AftEarth

In January 2020, Ryan Meagher and Tina Granzo met in a favorite neighborhood watering hole in Portland, OR and discussed combining their creative forces. The aim was to conjure notions of apathy and inaction leading to environmental and social decay. They agreed upon some themes like climate change, chemical dependency, and political unrest. The somber themes about the state of humanity were mostly set and then the world shutdown in March of 2020 from a raging worldwide pandemic. Granzo began working on planting “seed” drawings. Meagher took the seedlings and composed new material for a quartet.

With the pandemic still keeping most of us isolated from one another through 2020 and into 2021, it was nearly impossible to rehearse the music in a safe way. While trying to rehearse this music in Spring of 2021 tensions surrounding covid safety resulted in the dissolution of the original ensemble. The project forged on. After hearing the music derived from the inspiration of the “seed” drawings, Granzo composed new drawings that rounded out the story the music helped create. The music was created and the drawings were completed as the musicians went into Clay Giberson’s studio in June of 2021.

The recording session was recorded during a record heatwave in the Pacific Northwest where temperatures reached as high as 116 degrees Fahrenheit in this city known for moderate, pleasant summers. Later that summer, this music and artwork was presented at the 2021 Montavilla Jazz Festival. Normally a highlight of the summer festival season in the region, 2021’s festival was almost exclusively an online event due to the trepidation of most of the jazz-going public attending live shows, and the looming delta variant of the covid-19 virus.

It was arduous, but this project is complete. Meagher and Granzo hope you enjoy the music, but they also hope it makes you think about how our actions/inactions affect everyone and everything around us.

Ryan Meagher - acoustic and electric guitar
Tim Willcox - tenor and soprano saxophone
Andrew Jones - acoustic and electric bass
Charlie Doggett - drums
Clay Giberson - piano and keyboards
Tina Granzo - art

Recorded and mixed by Clay Giberson
Mastered by Dana White at Specialized Mastering
All compositions by Ryan Meagher except "Song of the Venetian Gondolier," by Felix Mendelssohn

Thank you to the Regional Arts and Culture Council for their support with a project grant