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"A BRAND NEW STATE," Bassist/Composer Alex McLaughlin's Debut of Originals feat. Jeremy Pelt Bassist, composer, and educator ALEX MCLAUGHLIN is releasing his debut album, A BRAND NEW STATE, a collection of eight original compositions with a very modern edge. The album features two of the finest jazz musicians in Los Angeles, pianist JEREMY SISKIND and drummer TINA RAYMOMD. Siskind has performed with top jazz artists including Arturo Sandoval, Matt Wilson, Jay Anderson, and Kurt Elling, in addition to accompanying renowned comedians Lea DeLaria and Sandra Bernhard. Raymond co-leads the acclaimed Esthesis Quartet and has been busy touring the U.S. and Europe as a leader and sideman. A BRAND NEW STATE also features touring and recording artist JEREMY PELT, one of the preeminent trumpeters on the jazz scene today. A native of Erie, Pennsylvania, McLaughlin’s musical journey began playing rock and roll on electric bass, but after hearing a Thelonious Monk record, his love of jazz was ignited, and he soon joined the high school jazz band. After high school, McLaughlin attended Mercyhurst University, where he majored in Music Therapy and Psychology; however, the department wouldn’t accept him if he didn’t play the double bass, so he set out to learn it. He reminisces about his first encounter with the instrument, “The first time I touched the bass, I just played the open D string and was struck by its warm, intimate sound. I could feel the vibrations in my body. I became hooked and practiced all the time.” After completing his undergraduate degree, McLaughlin continued studying bass at Cincinnati Conservatory and then became a teaching assistant in both the double bass and jazz studies at Pennsylvania State University. He directed the Outer Dimensions Big Band, coached jazz combos, taught courses in improvisation and jazz theory, and tutored jazz piano. He also performed at festivals and concerts around Pennsylvania. In 2022, McLaughlin moved to Idyllwild, California, to work as a rehearsal bassist for the Idyllwild Arts Academy, the sponsors of the Jazz in The Pines Festival and the internationally renowned boarding school for the arts. He soon took on additional duties such as working with student jazz combos, organizing recitals, and teaching jazz theory. In 2024, he was appointed Director of the Jazz Program. McLaughlin had become friendly with three-time GRAMMY™ Award-Winning drummer, educator, and author Ulysses Owens Jr., whom he had met on a gig at the Brevard Music Center in North Carolina. Owens was impressed with McLaughlin’s playing and offered to come out to California to produce a record for him. Owens suggested that rather than make an album of standards, they should instead make an album of McLaughlin’s original music, and Owens would enlist a major jazz star. A couple of days later, McLaughlin received a text that Pelt would be joining the project. McLaughlin was thrilled, as he had been listening to Pelt’s music for years and had been influenced by his modern sound. For McLaughlin, playing jazz is a team effort, and he appreciates how each musician brings their own unique perspective to the music. He wanted the album to feel fresh and organic and not over rehearsed. So instead of writing detailed arrangements, he wrote instructions about what sound or attitude he intended for the different parts. His approach gives A BRAND NEW STATE the feel of a live performance. The thematic concept behind A BRAND NEW STATE is change – specifically, the internal, psychic changes that life foists upon us, often when we’re least expecting it. McLaughlin opens the album with “Desert Chapel, ” which begins with a moody bass solo. He named the piece after a dream a friend had about him that featured a chapel in a desert landscape, which McLaughlin interprets as a symbol of the insight his friend had about their changing relationship. As with most of his compositions, he first wrote the bass line and then wrote the chords and melody surrounding it. There are many trails and paths around the mountains in Idyllwild. McLaughlin wrote “Trailhead” about one particularly intense trail, Devil’s Slide. The composition reflects the course of the trailhead, which is initially calm, turning into rocky backroads at the end, which McLaughlin thinks of as a metaphor for paths we travel in life. “Signals” has a pop feel and features Pelt’s lush trumpet. For McLaughlin, signals signify a path that has opened or something that’s changing – one must be perceptive to read the signs. “The Solar Punks” is named after an anarchist movement that believes a sustainable future can be achieved without government. McLaughlin named the tune “Lily” after Lily Rock (Tahquitz Peak) in Idyllwild, where the indigenous people believed the spirit of the shaman Tahquitz lived, the spirit of death -- representing acceptance of the mysteries of life and of change. This composition was inspired by the loss of his father and brother. “El Polvo, ” which means The Dust in Spanish, is a fun 13-bar blues with rhythm changes at the bridge. He named it after the book Ask the Dust, about an aspiring writer who moves to L.A. in the early 20th century. McLaughlin wrote “Trial” during the Covid lockdown. It reflects the difficulty of stepping away from everyday life to heal. “Elevation” was inspired by the Joe Henderson tune “Isotope.” The composition represents the relationship between two mountain points, or metaphorically, between two different places in life. The music on A BRAND NEW STATE is so hip and engaging, it is hard to believe that this is Alex McLaughlin’s first serious foray into composing, particularly for the trumpet. All the musicians on the album are at the top of their form, creating a rich tapestry of musical colors and forms. # # # A BRAND NEW STATE is set for release on January 17, 2025 and will be available on all streaming platforms. Vinyl and CDs will be available at alexmclaughlinbass.com. |
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