Band Of Pulses

About the Band

Many species use sound to communicate. Elsa Nilsson, Santiago Leibson, Marty Kenney and Rodrigo Recabarren asked themselves; what is the line that makes sound music? If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then isn’t music in the ear of the listener? As they listened to words around them they became enchanted with the subtleties in the sounds of voices. It began with Rodrigo playing rhythms along with speeches where he wanted to accentuate the meanings of what was being said. He sent Elsa Maya Angelou’s “On the Pulse Of Morning” full of rocks, rivers and trees. Elsa fell in love with the deep musicality present in every sound. She listened and heard echoes of Ornette Coleman in how Maya Angelou ended her phrases. She heard thematic development and musical build in the pitch materials. 

Together this band took the time to hear the musical communication in the sounds of Maya Angelou’s words. They play with her voice, enhancing the music that is already there and bringing to light the full depth of her sonic brilliance along with her poetic brilliance.

John Cage heard music in every sound. Groove in a tin can. Humor and art co-existing. This band takes a similar approach to communication. Intentionality does not require a plan, directionality does not imply rigidity. With the wide open space of the music ahead they stand together with their toes over the edge and jump.

UPCOMING SHOWS

Member bios

Flute Player, Composer and Educator Elsa Nilsson was born and raised in Gothenburg, Sweden and currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. She can often be found playing at The 55 Bar, Bar Bayeux and other New York Jazz venues. Nilsson approaches music with an attitude of inclusiveness. She believes there is a space to be found in music that gives us the freedom to be exactly who we are. This leads her to make some unconventional choices as an improviser and composer where the lines between styles become blurred and rules get bent in order to serve the ultimate goal of sincere communication. Nilsson draws inspiration from every aspect of life and music that moves her, combining them through the lens of Jazz to create a deeply personal expression that she hopes is universally relatable. Nilsson is on Faculty at The New School College for Performing Arts where she teaches Rhythmic Analysis 1 and 3 and Socially Engaged Artistry

Santiago Leibson is a Brooklyn based, Argentinian born jazz pianist and composer. His music is situated in the frontier of jazz, improvised music, classical and contemporary music.  As a bandleader, he has released five records: Amon (2014), Pendular (2015), Out of Orden (2016), Episodes (2018) and Little Pieces (2020). JazzTrail says about Episodes: “Episodes is a swinging album with abundant evocations of past grandeur. Thence, the trio of performers lay bare their solid command of time and space to create new narratives”.

Marty Kenney has performed with musicians such as Art Lande, Billy Drummond, Rich Perry, Steve Slagle, Allan Harris, Rez Abbasi, Brandon Seabrook, Brian Krock's Big Heart Machine, David Berkman, and the New York Standards Quartet featuring Tim Armacost and Gene Jackson. He has appeared on recordings by Steve Slagle, Allan Harris, Brian Krock's liddle featuring Matt Mitchell, Olli Hirvonen featuring Water Smith III, and toured throughout the United States and Europe with Allan Harris, liddle, and New Helsinki, including performances at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Pori Jazz Festival, the Mosaic Festival in Romania, Umbria Winter Jazz Festival, Porretta Soul Festival, and many notable venues around the world including the Bimhuis, Shinjuku Pit Inn, Jazzclub Unterfahrt, Smalls Jazz Club, Mezzrow, Dazzle Jazz Club, Birdland, Red Rocks Amphitheater, and Blue Note NYC.

Born in Santiago de Chile, Rodrigo Recabarren has been in NYC since 2009. He has worked with artists as Guillermo Klein, Brad Shepik, Melissa Aldana, Camila Meza, Claudia Acuña, Rafal Sarnecki and Andre Carvallo among many others. Has performed in Europe, the United States, Asia and Latin-America in prestigious venues like the Blue Note, 55 bar, Smalls and Jazz at Lincoln Center, among many others. He is the founder of Tresillo music School in Santiago de Chile and has produced dozens of albums and tours around the world with this projects.