Being & Becoming was formed in 2017 by composer and trumpet player Peter Evans. The name of the band, drawn from the writing of Sufi writer and musician Inyat Khan, reflects the group's commitment to the challenge of spontaneous creativity. Evans' compositions for the band draw from a wide variety of sources, traditional and experimental, with a grounding in improvisational idioms, notated concert music and an array of experimental approaches.
Being & Becoming's debut album was released in 2020 on More is More records in both vinyl and digital formats. https://peterevansmusic.bandcamp.com/album/being-becoming
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About the Artists
Peter Evans
Peter Evans is a trumpet player and composer based in New York City since 2003. Evans is part of a broad, hybridized scene of musical experimentation and his work cuts across a wide range of modern musical practices and traditions. Peter is committed to the simultaneously self-determining and collaborative nature of musical improvisation as a compositional tool, and works with an ever-expanding group of musicians and composers in the creation of new music.
His primary groups as a leader are the Peter Evans Ensemble (with Mazz Swift, Ron Stabinsky and Levy Lorenzo) and Being & Becoming (with Joel Ross, Nick Jozwiak and Savannah Harris). Evans has been exploring solo trumpet music since 2002 and is widely recognized as a leading voice in the field, having released 6 albums of solo music since 2006. He is also a member of several collaborative groups; duos with Levy Lorenzo and Sam Pluta, Rocket Science and Pulverize the Sound.
As a composer, he has been commissioned by the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), Wet Ink, Yarn/Wire, the Donaueschingen Musiktage Festival, the Jerome Foundation's Emerging Artist Program, and the Doris Duke Foundation. Evans has presented and/or performed his works at major festivals worldwide and tours his own groups extensively.
As an educator, Evans has given masterclasses and conducted workshops on improvisation, composition, instrumental practice and creativity at the Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, the New School of Social Research, Royal Academy of Music, Trinity College of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Hochschule für Musik Köln, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Institute of Sonology, Melbourne University, UC San Diego, UC Irvine, University of Toronto, University of Oregon, Cornish College, Oberlin Conservatory, and Cleveland Institute of Music.
He has worked with some of the leading figures in contemporary music: John Zorn, Pauline Oliveros, Brian Ferneyhough, Kanye West, George Lewis, Anthony Braxton, Evan Parker, Mary Halvorson, Craig Taborn, Ambrose Akinmusere, Weasel Walter, Ingrid Laubrock, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Tyshawn Sorey, Jim Black, Ikue Mori, Steve Schick, and works with both the International Contemporary and Wet Ink Ensembles as a performer and composer. As an interpreter of notated concert music, Evans has performed works by Varese, Xenakis, Bach, Stravinsky, Elliott Carter, Sciarrino, Ferneyhough, Wagner, Stockhausen, and many more.
Peter Evans has been releasing recordings on his own label, More is More, since 2011, beginning with the highly acclaimed “Ghosts”. 2021 will bring the second recording by Being & Becoming, as well as an album of Christmas music with 3 pianos.
http://www.peterevanstrumpet.com/
https://peterevansmusic.bandcamp.com/
Joel Ross
Playing thoroughly in the broad, resonating tradition of Black music, Ross draws inspiration for his layered expression from vital, intersecting scenes of his native Chicago. Imbibing nuanced traditions from improvised music hubs to the church, he embraced a range of gestural possibilities he’d begin refining in New York. After graduating from University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, Ross pursued a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Jazz Studies from The New School in downtown Manhattan. Now based in Brooklyn, he regularly performs across the country and around the world. As a leader, he’s appeared at such storied venues and iconic events as Smalls Jazz Club, Umbria Jazz Festival, The Jazz Gallery, Winter Jazz Fest, Newport Jazz Festival, Dizzy’s Club, BRIC Jazz Festival, The Blue Whale, North Sea Jazz Festival, The Brubeck Institute and Kuumbwa Jazz Festival, among others. A highly sought collaborator, he’s performed at Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Village Vanguard, SF Jazz, Duc des Lombards, Ronnie Scotts, Jazz Standard, Red Sea Jazz Festival, Yoshi’s Oakland and California Jazz Conservatory.
Folkloric resonance incubates Ross’ artistry. Improvising melodies or composing at the piano, he leaves space for a theme to emerge and evolve, always inviting creative response. Nimble, virtuosic lines approximate speech. He often transitions among the roles of storyteller, protagonist and supporting character. His sophomore release for Blue Note Who Are You? features Good Vibes at their most synchronous.
For more information on new music and performance dates, visit iplayvibes.com and follow Joel on his social channels at @imjoelmross.
Nick Jozwiak
Nicholas Jozwiak plays bass and cello and has been working in New York City for over 12 years. His energetic performances are commended for their ability to connect audience members to highly advanced instrumentalism. He is a member of Aaron Burnett and the Big Machine, Peter Evans’ Being & Becoming, Gabriel Marin’s Social Assassins, Sarah Bernstein’s VEER Quartet and the Sistine Criminals.
Savannah Harris
Savannah Harris is a New York City-based drummer, writer and producer. She has performed alongside Kennedy Center Artistic Director for Jazz Jason Moran, Kenny Barron, Aaron Parks, Terence Blanchard, Georgia Anne Muldrow and Geri Allen. She currently tours with Etienne Charles’ Creole Soul, José James, Peter Evans' Being + Becoming, the María Grand Trio, Or Bareket, and avant-garde art collective Standing on the Corner. Savannah is an annual participant in the Vail Dance Festival, directed by Damian Woetzel, and acts as a frequent collaborator through his "DEMO" series at the Kennedy Center. As a bandleader, Savannah has taken her trio to Wine and Bowties' Feels V festival as well as the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. She holds her master's degree from Manhattan School of Music, under program director Stefon Harris, and is a teaching artist for Jazz at Lincoln Center's Jazz For Young People programs.