Recording Projects

The past two days have seen the first recording sessions of what will become Mahadev's sophomore release. I have been involved in Mahadev since it's inception by bandleader Dave Cipriani in 2011, and through several changes in size and lineup over the years, the band continues to evolve. Like so many musical projects these days, Mahadev is difficult to describe without either using blanket generalizations or far too many words strung together - suffice to say it draws from multiple traditional music cultures from around the world and filters them through the members' individual interpretations, styles, and personal study.
Blogger is not currently letting me embed the player, so click here to check out a track from the first Mahadev album. You can stream the rest of the album as well.

I'm into the mastering stages for the Michael Mull Octet album, with initial passes on two of the songs. They both are sounding really solid already, so aside from a few potential tweaks, I'm going to be saving up some cash to send the rest off soon! The rough plan at the moment is to try to release the album sometime this Fall, so stay tuned.

Lastly, the second Orkestar MEZE album is also slowly coming to be, with mixing underway and some ridiculously fat sounds happening! We are definitely bringing the peasantry, but with an extra thick slathering of funk and soul this time around. We're talking SPF 100. We have a potential July show in the works, so keep an eye on Facebook and/or peasantfunk.com.

I count myself very fortunate to be involved in such adventurous and musically fulfilling projects, especially with such a wide range of style, dynamics, and personalities...keeping me on my toes and giving me plenty of practice material!

IndieGoGo Update Video #1

Hi everyone, forgot to post this here. Here's an update to our crowdfunding campaign (via IndieGoGo) to raise money for recording the Michael Mull Octet album! Please share with your friends and help us spread the word, we've got 22 days left! You can forward this simple link:

igg.me/at/mm8tet

Anyway, here's the video of me having some fun and "interviewing" Will and Tim from the Octet about the upcoming album:

Mahadev CD Release at Alva's Showroom 2/26/12

The Mahadev debut album has finally arrived and looks/sounds fantastic! I'll let bandleader and guitarist give you the details in the following press release:

"Ok it is almost here! We're getting ready to perform for you on next Sunday at Alva's. The CD's should be arriving to my house today, we had an awesome gig Saturday as a warmup for this coming sunday, and we're ready to go.

The show is $15. Remember,  it's an early show (4 PM), so you'll be able to get back home in time for the Oscars, and we're offering the CD for JUST $5! It will be the only time you can get it so cheap.

You can hear a few tracks at http://soundcloud.com/davecipriani/sets/mahadev-tracks-1

We'll be posting it on Bandcamp later in the week and it will be available to purchase directly from us for those who can't make it this Sunday.

We're going to do all the songs from the CD, and we have awesome trumpet player Greg Zilboorg from Sogo Takeover now in the band and percussionist Jamie Papish from the Yuval Ron Ensemble. We're also going to have my good friend Rafe Pearlman join us for a vocal improvisation; you can see a video & interview with him here.  It's going to be a really wonderful show, with high charged music and deep meditative grooves.  

RESERVATIONS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED!

We'll be lining up more gigs as the spring comes.  Please also signup to our official email list at www.reverbnation.com/Mahadev to stay in touch!

See below for details on each one as well as FB event pages if you want to send it to your friends! We look forward to seeing you there!"

SUNDAY FEB 26, 4 PM, $15

THE BIG SHOW! MAHADEV CD RELEASE AT ALVA'S IN SAN PEDRO!

Special guest Rafe Pearlman (others tba)

Dave Cipriani, Indian Slide Guitar & Classical Guitar

Eric Klerks, Bass

Michael Mull, saxophone & clarinet

Chris Payne, percussion (cajon, frame drum, shakers, zabumba)

Jamie Papish, percussion (cajon, riq, frame drum)

Greg Zillboorg, Trumpet

800-403-3447

1417 W. Eighth Street

San Pedro, CA 90732

http://www.alvasshowroom.com

https://www.facebook.com/events/348239991861287/

The band is sounding beautiful and this will be an experience to remember! In other news, Orkestar MEZE had a killer show at the world-famous Troubadour last weekend, and will return to Rusty's Surf Ranch in Santa Monica for our monthly peasant party on Friday, March 2nd. It's already proving to be a productive and eventful year, with much more on the menu; stay tuned here for all the gory details, and I'll see you on Sunday!

Orkestar MEZE Album Project

Good morning friends!

I'm very excited to announce that Orkestar MEZE, your favorite peasant funk band, is embarking on a debut album for your listening and dancing pleasure. We just played a super fun set at this year's Topanga Earth Day Festival; tons of great videos up on YouTube, check out "Silicone" below:

Orkestar MEZE has also put up a Kickstarter page to fund our new album. If you are unfamiliar with Kickstarter, it allows fans and listeners to contribute as much or as little as they want to the album's production, and in return, receive anything from a copy of the album to cool one-of-a-kind gifts to a private performance from Orkestar MEZE! You can go to the page, watch our video, and check out the "Peasant Packages" that are available.

We have an amazing opportunity to record in an ideal studio situation, but we can't do it without your help! We have been doing great so far, so let's keep that ball rolling! Remember, if we don't reach our goal, the money goes right back to you, so if you want this project to happen as much as we do, check out those Peasant Packages!

If you'd like to hear more about Orkestar MEZE, you can stay updated on our Facebook page, and just search us on YouTube for a ton of videos from previous shows. We have a few exciting shows coming up in May, including the beginning of our residency at Rusty's Surf Ranch in Santa Monica on May 6th. More details soon...

Thank you all for your support, we can't wait to get this album going!

CD Release Party + Website Launch

Prepare yourselves for the official release concert for my first album, "Formation"! Tomorrow night's the night, and Ben, Cameron and I are getting hyped up to play some great music for you all. CD's will be on sale for the first time anywhere, and for an extremely discounted price. Check out the details below:

Michael Mull Trio "Formation" CD Release Party
8:30pm-midnight
$10 cover, no minimum

The Blue Whale

123 Astronaut E S Onizuka St. Suite 301

Los Angeles, CA

Visit the event on Facebook

 

 

In other exciting Mull-news, I'm officially launching www.michaelmull.com with the posting of this blog. Take a look and enjoy! "Formation" will be available digitally sometime next week (and physically on CDbaby.com), so if you can't make it to the CD release party, check back on my site or here on the blog for details and links. Over the coming months, I will be adding more and more features to michaelmull.com, including more audio and a "store" where you can purchase scores and parts for some of my original music.

Whew! Can't wait to play tomorrow night and share this project with all of you. Hope to see you at the Blue Whale!

Formation Album Cover

May I present the cover artwork for my trio's first album, "Formation".

 

Artwork and design is all done by Derek Schultz (www.staralchemy.org). Come get your copy at our CD Release Party at the Blue Whale on February 17th, 2011!

FORMATION

Great news people!

I'm making leaps and bounds toward releasing my trio album. First of all, I named it: FORMATION. The artwork is being finished up and looks incredible so far, I'll be posting a preview of the cover very soon, so watch for it.

Secondly, I'm honored and excited to announce that our CD release party will take place at the Blue Whale on Thursday, February 17th. The Blue Whale is quickly becoming "the place" for great live jazz; classy but laid-back atmosphere, nice bar with awesome bartenders, resident baby grand piano and drumkit, no pesky food or drink minimums, and a true focus on the music. It's a no-hassle spot where people go to listen, and they continue to host tons of killer groups from LA and beyond. I'm grateful that my first opportunity to play at the Blue Whale will be for such a momentous occasion in my life.

More updates, previews, and details soon, make sure to check back often. Mark those calendars for February 17th!

2011 Kickoff Blog! Woah!

Happy New Year! Where's my flying car, future?

I know I'm a day late, and didn't post on the oh-so-cool date of 1/1/11, but I've still got the 11th, right? I am so excited for this year, going to put out my first album and move forward with a lot of musical ideas. I got together with my good friend and artist Derek Schultz in the last days of 2010 to work on the visual design for the album, and I can't wait to get this thing out! The artwork Derek has done is incredible, be on the lookout for a preview soon. I've got to get myself together and name this record...it is so difficult to sum up even one piece of music in a few words, no less an entire collection of different pieces. Again, you can hear an audio sampler of the album here.

I'm playing with Mahadev this Wednesday evening, January 5th, at Cafe Roma in Beverly Hills. This looks like a fancy place, so bring a date and we'll entertain you with a fun mix of Indian, Eastern European, Blues, and more. You can get some details on this event on Facebook here, or just check out this little blurb:

Caffe Roma features excellent Italian cuisine in a fine dining setting. You can see their menu at:
http://www.cafferomabeverlyhills.com/

There is no cover!

Mahadev is:
Michael Mull: saxophone & clarinet
Dave Cipriani: Indian slide guitar & classical guitar, voice
Eric Klerks, upright bass
Aaron W Chavez: riq, kanjira, tombek, etc (hand percussion)

 I recently got tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin's latest album, Perpetual Motion, and have been giving it numerous listens since. It's a more "plugged in" record, and the band is tight but never complacent. Donny sounds ridiculously good as usual, but keyboardist Adam Benjamin really stands out to me here. Adam has an incredible melodic and textural concept that I think shines particularly bright on this recording. I'm just now listening to his wonderful solo piano album, Alphabets and Consequences, highly recommended. I'm planning to do a full review of Perpetual Motion soon, keep your eyes open.

Happy 2011 everyone, let's make this a good one!

Trio Sampler

Good evening, hope you are all enjoying the rest of Turkey-weekend. I'm pleased to announce that several hours work has yielded me a larger "web-presence" in the form of youtube videos and a reverbnation page, as well as a sampler track for my upcoming debut album with my trio. Let the links begin.

First, the SAMPLER! I'm excited to give you all a small taste of each track off the upcoming album, due for release January 2011. You can view it in video form HERE, or just listen (with the option of downloading) at reverbnation.com/michaelmull. Spread the word, if you please, and keep your eyes right here for a CD release show...

Secondly, I gave our trio facebook page a facelift, including cross-posted videos from a new youtube account with some older (but delicious) trio footage.

Finally, I am sick of myspace. Slow, unclear, not something I want to burden listeners with any longer. To help me make the switch to a much slicker, detailed, and intuitive site, visit reverbnation.com/michaelmull and take a listen to the sampler track, look around the site if you haven't been before (some great features for actually listening to music, imagine), and become a fan if you so desire.

After all this web-stuff, I'm hoping to post a LIVE trio gig soon; don't go far, and enjoy the new media!

Listening and Looking Ahead

Good afternoon, music fans.

I'm pleased to be listening to freshly mixed and mastered tracks of the Michael Mull Trio at home right now. Over the next week, I'll be listening to them on as many sound systems as I can, to note any last adjustments that need to be made. While I do this, I'll also be working on an effective order for the songs to appear on the album, as well as naming one composition we recorded that is currently untitled.

I have to say, I am incredibly excited to move forward on this project. Engineer John Aspinall has done an impressive job on both the mixing and mastering of this material, and I am going to be very proud to officially debut my playing and writing, as well as showcase my band and John's talents, with this project. The recordings really sound and feel like a live performance; there is a rawness and front-loaded energy apparent in each track, and I feel it is representative of the trio's group sound. It sounds real.

Next up, we will be shooting photos for use on the album and other media, and I'll be dropping the recordings off for artist Derek Schultz to start perusing and developing some album artwork. More updates as they come...

Mixing and Orkestar MÉZÉ

Hello everyone! Keeping cool? .....me neither.

I've begun mixing for my debut trio album (to feature Ben Shepherd and Cameron Hicks) with engineer John Aspinall, and I'm pleased with the results so far. I've picked takes, and we've got a great rough mix on "Dirty Sugar". Tonight we will apply that general mix to some other tracks and start picking through the details and nuances of each song. This is my first top-to-bottom, self-produced, full-length (and other hyphenated phrases) project, and I am already having a blast putting it together. Make sure to check back here for updates on the album.

For about six months, I have been a part of an incredibly fun band, Orkestar MÉZÉ. Headed by pianist/keyboardist/composer Milen Kirov, Orkestar MÉZÉ is LA's only Balkan Brass Gypsy Funk Band, delivering infectiously groovy tunes from Bulgaria, Serbia, Macedonia and Romania with a healthy dose of funk. We had a great gig a few weeks ago at the Bootleg Theater, the crowd was digging it, and some video was captured...check these out!

Orkestar MÉZÉ at the Bootleg Theater 1

Orkestar MÉZÉ at the Bootleg Theater 2

Orkestar MÉZÉ at the Bootleg Theater 3 (yes, that's Ben Shepherd on the electric bass)

One more video of the band at CalArts this Spring:

Orkestar MÉZÉ playing "Sandokan" at the Wild Beast

There is a recording being planned for Orkestar MÉZÉ; more details as I get them. Until then, I'll post any gigs we have here. Bring out your inner peasant!

Debut Album in the Works!

Greetings friends,

I settled in for a long night in the Roy O. Disney Hall at CalArts on Monday to record what will soon become my debut album. It will feature all original compositions by yours truly and be brought to life by my fantastic trio buddies, Ben Shepherd on bass and Cameron Hicks on drums. The session went smoothly and with the help of engineer John Aspinall, we were able to lay down nine tunes in the space of about five-and-a-half hours. We've been playing much of this material for half a year or more, and Ben and Cameron catch on so quickly that eyelids weren't even batted at the newer tunes. There was a great energy throughout the night (despite the fact that we finished up around 4:30 am), and I feel confident that once I get back into the studio to start picking takes and mixing, I'll be hearing some beautiful moments.

I am also excited to announce that my long-time friend and artistic/musical co-conspirator Derek Schultz will be working on the album artwork! Derek is an incredible artist in every sense of the word, excelling in painting, drawing, multi-media, music and poetry as well as a host of other mind-numbing skills, and I have been continually inspired by his work since our elementary school days of drawing comic books together. Please check out his website, www.staralchemy.org, to get a small taste of what Derek is about.

On a side note, I had the unique opportunity and pleasure to have lunch with Wadada Leo Smith and Billy Childs today, two incomparable artists who are also warm, welcoming people. I was invited to tag along with a few other students after Billy Childs gave a brief but decidedly inspiring lecture at CalArts, and experience more of these artists in a different context. As Wadada put it, what happens at the lectures is "only part of it; the rest of it happens right here." If you are unfamiliar with the work of either of these men, I urge you to do a little listening and looking and you will undoubtedly find something new.

That's it for now; I've got to get some sleep! Still reeling from the session that lasted into the wee small hours. Please keep an eye on my blog to stay updated on the creation of my debut album, and get excited about music (or, stay excited about music)! There is so much beauty out there.