Ben Tyree

Mazz Swift — the composer, conductor, bandleader, educator, singer, and violinist — celebrates the release of their highly-anticipated debut solo record, The 10000 Things: PRAISE SONGS for the iRiligious, with a special one-time quintet performance of songs from the album. Featuring an all-star lineup including Chris Eddleton (drums), Ben Tyree (guitars), Leon Gruenbaum (keys and electronics), and Peter Evans (trumpet), the show will showcase deconstructed versions of the songs from the album in different configurations — solos, duos and trios, as well as arrangements for the full group on selected tracks. Poignancy and joy are the hallmarks of this very fine debut. Swift brings the African-American oral tradition into a new age with explosive honesty and virtuosic tension...There is no artificial division of genres, nothing contrived in Swift's mix of the sacred and secular, this creation of new forms. - All About Jazz Like the intertextuality of the spirituals, where “heaven” could mean as many things as freedom through death or escape to the north, Mazz signifies: creating something new through something familiar, and philosophizing through creativity. It is a beautiful portrait of expression with a purpose: respect for the past without acquiescence, and artistry that blooms when structure does not squash creativity. - I Care If You Listen