Oceans Together

Oceans Together is a contemporary jazz collaboration between composers Mark Ginsburg and Ryan Grogan, with bassist Brett Hirst and percussionist Fabian Hevia being integral co-creators.The title, Oceans Together, reflects the varied shores, musical influences and social landscapes of the musicians.  Each of these players has a rich background containing significant individual accomplishments, as well as a history of working together at different times over a few decades.

The project began at the outset of Covid with Ryan and Mark collaborating remotely during lockdown.  As time progressed and the character of the music emerged, the desire grew to record together live, rather than over the wires.  It took two years to achieve that goal and now we have the chance to promote this new album. 

The distinctive nature of the repertoire is one of delicacy, with beautiful and sometimes haunting melodic lines that embrace a certain vulnerability. The decision to use hand percussion, instead of the more usual format of a drum kit, propelled the composers further in this direction, adding to the sense of intimacy and space in the music. The result is a collection of contemplative, accessible and
gentle musical experiences, with surprises that honour the importance of melody and harmony.