Onyx Collective is an American experimental jazz group, founded by saxophonist Isaiah Barr and drummer Austin Williamson. Since forming in 2014, the group has released 7 albums and featured a rotating cast of dozens of members and guest musicians.[1]
History
editBoth New York City natives, Barr and Williamson met while still in high school, and were mentored by saxophonist Roy Nathanson of The Jazz Passengers. In October 2014, they began hosting a show on KNOW-WAVE Radio, bringing in guests to jam live on-air, which led to collaborations with station regulars like Dev Hynes and Wiki.[2]
Barr and Williamson have spoken extensively in interviews about their ties to the Manhattan neighborhoods of the East Village and Lower East Side. A number of titles of compositions featured on Onyx Collective's Lower East Suite Part One (2017), Lower East Suite Part Two (2017), and Lower East Suite Part Three (2018) contain references to downtown Manhattan landmarks, including "2 AM At Veselka," "Rumble in Chatham Square," "Don't Get Caught Under The Manhattan Bridge," and "97 Allen," a reference to the headquarters of clothing brand The Good Company.[3]
From 2014 until 2020, Onyx Collective became known for their guerrilla approach to public performance, presenting improvised music in non-traditional pop-up venues in Lower Manhattan, including clothing stores, barber shops, and gallery spaces. In 2016, they hosted NYXO, a three-month residency at 225 West Broadway in Tribeca, which featured musicians as varied as Show Me The Body, Phony PPL, and Puerto-Rican jazz legend John Benitez.[4]
Onyx Collective recordings and performances have featured vocalists like Dev Hynes, Kelsey Lu, Nick Hakim, Princess Nokia, Duendita, Okay Kaya, Julian Soto, and Ian Isiah; pianists Julius Rodriguez, Isaac Sleator, Mike Swoop, and Josh Benitez; bassists Felix Pastorius, Spencer Murphy, Walter Stinson, Daryl Johns, and Dean Torrey; drummers Yussef Dayes and David Frazier, Jr., and guitarist Jack Gulielmetti.[5] They have appeared on albums by Nick Hakim, Ian Isiah, Princess Nokia, and Radamiz, and toured as the backing band for A$AP Rocky.[6][7][8] In 2021, Onyx Collective collaborated with funk band Chromeo on "Baby".[9]
The band has had a longtime association with the New York City visual art scene, specifically artists Julian Schnabel, Brian Bellott,[10] Adam Zhu,[11] and Maxwell Dieter;[12] in a formal exhibition setting, they've contributed to Jason Moran's Jazz On A High Floor in the Afternoon at The Whitney, as well as Agathe Snow's Stamina at The Guggenheim.[13]
Individually, Williamson has recorded as a drummer with Blood Orange, Standing On The Corner, Miho Hatori, and Pretty Sick, while Barr has been featured as a composer and saxophonist on recordings by Bakar, David Byrne, and Ratking.[14][15][16]
Discography
editReferences
edit- ^ Brown, T. M. (2018-06-15). "For Experimental Jazz Group Onyx Collective, the Only Rule Is 'No Rules'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
- ^ "ONYX Collective Is Injecting Jazz Cool Into N.Y.C.'s Downtown Scene". The FADER. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
- ^ "Onyx Collective : Lower East Suite Part One/Lower East Suite Part Two". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
- ^ "Creating a Music Club That's Like an Art Gallery for Musicians". Wall Street Journal.
- ^ "ONYX Collective Is Injecting Jazz Cool Into N.Y.C.'s Downtown Scene". The FADER. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
- ^ "Juliet Records | ONYX COLLECTIVE". Retrieved 2024-04-30.
- ^ "Onyx Collective Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
- ^ "Discogs: Onyx Collective".
- ^ "Onyx Collective Get Wrapped Up in a Hypnotic Groove on the Chromeo-Produced "Tango"". FLOOD. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
- ^ Marcus, Ezra (2018-01-03). "Onyx Collective is New York's coolest downtown jazz crew". Interview Magazine. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
- ^ PreezyPreezy (2016-01-29). "Wiki Teams Up With Adam Zhu and Dev Hynes for Skateboarding Film 'Market' - XXL". XXL Mag. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
- ^ "BOMB Magazine | Masks That Conceal and Reveal: Maxwell Deter…". BOMB Magazine. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
- ^ Jazz, All About. "Spencer Murphy Musician - All About Jazz". All About Jazz Musicians. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
- ^ "Isaiah Barr Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
- ^ "Austin Williamson Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
- ^ "Austin Williamson Discogs".