matt baumann: journal

happy new year to all of you!

with the new year comes new music and new goals. 2009 unfortunately was a year of creative drought for me. i only released one album last year (as opposed to the seven I recorded and released in 2008) and the one record of 2009 was the second foray into duality with eric barnett, "late nights, early mornings". "late nights" was reviewed well and we were happy with it, but i personally struggled to record a solo album that i was happy with. i found that all my efforts of the previous year in creating whole desolate soundscapes solely from my saxophones culminated in "sojourner" (dec. 2008). in my opinion, "sojourner" and "an island" were so complete and as close to perfect as i could make them, that i struggled to figure out in which direction to go...so basically, i went no where...the one solo recording that did come out of 2009 was "far gone" though it won't be released till' early this year...that record was recorded last summer, but due to some computer problems was delayed...now "far gone" is finally on the cusp of finality...the album should be done soon (no specific dates) and eric is putting the finishing touches on it following the hassles and delays of 2009.

also in more album news; a musical friend of mine pete fosco, has come out with a new vinyl (record) label, greenup st. industries...pete asked me to send him something for it and i am currently working on getting that done...this is a very cool opportunity for me considering that my albums are so desolate and quiet...i always thought a vinyl album would be good for my music. more on this as i finish it. thanks for checking in and i'm sorry about the delays that have sidelined me and hopefully with a little luck 2010 will be a much more productive year...

MB

well...out of nowhere i spent this evening recording what i expect to be an E.P with the absolutely beautiful erhu player, mimi jong. i just finished a listen of the recording and am completely blown away!

this WILL be released by me and I cannot give enough thanks to my wife ligaya, artist william rock, poet/artist huang xiang, and of course the unbelievable erhu artist, mimi jong. this is a completely improvised record, but the result is undeniably unique. meditative, quiet, haunting, and pure...

MB

credit is due here to my old friend seann flynn for getting me up and interested in a new recording. you all know my solo and duo work with eric barnett, but as of today work has begun on a new trio record.

barnett / baumann / flynn, is a new and nearly a coast to coast project...eric and i reside here in ohio and seann is currently living it up out in los angeles...we're bouncing tracks back and forth and recording upon what each of us adds to a basic single track. interesting project and it will be a great outcome...stay tuned.

MB

there is a fantastic new review of "late nights" in the review section. i want to thank brian baker for taking his time to spotlight my music. brian has been a great friend to me and a superb listening companion/advisor. so, much love and thanks to him!

"far gone" is well on it's way...mixing is being done by eric and I hope it to be finished before the end of the year. the reason it has been such a lengthy process is that eric is employing the use of reel to reel tape and other analog means to extract the cold from the record and give it a warm lo-fi quality. thanks for staying with me during this time. i hope you all are well and i send you all my best heart-felt wishes.

MB

hello everyone,

i hate to say that the new record is delayed due to some technical difficulties...equipment issues have made the mixing a problem. when things are ironed out the record will follow. i haven't forgotten about it, but life has a way becoming an obstacle rather than an ally. please, please stay tuned. thank you all again and again...

MB

yes, i've been gone for a while, but "far gone" is done and is being mixed and mastered by my good friend and collaborator, eric barnett (you all should know him by now).

this record represents a new start in my music. gone are the huge walls of reverb and gone is the cavernous feel of my ambient solitude. within this record lies a new kind of ambience which captures all the sounds around where I stood. you can hear the sounds of breath, my saxophone keys, the wood floors, walls, and the sounds of life all around. here you can really wrap your ears around the sound, and not just the sound of my saxophones, but the sounds of the room.

everything is new on this album; from the way it was recorded, down to the handwritten cover and liner notes...

thank you all for your support and patience as i tried to find a new way.

MB

barnett / baumann - "late nights, early mornings" is finally up for sale here on my site. also, "beauty bent, not broken" has returned for sale. click the "albums" tab to purchase any or all of these records.

as always thank you so much for your support...

MB

i've begun work on "far gone" my new solo record...if you thought "sojourner" was ambient / quiet, just wait for this one.

the second barnett / baumann record will be up and available on the site sometime this week...

it turns out that I've needed some distance between me and the music...

i'm sorry i've been so far gone for so long...

MB

in the space of a month or so (maybe weeks), the second barnett / baumann record will be out and available.

recorded in an old farmhouse in late summer 2008, "late nights / early mornings" contains only an echo of the americana feel of its predecessor. rather than building on or copying the successful style of "beauty", "late nights" has more or less taken a turn for the ambient and experimental. there are tracks built on feedback and multiphonics, a track built solely on the percussive sounds of the saxophone, and a recurring, ascending theme that ties it all together.

eric and i are very proud of this record and hopefully we will have it to you very soon.

MB

jim feist and i have been rehearsing together for a number of months now and preparing very new music for a new album, our first one together. all of the music featured on the upcoming record is some very thoroughly composed material and to me in my short history of recorded music, is the most challenging i've ever undertaken. jim, who has been providing me with a steady diet of personal mountains to scale, has been a great teacher to me and the rhythm that i believe has always existed between us is beginning to pull us in a very new and beautiful direction.

jim and i are composing every song together at his home in mason and i think those of you who have heard us before will be very pleased with the progression of things.

baumann / feist will be unveiling our new sound and direction at the florence library in florence KY on june 28th. after the release of the record (hopefully in early to late summer) you will be hearing more and more from us so please stay in touch as this is a very exciting time for us musically and something that we hope will live up to the possibilities.

MB

i thought i would take a minute to draw attention towards one of my mentors and major influences. below is the notice from his U.S management steven joerg:

Dear friends,

This is an urgent notice on David S. Ware's health. David needs to find a kidney donor.

David S. Ware was diagnosed with kidney failure
in 1999 and he began dialysis that fall. He had an intensive three week hemodialysis regime toward beginning peritoneal (self-administered) dialysis, which would allow him to travel. David has been on this self-administered dialysis regime multiple times every day and night since October 1999. While certainly difficult, he has been able to travel, and perform his music undiminished, since then.

However, late this past December, David called to say that after 9 years this treatment was no longer working as it had been, and that a kidney transplant is the only viable option for his survival.

Since then a number of friends and family members have offered to give him one of their kidneys. Unfortunately, they have all been disqualified due to health reasons or not having David's blood type, O.

Some basic/initial requirements for viable donors are that they must be under 60 years of age, do not have diabetes or high blood pressure, are in general good health, and have blood type O (either O+ or O- is fine).

The hospital where a transplant would take place is the very highly regarded Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ.

Willing and able potential donors should please get in touch with us as soon as possible:

Steven Joerg / David S. Ware management
aum@aumfidelity.com
telephone: 718-854-2387

We will then get them directly in touch with the Kidney Transplant Center at RWJU Hospital to begin the screening process for donor viability.

Thank you on behalf of David S. Ware; please feel free to forward this notice.

Steven Joerg
AUM Fidelity

in closing, david has been instrumental to me continuing in school and i have been in contact with him off and on for the last few years. initially, he took his time to write me a lengthy e-mail regarding the trials and rewards of academics. david has even gone so far as to give me advice on my solo music when i sent some songs to him last year...

i'd be in a much different place without him...

MB

I know i said i wouldn't be recording a new record, but let me just say that the work and release of this album is very far off...still...

i wanted to take a few minutes and share a few thoughts about a concept record i will be undertaking sometime in the late spring and early summer.

i can now do mobile field recordings due to acquiring a zoom h2. this recorder has the ability to record in crisp 4 channel surround sound, and it enables me to record in very high-quality while being on the road. when winter passes i am going to begin work on a record that will be recorded on the road (literally) around the state of ohio. i am going to take a weekend and hit the road in my car and do a series of improvised recordings in improvised outdoor locations.

i've been mulling over this idea for several months and believe this concept fulfills a longing i've always possessed for the road and for playing on the streets. i hope that this record will be a coherent union of the two, and hope the idea comes off as good as it sounds. i intend for this to be a very ambient recording as i intend to capture all the sounds that surround me as i play outdoors.

i am very excited about doing this record and i'll post more as thing begin to clear.

MB

i just wanted to take a few moments to update everyone about music goings on in the new year.

i'm done recording albums for the time being. i've done so much in so little time that i need to get these albums out there and do the whole review thing...plus i need a break to figure where the music is going to go from here. the recent citybeat article was great and i am so happy that someone else besides myself found something worth anything in my abstract melancholy. thanks brian!

as far as live playing goes; i have a few feelers our there for some gigs in unusual places. when and if i hear from anyone on that front, i will post it here.

and finally for the next few (or more like 8) months i'll be holed up in a practice room for two to three hours a day learning or rather relearning my standards for a trip back to school in the fall. i will say though that the problem i've always had with standards is no place to play them. maybe that will change being all institutional again..we'll see.

a quick thank you to all of you for your support this past year and i wish you a prosperous new year!

MB

my music is featured in the current issue of cincinnati's citybeat. so those of you here in cincy, please go pickup a free copy to read more about my albums and the music I'm playing.

also, baumann / feist are playing this saturday the 20th at kaldi's. please come out to hang, listen, and have a few drinks with us (coffee or otherwise). jim and i will have CDs on hand for anyone interested and i hope to see some of you there!

thank you everyone!

MB

my newest and most focused album,"sojourner" is now available for purchase here on my site and on my myspace. it will be available in shake it records at the beginning of next week and it should also be available on cdbaby in the coming weeks.

"sojourner" is the first in what i expect to be a series of very quiet and very ambient recordings. groups like hammock and sigur ros have had such a profound impact on my music that i suspect i will continue further down the road of very quiet and reflective recordings, while trying to push the envelope in regards to how lyrical, spacious, and textured i can make the music.

while recording "sojourner" i discovered for the first time that there are very subtle and haunting textures in the muted and soft tones of the saxophone. there is something very dark and hidden within those sounds that is really beginning to pull me in that direction.

MB

four of my albums are now available for purchase at the local and legendary shake it records.

"drifter", "deserter", "beauty bent, not broken", and "grounded" are all there and available for any of you local cincinnati supporters who wish to purchase them.

i am also hoping to get "sojourner" in the store by next wednesday. i'll keep you all updated.

thanks everyone.

MB

this morning i am doing an interview with citybeat music writer brian baker. he will be writing a feature story about me and my music in the upcoming december 17th issue.

this is an exciting opportunity for me so please pick up a (free) copy to get some more in depth info behind some of the music and to read some reviews of some of my collections.

thank you all so much for you support!

MB

jim feist and i will now be booking shows under the name baumann / feist.

jim decided (with which I completely agree) that upaj was too esoteric and people will more quickly recognize our actual names rather than a largely unknown hindi word for improvisation.

a special thank you to matthew shelton for his very kind words regarding jim's and my show on tuesday at the northside tavern.

MB

my new album "sojourner" is now available for pre-orders.
anyone who purchases the album should receive it in about a week or so.

thank you all so much for your support!

MB

my record "sojourner" is completed and should be out in a couple weeks (if not sooner). this recording has a certain flow that is very different than any other record i've recorded. with recurring melodies and textures, this record is much more akin to "an island" but much softer and much more reflective.

there is a preview of the cover in the photo gallery. i'll post an update as soon as it is available.

MB

for the next several months i am taking a pause from my solo playing to study and explore new techniques and avenues of playing solo.

i just wanted to take a few moments to thank all of you for your support since i began playing solo earlier this year and to also thank those of you who have purchased some of my recordings. i do notice when my records are purchased and i cannot express how grateful and how happy it makes me that there are people out there listening.

it was a strange transition this year from playing in groups to playing solo...especially solo saxophone. while it has been trying at times, it has also been much more successful than i previously thought possible. with the help of my friend and collaborator eric barnett i have come much farther this year than i thought i would.

i will keep posting updates here as they come, including two new records that are currently in limbo. for now, it is time to go in search of new things.

thank you all for reading and thank you so much more for listening.

MB

I have received the first review of my album "an island" from the boa melody bar in the u.k . click on the press link to check it out.

MB

"sojourner" means someone who stays in one place for an extended period, and since this is my last record for a while it seems like an appropriate title.

anyway, i'm in the process of recording my last solo record for the foreseeable future. in a year that yielded so many of what i consider to be good solo efforts, i am closing my recordings with a very quiet and reflective record.

i am playing tenor saxophone exclusively on this recording and have three tracks completed with a few more well on the way. i really am trying to accomplish a certain mood and feeling on this recording with the use of recurring melodies, wind impressions, and open unusual textures i've really never used before. this is a dark record to be sure.

ultimately this record is my way of saying goodbye to the music i've done as i enter a self-imposed period of practice and exploration of new ways of playing alone. as time has passed over the past few months i have found myself becoming more and more dissatisfied with my playing as it currently stands and a i've decided that a time of serious practice is needed.


thanks to eric barnett, sam martin, and the beautiful sigur ros for the inspiration behind this record.

MB

my newest solo record "an island" is now available for purchase at www.reverbworship.com. out of all my solo albums i believe "an island" best captures the different moods and ideas i'm trying to convey as a solo musician. "an island" is also my personal favorite to date and i am very proud of it.

please check out this record and the many other wonderful and unique recordings that Roger is issuing on his label, reverb worship.

thank you all for your great support!

MB

my album, "an island" is up for release on reverb worship, a u.k based independent label.

please check out www.reverbworship.com to view some of the wonderful music roger is issuing.

my release is mentioned under the news tab along with a slew of other new releases.

more news on this as I get it.

MB