Jay Rodriguez-Sierra Releases Muthaflower
New Double Album Available Now on All Platforms
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"The record is pure soul, pure groove…and pure NYC. This is the sound track for the block party of our dreams." -- Marc Ribot
"Mr. Rodriguez plays with an unreserved flexibly on the tenor, alto and soprano saxophones; flute; and bass clarinet. He moves between idioms and energies as easily as he switches instruments." -- Giovanni Russonello, New York Times
I feel myself drawn into the spirit of this music through the invention and intention of Jay and the other brilliant musicians playing. There is no BS in this music. It’s pure and soulful and it represents the beauty of the time we live in and the beauty that is Jay Rodriguez Sierra. -- Jeff Coffin
GRAMMY-Nominated trailblazer, Soul /Jazz/Afro-Latino futurist, virtuoso composer, and reed player Jay Rodriguez-Sierra continues to expand across all genres with defiant hope in his latest offering, Muthaflower.
This new double recording contains years of hard work and the pent-up musical expression of the five years since Jay released Your Sound, his last title as artist in 2018. MuthaFlower’s music streams out as if a dam had burst, and even the double length format could barely contain the wave of soulfulness, energy, and lyrical creativity that rushes out. Muthaflower is a suite of love tone-poems to the universe, a beautiful thunderstorm tearing across an arid desert plain; or the night sky exhibiting the moon and the imagined far away Rings of Saturn. Muthaflower is a place where Ravel and Debussy meet the infinite voices of Africa and you may catch glimpses of Eric Dolphy, Wayne Shorter, or Coltrane. Mutha's omnivorous musical palette engages everyone from Puccini to Dylan, Bach to Bill Withers, and Procol Harum; while Flower consists entirely of Jay's own dazzling compositions.
On these recordings, we also get to hear Jay’s formidable skills as composer, arranger, and bandleader -- leading a separate ensemble for each album. On Mutha Jay appears on woodwinds and sax, with Alex Blake (Acoustic Bass), Victor Jones (Drums), Marvin Sewell (Guitar), Fred Wesley (Trombone), Julie Patton (Spoken Word), and Ehab Omar, Chris ,Andrew, Misha Theberge and Giovanni Hidalgo (percussion). On Flower. Jay plays bass clarinet and flutes alongside Xavier Hill (drums) Henry Jeria (piano and keys), and a battery of percussionists, including Giovanni Hidalgo, Chris Theberge, Misha Theberge, and Andrew Theberge.
About Jay Rodriguez-Sierra:
Grammy-nominated music veteran reed player Jay Rodriguez has been a crucial player in NYC’s sonic and creative tapestry for decades. His pantheon of musical contributions as a composer, arranger, and soloist have been canonical on the International music scene as well, from co-founder of NYC’s iconic Groove Collective to Guru's seminal Jazzmatazz recordings, to his current role touring in the frontline with Fred Wesley of the legendary JB's, carrying on the saxophone legacy of Pee Wee Ellis and Maceo Parker.
As horn/reed player, Jay's list of crucial collaborations are too numerous to mention, but a short roll call also includes Celia Cruz, Ray Barretto, Randy Brecker, Miles Davis Eddie Palmieri, the Gil Evans Band, Mike Clark, Giovanni Hidalgo, Vernon Reid, Marshall Allen, Craig Harris, Prince, Chucho Valdez, Chico and Arturo O’Farrill , Roy Nathanson , Wil Calhoun, Nona Hendryx, Roy Hargrove, Bernie Worrell, Medeski, Martin and Wood, Marc Ribot, The Wu-Tang Clan, David Murray, David Krakauer, The Roots, Elvis Costello, Jason Miles, Teruo Nakamura, The Mingus Big Band, Miley Cyrus, Mike Snow, and music producers Andrew Wyatt, and Gary Katz among many, many others.
Jay's solo works include Your Sound recorded live at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola in NYC and released in 2018, Live in Italy, featuring Chucho Valdez (2007), and Live at the Fez - NYC recorded an released earlier this year.
For Press and Other Inquiries, Please Contact Jay Rodriguez-Sierra:
jayrodri@gmail.com