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Joseph Herbst This Is Our Environment releases on January 22nd, 2021 Joseph Herbst is a saxophonist and composer, but more than that, he is an activist who uses his artistry to speak up alongside the people, places, and causes whose voices are often overlooked. This Is Our Environment, Herbst’s debut album, uses this artistry to do exactly that as, via through-composed sextet music rooted in jazz elements and master-crafted spoken word poetry, he weaves a tapestry of musical allegories, stories, and images that champion the causes of environmental and social justice and their intersectionality. Originally from mountainous South Carolina, Herbst has always been passionate about the environment. During his time studying at Michigan State University, this passion matured as he became more educated on the realities of manmade threats to the environment. Stirred to action, Herbst got involved with campus activism and community organizing. Over time, Herbst began to question how he had defined the concept of the environment. Initially, the first images that came to mind were rolling hills, mountain peaks, and swaths of greenery; however, the environment, he realized, is more than an escape located elsewhere. The environment includes one’s surroundings – both geographically and socially. As this revelation dawned, Herbst began to consider its implications: the environment with which one is familiar is determined not merely by geography, but by culture, socioeconomic status, and community. While everyone is part of a single global environment, each person’s individual environmental experience varies greatly. While most take standards such as clean air and water for granted, some communities do not have access to these basic amenities. For them, environmental issues become social issues, healthcare issues, and even survival issues. This Is Our Environment fights for these issues both by raising awareness for them and sharing, through speech and sound, the stories of people on the frontlines of these communities. Composer, saxophonist, and activist Joseph Herbst resides in Asheville, NCimage where he works full time as a bandleader, composer, and musical copyist. An alum of Michigan State University, Herbst has studied with internationally acclaimed saxophonist Joe Lulloff, composer Etienne Charles, and jazz saxophonist Diego Rivera. As a writer, Herbst composes for his sextet and big band, the latter of which has performed both his original music and themed shows such as “Coltrane Celebration, ” which honored legendary saxophonist John Coltrane, and “This Magical World, ” which featured compositions inspired by Bill Watterson’s Calvin & Hobbes. Respected for his writing, Herbst has also been commissioned to compose and arrange for Dr. Phillips Jazz Orchestra, Michael Dease, the UNT Jazz Trombone Ensemble, and the Sencalar/Glassman Quintet. As an activist, Herbst champions the intersectional causes of environmental and social justice, utilizing his sextet with his project, This Is Our Environment. |
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