I was honored to play on Dave Stryker’s new record ‘As We Are’ alongside John Patitucci, Brian Blade and a string quartet led by Sara Caswell. I also arranged the music for strings and contributed a composition of my own. There have been many lovely reviews, but having my name on the cover of Downbeat was definitely a first and something I really appreciate. The feature is very nice!
Wow. So much for updating more frequently... Somehow another year has come and went within the blink of an eye. At least my lack of news activity was mostly out of being super busy with some really incredible projects throughout 2017.
I was fortunate to work with my greatest hero Herbie Hancock, on his course on Masterclass.com. I did all of the transcriptions and notated music (hundreds of pages!), some of my favorite of which were lengthy, gorgeous, challenging solo piano excursions. I also consulted on the structure and organization of the class itself as well. It was such an honor!
I also provided some music for, and even appeared in (!), Errol Morris' award-winning new documentary Wormwood. Errol is a true genius of an artist and his work has changed filmmaking forever. Just being around him and getting to pick his brain has been some of the most inspiring and thought provoking conversations I've ever had. You should absolutely check out Wormwood on Netflix as soon as you can, it's incredible!
I was also treated to some really memorable concerts with my group, including the Litchfield Jazz Festival, the bird's eye jazz club in Switzerland, and all sorts of great venues back here in NYC.
I also had some truly lovely and life-changing experiences touring, traveling and learning with Theo Bleckmann, Oded Tzur, Petros Klampanis, and many other inspiring bandleaders and musicians.
This year has already gotten off to a great start, and I can't wait to see what 2018 has in store.
Thanks so much for checking in and being interested in my musical endeavors. I hope to see you all soon! -Julian
Hey! So I'm going to try to be more active with my website in general, and especially on the news front. Soooo here are some neat things that have been going on in my musical life!
I just got finished playing an unforgettable tour with one of my very favorite musicians in Theo Bleckmann, celebrating the release of his new ECM record Elegy. (Side-note: this is one of the best records I've heard in a very long time, get it right now!!).
The band also featured Ben Monder, Jorge Roeder and John Hollenbeck, so it was quite an honor to share the stage with such incredible musicianship.
Also, another first for me, I had someone transcribe one of my solos and post a video of it online. Very surreal to hear myself in such a context, and very flattering someone took the time to learn it!
Coming up over the next month is a week at Dizzy's with Caroline Davis' band, and we'll be recording her new music at the end of the month so that will be great. Also some work with Petros Klampanis celebrating his gorgeous new record, and another cd release event for Lara Bello at the Jazz Gallery. Hope to see you around!
Julian
Hello friends,
2016 was strange year for me, as it was for many. There were many highs, and lows, but it was certainly filled with several memorable moments.
I had a wonderful time traveling the world playing with some close friends and brilliant musicians. There were lots of stops along the way, but having grown up on a beach I always hold a special place for beautiful water and delicious seafood. Two places that really blew me away were Dubrovnik, Croatia and Jeju Island in South Korea— my first visit to either location. I had some really memorable concerts (and meals!) there. And the sea always makes me feel like I'm home, even if it's thousands of miles away.
2016 also saw the release of my latest record, and I've already posted some of the kind words from many of the fine music journalists who took the time to review it. One of my very favorite writers, Peter Hum of the Ottawa Times, just recently released his Top-10 of 2016 list and I was delighted to find myself listed among his honorable mentions. Beyond that, Which Way Now was sandwiched by two of my piano heroes in Fred Hersch and Frank Kimbrough. Peter also had some really beautiful things to say in his review.
Musically, it was a great year full of a lot of new experiences for me, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what 2017 holds. Thanks for checking out the website and for listening to my music, and wishing you all the best in the coming year! -Julian
Hi everyone,
I hope this awesome transition into Spring is treating you all well. The last few weeks have been pretty fun as I've gotten to play many of my very favorite pianos in the world at places like Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Blue Note, Spectrum and the Kitano in a really short span! Some pretty beautiful instruments at those venues, and it's just the best to have an instrument that inspires nearly as much as the music you're playing and the people you're with! They were a fun string of shows to be sure.
A bit before that I did some release shows for the new record in Boston, LA, NYC etc. and that was so much fun. These guys just played the crap out of the music and brought the tunes to a new place each and every performance. It was such a joy to be a part of. I'll be doing some touring in Europe and Asia with that music later this year/early 2017 and I'll keep you posted about that.
I've also been very fortunate to record on a lot of interesting projects recently, with some great musicians, and many will be coming out sometime soon, I thought I'd give a little heads up here in case anyone wants to check them out as they get released:
Francisco Pais w/ Myron Walden, Godwin Louis, Ferenc Nemeth and Conor Schultze
Andrew Van Tassel w/ Ben Eunson, Colin Stranahan and Edward Perez
Hiromi Suda w/ Romero Lubambo, Anne Drummond, Keita Ogawa and Haggai Cohen-Milo
Pawel Ignatowitz w/ Ferenc Nemeth and Edward Perez
and Andrew Hadro's record we did in duo.
So keep an eye out for these!
Finally, as the record has been sent off into the world I've been lucky enough to receive some kind words as folks listen to it. Here are some highlights:
"Julian Shore shows deep maturity as a composer and bandleader on Which Way Now. [He] delivers a deeply felt program of 10 tracks that quietly and inquisitively explores the process of musical discovery. His search has unearthed a litany of musical gems... [of] elegant intensity and strength." Brian Zimmerman, Downbeat Magazine
"The record is resolutely pretty, yet Shore invests a degree of depth and unifying interplay that binds the stories together with a dazzling sense of rhythm and flow. His core band achieves a remarkable coherence... In full this is a luminous album from start to finish. ★★★★ 1/2" Nick Bewsey, ICON Magazine
“He's focused, articulate, passionate… Julian Shore has succeeded wildly. He shines on piano and wurlitzer -- showing off an extraordinary mellifluousness” Michael Greenblatt, Classicalite
“Shore’s Which Way Now? shows a talented pianist, but even more a conceptualist of some maturity and depth. The music here (mostly originals) is graphic in its arrangement and unfolding… a panorama for the listener to get lost in and one which, while it keeps its toe in the compositional water, also ventures in newly chartered waters.” Robert Rusch, Cadence Magazine
“His new release Which Way Now? is a series of gorgeous, jaw-dropping moments of jarring beauty… A symbiosis of grand majesty, quiet thoughtfulness and humble beauty… One remarkable, gorgeous recording.” Dave Sumner, Bird is the Worm
So if you haven't picked up a copy yet, please do so and let me know what you think!
Oh also for my Japanese friends, I've recently signed with the great folks at Inpartmaint which will be releasing my record later this month over there, so you'll be able to pick it up in stores around Japan. I know how much of a pain (and expensive!) it can be to import CD's from here!
Thanks for checking in and having some interest in my musical life! I really appreciate it. Here's another photo of my cat, which is what I assume you actually came here for.