“Kalia sculpts her trombone’s golden tones into dazzling compositions… the record unfurls like petals in early spring.”
(Pitchfork)
About the Album
Released May 6, 2022 on New Amsterdam Records
New Amsterdam releases Regrowth, the second genre-defying studio album from Kalia Vandever, a Brooklyn-based, Los Angeles-raised trombonist and composer.
Regrowth, as a whole, is cyclical in nature, an album marked by renewal and discovery, by compositions that arose from improvisation, by the thrum of found melodies, each enlivened by Vandever’s longtime ensemble: saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, pianist Paul Cornish, bassist Nick Dunston, drummer Connor Parks, and guitarist and producer Lee Meadvin.
On Regrowth, she possesses “tremendous instrumental facility and a highly melodic compositional voice” (Hot House Jazz Magazine), offering listeners eight ethereal tracks: wisps that, with springtime in the air, conjure both wistfulness and hope.
Vandever, a bandleader and a side-woman (who has performed on both Saturday Night Live and Full Frontal with Samantha Bee), writes music with “an unhurried, sighing attitude… melodies with long, held notes. The idea, it seems, is to dip you into a feeling or a pattern or a breathing speed, and keep you there.” (New York Times).
Recent Reviews
“I wanted to create music that felt most honest and true to my beliefs; to combine all of my musical influences that can almost not be defined by a certain genre.”
Kalia Vandever
Metropolis has commissioned composer and performer Kalia Vandever on multiple projects, including our House Music video series.
WATCH: "Regrowth" Release Show at The Jazz Gallery on May 7, 2022.
Project In-Depth
“‘Pick It Up (and Drop it Again)’ evokes the feeling of reaching for something that endlessly escapes you,” says Vandever. “It’s the act of going through the motions multiple times while acknowledging that you might never attain what you’re seeking. The piece has urgency and drive while being cyclical in nature.”
“Composing and improvising have always provided a space for my own healing and growth,” says Kalia Vandever. “This work is my experience of rebuilding, of remaining open to the unpredictable. The act of being patient with myself when faced with change is a constant practice. I hope listeners recognize the importance of being patient themselves, too, especially in the face of loss or trauma. Regrowth is a reflection of that process.”
-
Soft
False Memories
Passing Thoughts
An Unwelcome Visit
Lift
More of The Good Stuff Later
Pick It Up (and Drop It Again)
An Unwelcome Visit (Reprise)
-
Kalia Vandever: compositions and trombone
Immanuel Wilkins: alto saxophone
Lee Meadvin: guitar
Paul Cornish: piano
Nick Dunston: bass
Connor Parks: drums
-
Executive Producer - Metropolis Ensemble
Produced, Mixed, and Mastered by Lee Meadvin
Engineered by Nolan Thies
Recorded at Bunker Studio
Album photograph by Alex Joseph
Album design by DM Stith
Kalia Vandever
Composer
Kalia Vandever is an American trombonist and composer living in Brooklyn, NY. Her approach to the trombone is distinctive and defined by her sonorous tone and lyrical improvisational voice. She leans into the challenges of the instrument and allows patience and melody guide her process. In her compositional practice, Kalia draws from her love of songs and improvisation, creating a landscape of sounds that resonate in the body and hold the listener.
She released her debut ensemble album, "In Bloom" in 2019 which has been described as "the rise of an exciting voice for the music" (Seton Hawkins, Hot House Jazz Magazine). Her sophomore album, Regrowth released in May, 2022 on New Amsterdam Records and "confirms her strengths as a composer and bandleader with a distinctly contemporary point of view." (Nate Chinen, WBGO Jazz) Her debut solo album featuring her works for trombone, voice and electronics will be released on AKP Records in March, 2023. More »
