Gather, Together - I'm not sure when or why this pair of words took root in my head, but since then it has grown from a simple phrase to a way of seeing the world. Over the past year months, as I wrote and record this material, I found myself assessing things around me for their gather content. From paint collecting on a canvas to friends assembling in a basement, everywhere you look, there are parts gathering into a whole. This notion became central to not only the themes of my work but the process as well. The sights and sounds in Gather, Together are scavenged materials. Audio samples come from voice-memos of my lessons and conversations, lyrics are borrowed from fragments I’ve read or written in anything from poems to text messages, and the videos that accompany the album draw images from my family members’ art scattered around my home. The piece puts on display the process of its own creation.
— Jack (July 20, 2018)
Eight tracks run continuously into one another for 48 minutes of seamless music that leaps dramatically between styles and moods. The piece journeys from the cuban inspired groove of Contigo En La Distancia, to the found percussion and spoken word ensemble of Hunter Hoarderer, to intimate chamber music of New Mantra, maintaining continuity through the use of repeated text and themes throughout.
Additional Media
In April, 2018, Jack staged Gather, Together with an ensemble of 10 performers in an immersive concert that featured video art, set design, and audience interaction. The art and video created for that live experience will gradually be released along with Gather, Together the studio album. Below check out the Gather, Together music videos and some images from the staged production.
