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New Amsterdam releases “Pick it Up (and Drop it Again),” the first single from Kalia Vandever, a Brooklyn-based, Los Angeles-raised trombonist and composer, whose new album, Regrowth, arrives May 6, 2022. Vandever, a bandleader and a side-woman (who has performed on both Saturday Night Live and Full Frontal with Samantha Bee), writes music with “an unhurried, sighing attitude … melodies with long, held notes. The idea, it seems, is to dip you into a feeling or a pattern or a breathing speed, and keep you there.” (The New York Times). On Regrowth, Vandever’s second album, she possesses “tremendous instrumental facility and a highly melodic compositional voice” (Hot House Jazz Magazine), offering listeners eight ethereal tracks: wisps that, with springtime in the air, conjure both wistfulness and hope.
“‘Pick It Up (and Drop it Again)’ evokes the feeling of reaching for something that endlessly escapes you,” says Vandever. “It’s the act of going through the motions multiple times while acknowledging that you might never attain what you’re seeking. The piece has urgency and drive while being cyclical in nature.”
Regrowth, as a whole, is cyclical in nature, an album marked by renewal and discovery, by compositions that arose from improvisation, by the thrum of found melodies, each enlivened by Vandever’s longtime ensemble: saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, pianist Paul Cornish, bassist Nick Dunston, drummer Connor Parks, and guitarist and producer Lee Meadvin.
“Composing and improvising have always provided a space for my own healing and growth,” says Kalia Vandever. “This work is my experience of rebuilding, of remaining open to the unpredictable. The act of being patient with myself when faced with change is a constant practice. I hope listeners recognize the importance of being patient themselves, too, especially in the face of loss or trauma. Regrowth is a reflection of that process.”
credits
released May 6, 2022
Kalia Vandever: compositions and trombone
Immanuel Wilkins: alto saxophone
Lee Meadvin: guitar
Paul Cornish: piano
Nick Dunston: bass
Connor Parks: drums
Executive Producer - Metropolis Ensemble
Produced, Mixed, and Mastered by Lee Meadvin
Engineered by Nolan Thies
Recorded at Bunker Studio
Album photograph by Alex Joseph
Album design by DM Stith
Kalia Vandever is a trombonist and composer living in Brooklyn, NY. Kalia has two albums to her name, "In Bloom" and "Regrowth" and is set to release her debut solo album, "We Fell In Turn" on AKP Records in March 2023.
Dearest Arooj, firstly thank you. My brother died this year n what can be said about such loss n sadness. I saw n heard you at The end of the Road in England. I spent many years in India n love all the music, poetry of your heritage. Thankyou Arooj❤️ ben1769
I have been entranced by Caroline Davis's music since the Wonderful Heart Tonic. Then the beautiful Anthems, followed by this swirling masterpiece. Also just picked up Live Work & Play. Caroline Davis is THE jazz musician to watch. Robert Middleton