Welcome

Welcome to the book project Being Here, a compilation of interviews with extraordinary New York City improvisational musicians on the values and practices that inform their music making. I ask them about composing, improvising, and bandleading, and about the relationship between art and the audience. The book will be an invaluable resource on the creative process and will tell a story of jazz at this time and place.

By participating in the project, you can pre-order the book, listen to excerpts from interviews, and see performances by featured and other artists. You can also support publication, and so play a major role in bringing the book to life. Please see the list of musicians featured in the first volume below.

THE MUSICIANS

Andy Bey, Ben Monder, Billy Hart, Bill Frisell, Brian Blade, Butch Morris, Chris Potter, Dafnis Prieto, David Binney, Dave Douglas, Gregoire Maret, Henry Threadgill, Jane Ira Bloom, Jason Moran, Kenny Wollesen, Maria Schneider, Mark Turner, Robert Glasper, Steve Coleman, Thomas Morgan, Vijay Iyer, William Parker

NEWS

About the Project

Please visit the project experience center to hear audio excerpts from interviews in the book, stories about the project, and see performances. The events page here will be updated each month to give you a heads-up on what I am planning to post.

ArtistShare has set up different levels of project participation for you. The book participation level offers access to events, and a copy of the book. Higher levels of participation offer publishing recognition and additional aspects of the documentary experience

Thank you for reading and for your support.

Radhika

Featured Artists Volume 1

Reviews

This work, expressing the living aesthetic of some of the most vital musicians of our time is so important now because the corporations are trying to erase any trace of serious music from a planet they want to own completely. -- Amiri Baraka

So beautiful to hear artists describe inspiration, and so
encouraging to young people to hear that we all have doubts and fears.
-- Laurie Anderson