Gradient is a culmination of a year of planning, a decade of composing, and a lifetime of artistic and interpersonal relationships weaved into a 78-minute package.
In 2020, I released, "Journal", where I enlisted a team of 23 drummers to play a mix of old and new compositions of mine. Journal was entirely self-produced, and I played all instruments except for drums.
Gradient is more of an "Essay"– I enlisted a team of 13 instrumentalists to play a mix of old and new compositions of mine, but Gradient was entirely a community effort. This time around, I only played drums, and I outsourced all production elements to specialists.
Gradient isn't just mine; it was made possible through the efforts of a sonic dream team, hand-picked from within Portland's vibrant and diverse jazz scene. Some of the finest musical minds in the city agreed to be a part of this process, and worked tirelessly to interpret and breathe life into the lines and dots I gave them.
I have mild synesthesia, and often hear sounds as colors, patterns, or even shapes. It's why a lot of my compositions have had colors or shapes as a name (e.g., "Auburn", "Isosceles", or "Ultraviolet")
Gradient got its name because a wide variety of the colors I see/hear for the pieces in this album are not a solid, but a spectrum or color group– the music is a bit harmonically, rhythmically, and texturally ambiguous. Some of the compositions have strong memories or emotions attached to them, and some are purely fictional. I hope that this music creates entirely new narratives in the capable ears of you listeners.
1. 21cc 09:01
2. Sepia 06:39
3. Rev 06:27
4. Gradient 06:27
5. Legacy 09:58
6. Sarcophagus 03:28
7. Solace 08:06
8. Adversary 08:04
9. Rembrandt 06:24
10. Back Home 08:12
11. Archipelago 06:10
Machado Mijiga, drums [all tracks]
"Focus Group":
Dario LaPoma, piano [1,3,5,6,9]
Andrew Jones, bass [1,3,5,6,8,9]
"Reading Rainbow"
Dylan Hayes, piano [2,7,11]
Garrett Baxter, bass [2,4,7,8,10,11]
Guests:
Justin Copeland, trumpet [1]
Jack Radsliff, guitar [3]
Darrell Grant, piano [4]
Todd Marston, Rhodes [4]
George Colligan, piano [8]
Noah Simpson, trumpet [8]
Rob Araujo, piano [10]
Sam Arnold, bass guitar [10]
Matt Sazima, vibraphone [11]
Mix by Sacha Müller
Master by Dana White
Produced by Machado Mijiga & Sacha Müller
Album Artwork by Machado Mijiga (original portrait by Douglas Detrick)
Recorded Jan 7th-10th, 2022 at Crossroads Productions in Vancouver WA
