Brad Fritcher + Trois: The Year of the Architects

This album is out finally on bandcamp in digital AND Physical CD format! This album is a collaborative effort from everyone in the Brad Fritcher + Trois as well as St. Cecelia for offering the funds necessary to record, Michael Crittenden at Mackinaw Harvest Studio for all of recording and engineering time, and Nick Pennell for his great artwork. It is a testament to our progress as a group and a dedication to all of the musicians we have met and worked with in the past year as well.

The album was recorded in a 12 hour session between December 11th - 13th and features all original music:

Foolin' - A track I wrote and entered into ArtPrize 2014 that was "drafted" on a long car ride when I sang the melody to the tune into my phone. At a later date I fully worked it into the tune that would end up on the album.

Claey - A tune co-written by Brad Fritcher and myself during a manic, coffee fueled session that ended up with the slowest grooves on the album. Brad initially had the head to the tune written, and I helped flesh out the harmonic structure to his satisfaction. As Brad stated, "Claey is based on someone we've all known at some point in our lives. Was created under the influence of a large dose of summer humidity, doubled Americanos, live broadcasts and Esperanza Spalding."

Casper - A tune that sort of combines two keyboard influences in my life: Chick Corea and Robert Glasper. The initial feel to the tune had a Chick Corea vibe to it, but when the melody began to take shape the feel shifted towards something similar to what the Robert Glasper Experiment would do.

Jaga Jammin' - A tune I wrote while being inspired by a Norwegian group called "Jaga Jazzist," who combines elements of rock, jazz, and classical with their large ensemble to create this distinct fusion of styles and influences. I liked some of their odd meter compositions, so I tried to write an odd-meter groove to build a tune with for the group.

Must've Forgotten -  is a reharmonization of Lee Morgan's "Ceora" after studying the rhythms of Thelonious Monk and melodies of Ornette Coleman. It's a form meant to have strong voice leading through moments of cohesiveness and/or destruction.

Movement - Movement is a conversation between Logan Richardson and Bach. This track on the album has the only instance of overdubbing, specifically the added synth sounds and some of the trumpet improvisations.

Mind the Gap - A tune by our bass player, Ryan Wallace, that initially started with the bass line and was worked into a tune from there. It is grounded on a repetitive rhythmic figure and speaks to his early musical influences found in the "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater" video game series, where players were often told to "mind the gap" while completing certain skateboarding challenges.

Listen/purchase the album in digital and CD form at this link: https://bradfritchertrois.bandcamp.com/releases

Check out other performances of tracks on the album here: Live @ The Book Nook: [embed]https://soundcloud.com/dutcher-1/jaga-jammin-live[/embed] Localspins Live Radio Broadcast: [embed]https://soundcloud.com/localspins/local-spins-live-with-brad[/embed] Blue Lake Public Radio Live Broadcast: [embed]https://soundcloud.com/brad-a-fritcher/sets/brad-fritcher-trois-blue-lake-fine-public-radio-2014[/embed]