Soapbox Gallery presents the premier of Blended Lineage, Four Videos.

David Bixler alto saxophone and composer
Mike Rodriguez trumpet
Jon Cowherd piano
Luke Sellick bass
Fabio Rojas percussion
Judith Ingolfsson violin
Heather Martin Bixler violin
Josh Kail viola
Rubin Kodheli cello

Blended Lineage follows last year’s release, In the Face of Chaos in the artistic reemergence of alto saxophonist and composer David Bixler. A traumatic brain injury suffered by his youngest son necessitated a shift in Bixler’s priorities for much of the last decade-a period in which his family devoted much of its energy to the circumstances of its youngest member. Recently however, Bixler made a conscious decision to re-enter the realm of creative music, but with a perspective gracefully changed and informed by his family’s circumstances. 

Blended Lineage is a four-movement work composed for nine musicians. It was a commission with the directive of writing music based on the concept of modern-day tribes. It occurred to Bixler that the word tribe, while helpful in identifying a group, it is often divisive and can be one-dimensional, and instead went about framing this concept in the positive. Bixler reflects, “as I examined the world I inhabit, I identified four “tribes” that co-exist in my life and composed music that served as a reflection of each of the four groups.” The first, Origins is written for the beauty and diversity that exists over and through all of humanity. Motherland is an homage to his native Wisconsin. Trenches is dedicated to the musicians in NYC who lean into the music daily as well as the economic reality that is the result of that choice. My Soul Swoons Softly, the final piece, takes its title from James Joyce’s The Dead, and is a reflection on the spiritual reality that gives hope in this world.  

For this recording Bixler selected nine musicians that delivered on every aspect that was required of their musicianship. With trumpeter Mike Rodriguez, pianist Jon Cowherd, bassist Luke Sellick and percussionist Fabio Rojas, as well as string quartet comprised of violinists Judith Ingolfsson, Heather Martin Bixler, violist Josh Kail, and cellist Rubin Kodheli, Bixler has a band that deftly navigates the complexities and moods of his music.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTKSzkEVqed4Hk8xWi74ZQmgYqtVWhu7e