, by Dayna Stephens

Closer Than We Think

by Dayna Stephens

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1.	Bubbly 05:15	buy track
2.	The Nomad 06:09	buy track
3.	Ryland 04:47	buy track
4.	Scrutiny 03:04	buy track
5.	Placate 04:12	buy track
6.	E.S.P 05:51	buy track
7.	A New Spring 04:06	buy track
8.	Te 05:47	buy track
9.	Blue Poles 03:59	buy track
10.	Back Home 06:47	buy track
11.	Placate (Reprise) 03:21	buy track

about

Whether we are talking about gender, political, racial, cultural, economic status, or oceanic divides we are all closer than we think when gaining perspective on how similar we all are instead of hyper focusing on minute differences. For this record I chose a set of songs that I felt would speak to our core in a variety of ways as conscious beings regardless of origin. When thinking of artists who could breathe life and inspiration into this journey these 3 musicians came to mind immediately.

Guitarist Emmanuel Michael is someone I met Sep 2022 as a student in my ensemble at Manhattan School of Music. He immediately struck me as a one of a kind guitarist with a very special approach to expressing emotion with a personal sense of time and harmony. His sound will delightfully consume you whole into an unforgettable cloud of mushy goodness. Kanoa Mendenhall I met teaching at Stanford Jazz Workshop and have always admired her grace and amazing reflexes while being rock solid, reliable, and uber supportive. Jongkuk Kim is a creative wizard when it comes to rhythm, color and textures. I’m absolutely in love with his spontaneity and his use of dynamics and drive especially when things get cooking. He’s a true Jedi of the drums and cymbals.

Another source of inspiration for the sound palette of this band was “The Bridge” by Sonny Rollins, my desert island record. My father bought me that record and I fell in love, recognizing the seriousness, and also sometimes playful and humorous expressions that I felt from Sonny. That level of intimacy, warmth and feeling of limitless possibilities is the source of my addiction to this music.

credits

released April 5, 2024

Dayna Stephens: saxes & EWI
Emmanuel Michael : guitar
Kanoa Mendenhall: bass
Jongkuk Kim: drums
Jeremy Pelt: trumpet (track 6)

Executive Producer: Cory Weeds & Raymon Torchinsky
Produced by Jeremy Pelt
Recorded by Owen Mulholland at GB’s Juke Joint, LIC NYC on May 7th, 2023
Engineered by Hector Castillo, assisted by Andrés Cottin
Mixed and mastered by Dayna Stephens
Photography by William Brown
Design and layout by John Sellards

Cellar Music 2024

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about

Dayna Stephens New York, New York

Dayna Stephens is globally recognized as a saxophonist, composer and arranger, and is the first place recipient of the 2019 DownBeat Critics Poll in the category Rising Star—Tenor Saxophone. His search to find what’s “singable” often challenges traditional concepts of harmony, pushing phrasing and sending beautiful and unintentional melodies in unlikely directions. ... more

daynastephens.net

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