Amanda Ekery takes a stand on sexism with new jazz concept album

BOSTON, MA -- Composer and vocalist Amanda Ekery is releasing Keys With No Purpose, a composition for eleven-piece ensemble about the sexist culture women continue to face in jazz and beyond. Lyrics are based on interviews composer Ekery conducted with four young females in jazz, her own personal experiences, and news articles such as the Boston Globe’s exposé on Berklee jazz faculty. Keys With No Purpose is scheduled to release on November 3, 2018.

“The eleven-piece ensemble allowed me to explore different textures, highlight my uncommon influences, and write music that has the density and energy needed to represent the content,” Ekery commented about her writing process.

“Not being the only female in the band or behind the scenes is so important to me. I find more often than not, women in jazz are hiring all male bands, which perpetuates the masculine image of jazz. I strive to never hire an all-male band because I want to work with people that are representative of the communities I live and strive to work in - especially for this project!”

Keys With No Purpose is a story about chasing after jobs, relationships and gigs that you’ve been told are good for you, or at one point in time you believed you wanted. As time goes on, you realize that these things you’re grasping for are tainted with sexist expectations, have walls built of red tape or hidden motives, and you decide that you no longer want them. But you’ve done the work to get there. You’ve acquired the skills, done your homework, and shown up to the audition. You’ve molded your keys to fit the doors...the keys just no longer serve a purpose.

The album features: Amanda Ekery, voice, compositions, and arrangements; Nathan Reising, alto sax; Miranda Agnew, trumpet; Eric Stilwell, trombone; Amanda Chi, cello; Julian Loida, vibraphone; Monica Pabelonio, background voice; Sam Jones, background voice; Andrew Boudreau, piano; Aaron Holthus, bass; Marcelo Perez, drums; Lior Tzemach, recording engineer and editing; Connor Schultz, mixing engineer; Miranda Serra, mixing and mastering engineer; and Naomi Wiener, album artwork and design.

Keys With No Purpose will be available through digital download or physical copy on November 3, 2018, along with a limited edition keychain Ekery designed in her Dad’s garage.

The recording and CD manufacturing for the album is made possible thanks to the St. Botolph Club Foundation Emerging Artist Award which Ekery received in June 2018.

About Amanda Ekery:

Vocalist and composer Amanda Ekery collaborates with everyone, literally. Historians, artists, engineers, bakers, you name it. Amanda works with all to create projects that strengthen communities. She weaves her experience in underground rock, improvisatory creative music, research, and jazz into her compositions, workshops, and community-based performances.

Amanda composes music filled with imagery and strong narratives. Her compositions have received international acclaim, being selected for the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Residency at the Kennedy Center, and have been featured at the Blue Note Amsterdam, Amalfi Coast Music Festival, and the Panama Jazz Festival. Amanda’s newest album “Keys With No Purpose,” is written as a reaction to the sexist culture women continue to face in jazz. “Some Short Songs” is Amanda’s album of original music exploring the lydian chromatic concept. Its stories of hula-hoops, dry peanut butter jars, and self-conscious clouds, highlight her playful, fun, and varied style.

As the co-founder and arranger of The Lomax Folk Project, she delves into the vast repertoire of the Lomax Collection with musicologist Hannah Grantham to connect with music of their home states, Texas and North Carolina respectively. The group performs in 7 states where the music originated, inviting audiences to participate and learn about the music history from their own backyards.

Amanda is a dedicated teaching artist. She is the founder of El Paso Jazz Girls, a free program for high school girls taught by professional female musicians. Amanda received grants from the Jazz Education Network and Herb Alpert Foundation, and collaborated with local auto salvages, bakeries, and restaurants to make El Paso Jazz Girls possible. El Paso Jazz Girls is an annual event serving as a direct, practical intervention for gender equality in Amanda’s hometown jazz community. As the creator of Crayon Box, Amanda designed an interactive workshop series for third graders to learn about improvisation and composition via technology and visual art. By building relationships with over 20 community centers in 7 cities, she brings her impactful, relevant workshops to students of all ages. Other workshops include “Women Who Rock: A Herstory,” and “Vocal Improvisation 101,” shared with students at the 2018 Panama Jazz Festival.

A published author and sought-after presenter, Amanda’s shares her research at conferences and universities around the world. Invited to speak at the 2017 International Jazz Voice Conference in Helsinki, Finland, Amanda presented her research on the importance of vocalists developing skills to arrange their own music. Her self-published workbook, “Arranging for the Solo Jazz Vocalist: A Workbook That Isn’t Boring,” includes arranging techniques, transcriptions, lessons, and tips written specifically with vocalists in mind. Amanda’s paper “Female Bandleaders: Stories of Perseverance, Discrimination and Grit,” was developed into a course at Tufts University, which Amanda taught in the summer of 2018.

Amanda holds a Master of Music in Jazz Performance from the New England Conservatory and a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from the University of North Texas. Her mentors include Ran Blake, Dominique Eade, Tanya Maggi, Jason Moran, and Rosana Eckert.

Links:

Website: www.amandaekery.com

Bandcamp: www.amandaekery.bandcamp.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/ae_eeeeee