The Paradigm Shift 6 Audio/Visual Group
New York City, New York, United States | SELF
Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
"There's nothing better than being the first."
That's another one of Fixxy's little sayings. By his order, and that of The Duke, I was sent to Undisclosed Location, a secret little spot underneath the Hendershot Gallery where a benefit was to take place for Japan. It was the first time they had done anything like it, and upon seeing the video shot and edited by our new boy wonder Joshua Johnson, the Duke declared that everyone were official Dukes for the rest of this life and the next.
Led by Malachi "Mike" Basden and Wes "Warmdaddy" Anderson is Paradigm Shift, an audio-visual sextet that blends live holographic animation with live jazz.
Basden, a soprano saxophonist, illustrator and animator, who has worked with everyone from Winston Marsalis to Slick Rick has developed technologies that would allow for audio-visual live performance utilizing Mid-Air 3D projection where animation and images are driven by the improvisation and interaction of the musicians in real time on stage while also allowing for audience participation in the music and visuals via their iPhones. Yeah, this guy is on some next level shit.
Warmdaddy, the alto sax, grew up in Bed Stuy and Crown Heights and was heavily involved in the jazz scene from a young age through his father. And If you think Bed Stuy and Crown Heights are bad now, just try and imagine it 30 years ago. And get this, his wife is from Louisiana and cooked up enough ambrosial Gumbo to feed the New Orleans Saints.
That madman on the bass is Ryan Berg, Theo Hill on the piano, Rolando Morales-Matos on the bongos and the drummer? That amazing drummer? THAT is Andrew Atkinson. He didn't even have an interest in drumming until his art school messed up his schedule and accidentally put him in a percussion class. Next thing he knew he was opening for James Brown at the 2002 Sunfest. And now that you have an idea of the incredible talent involved, I'll tell you a bit about the show.
It started out slow and melodic, I personally don't know a lot about jazz and can't tell you the names of any of the songs. I was never even a big fan of Jazz until that night. That show opened me to a whole other world of musical wonders and that's what Duc is all about, learning, experiencing, and absorbing new things in the best way possible. Everyone had their moment for an incredible solo but the highlight for me was the back and forth Rolando Morales-Matos and Atkinson. They had me in absolute awe. There was supposed to be holographic dancers performing in front of them but the machine was on the fritz. I know, total bummer, BUT, this is jazz, and one thing that I do know about jazz is that its all about improvisation and boy did they improvise. Dancers in full zentai suits came out at about 15 minutes in and moved around the stage as the music soared. First one in blue, then one in red, THEN, at the end came TWO with exploding head pieces on at which point the music was so pumping that no one could resist a dance, including myself. To say the energy that night was phenomenal would be a gross understatement, but being as that all I have is words to explain that which can not be put into words, it will have to do. There is no better feeling than having your body and soul connect directly to the live music around you and that is exactly what happened. Paradigm Shift took everyone to another level and everyone there were the first ones to experience it. And that's why Fixxy says, "There's nothing better than being the first." If there was a beginning to greatness it happened far before they started playing. They didn't even need the damn holograms (but I'm still dying to see them). Hell, you don't even have to take my word for it, watch our little video below...
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Special thanks to Carter Timmins, James Hendershot, and Mike Basden for having us. - ducsite.com
Discography
http://www.ps6avj.com
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
The Paradigm Shift av Sextet makes jazz music that is unlike other groups in the genre which electrifies audiences young and old and the recurring reaction when this group plays is "I never listened to jazz, but now I want to check out more".
People dance at our gigs. Don't believe it? watch this:
http://youtu.be/1sVpN9EMpRc
The videos tell it all but for those that want a cool story. Keep reading:
Most folks in the jazz world including Wynton(Wes has played with him for over 20 years and Malachi was his personal assistant from '90-92) don't know that Malachi and Wes have been like brothers for over 30 years. They both attended NYC's Jazz mobile together when they were both 14 years old and were both playing in it's offshoot Young Musicians of New York big band.
Both left NYC to pursue their music educations and years later we reunited while Wes was playing In the Wynton Marsalis Septet a defining group of the 90's jazz revival and Malachi "Mike" Basden worked as Wynton's assistant and went on the road with the band.
During those formative years, no matter where they were in the world Mike would get the daily knock on his hotel room door from Wes, "Come on bro, it's time to shed". This became a ritual the two would repeat many times through the years even after Mike left the organization to pursue the reason he began to play jazz in the first place, to meld improvised soulful music with animation and mid-air holo-projection.
After may years with Mike traveling and working abroad he heard through the grape vine that Wes had become extremely ill and contacted him and his wife Desi and flew back to the States from abroad to see his old friend who was recovering in Michigan.
Shortly thereafter Mike's surrogate mother fell ill and passed away. He asked Wes and a number of musicians he was forming his "Audio Visual Jazz Coalition" with to play at her funeral. The result were profound culminating in a New Orleans like march that celebrated the passing of a beautiful and strong woman to the next place. A few days after Wes suggested they form a band. Mike response was "i haven't played jazz in over ten years, I've been playing with DJ's in Europe and doing visuals. You're playing everyday with the best musicians in the world and I might pick the horn every few weeks". Wes' response: "It's time to shed MIke Basden"
With that they worked out a strict practice regiment that they are currently turning into a electronic app to enable improvising musicians to quickly push their playing to extremely proficient levels very quickly. Check the band site in the weeks to come for more on that App.
In putting together what would be an audio-visual jazz group Mike had heard 2 young musicians that had uncanny chemistry together playing at Bill Saxton's Place in Harlem. They were Theo Hill on piano and Andrew Atkinson on drums. Wes had played a jazz cruise where he heard an amazing percussionist named Rolando Moraels-Mathos. When they all got together at bassists Ryan Berg's apartment in NYC, they all knew this would be something different from any other band they had played with.
Their first gig was a quickly put together benefit concert for Japan relief where the basement of a lower East side gallery was transformed into a hip jazz club and the result were profound there as before. Young people who had never heard jazz before participated, cheered, and danced. Many have asked to be put on a mailing list to come to the next event and bring their friends.
The band is currently rehearsing to get on the road and preparing material for 3 separate albums.
They are called the Paradigm Shift 6 because humanity is at present going through a transformation that will change from the individual's interest to that of the collective community. An aspect of the natural way of being that jazz music came into being to promote.
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