Bits And Pieces is the culmination of the past year and a half of musical growth and collaboration after I left Seattle to live and study in New York. Every member of the group originates from a different corner of the Americas, and a result, everyone brings their own fresh perspective to the music. Sure I write the charts, but every one of those charts has some aspect of the composition or arrangement that was influenced by the other members of the group and how they play. I couldn’t ask for better people to play with and make my music come alive. For this album, I wanted to blend aspects of my favorite genres without sticking to any one genre in particular. I grew up primarily playing straight ahead jazz, but I still listened to a lot of rock, hip-hop, R&B, and other genres without really considering the prospect of incorporating those kinds of music into my own and indeed, I'd never really listened to anything that successfully mixed genres like that. Then I moved to New York, and everything changed. Being constantly surrounded by other musicians, my eyes were opened on a daily basis to incredible artists and groups like Chick Corea's Return To Forever and John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra and The Robert Glasper Experiment and tons of other amazing music that blurs the lines between genres. I couldn't get enough of all this incredible new stuff people were showing me, and suddenly my composing took a dramatic left turn to reflect that. Whether that was a conscious or subconscious shift, I'm not sure, but it is what it is and I hope you enjoy the result! I want to thank all those who have supported me up to this point, namely my parents for putting up with long hours of loud practicing. To Robin: thank you for putting up with my nit-pickiness and our insane, hectic, jam-packed recording session. To Lawrence: the art is beautiful, I couldn’t be happier with it, and I hope I didn’t get too annoying by the end of it all. Also, I’d like to thank my teachers: Clarence Acox for teaching me the importance of feel in music, Mark Taylor for teaching me how to play using more than just my ears, Troy Roberts for making me start playing Bach, Walter Blanding for completely rewiring my technique and how I conceptualize my own playing, and Mark Guiliana for helping me get my track order locked down and just generally being a musical super-genius. Also, a huge thanks to everyone who contributed to the GoFundMe.com page for this album. This would not have been possible without you guys. Much love, Isak Gaines 1. "Palace Of Enchantments" (9:12) Solos: Gabriel Chakarji (rhodes), Evan Slack (guitar), Isak Gaines (tenor saxophone) The title of this piece is in reference to an area of the North Cascades called The Enchantments, a series of alpine glacier lakes and pristine wilderness. I trekked through the area when I was 16 or so with my mom, my step dad, and one of my closest friends. It’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. 2. "Short Of Breath" (5:58) Solos: For this track, we wanted to incorporate collective improvisation, but in a highly structured context. 3. "Out To Sea" (8:56) Solos: Evan Slack (guitar), Matt Malanowski (synthesizer), Isak Gaines (tenor saxophone) 4. "Eulogy For Two Dear Friends" (2:22) I wrote this piece in memory of my two friends Bailey Meola and Sydney Schumacher, who tragically passed away in the Nepal earthquake in April 2015 while trekking through the Himalayas. I had known Bailey since I was 6 years old and I met Sydney in high school, and I will miss them both tremendously. 5. "Andromeda's Revenge" (8:11) Solos: Alex Silver (tenor saxophone), Ben Seacrist (trumpet) 6. "Cloud Mosaic" (7:26) Solos: Gabriel Chakarji (piano) 7. "The Mend" (1:46) 8. "Celestial" (9:57) Solos: Evan Slack (guitar), Isak Gaines (tenor saxophone), Aron Caceres (bass), Tim Rachbach (drums) Isak Gaines – tenor saxophone (all tracks), bass clarinet (tracks 1, 6, and 8), compositions, arrangements Alex Silver - tenor saxophone (all tracks except 2 and 4) Ben Seacrist - trumpet (all tracks except 2 and 4) Gabriel Chakarji - rhodes (tracks 1, 3, 5, 6, and 8), piano (track 6) Matt Malanowski - synthesizers (tracks 1, 2, 3, 6, and 8), piano (track 4) Evan Slack - guitar (all tracks except 4 and 7) Aron Caceres - bass (all tracks except 4 and 7) Tim Rachbach - drums (all tracks except 4 and 7) Robin Macmillan – engineering, mixing, mastering Lawrence Genette - graphic art