The Moon Is

The latest project from pianist/composer Sam Bailey and drummer Josh Magill, The Moon Is makes imaginative use of the stripped-down combination of jazz/classical piano and rock drums. Their debut EP is out now on Dawn Chorus Records.

Sam Bailey has been an important behind-the-scenes force on the UK jazz and free-improv scene for 20 years. As well as being a co-founder of Jack Hues and the Quartet he has led a trio with Mark Holub and Liran Donin from Led Bib and played with the likes of Laura Jurd, Evan Parker, John Butcher and Sarah Brand as well as running the award-winning series of adventurous music nights, Free Range, for the past 8 years. Drummer Josh Magill is best known for his work with the psychedelic rock band Syd Arthur with whom he toured the U.S. twice before recording their latest album in L.A. More recently he has gained recognition as a singer-songwriter-producer under his own name.

So what happens when you combine free-improv/classical/jazz piano with rock drums? The track ‘Messy Shakes’ gives us an intriguing clue. “Messy Shakes was only ever meant to be a working title”, explains Bailey, “it refers to the initial influences for the music: the mystical harmony in the music of Olivier Messiaen and the heartfelt soul music of the band Alabama Shakes. These were starting points but the process of developing the material always takes you somewhere else. And when we worked with the brilliant film makers at Block Art Media the music changed again and took on a kind of dream-like, psychedelic character”.

Like the snippet of ethereal singing at the end of the piece, this startlingly original music seems to promise more, giving us a glimpse into a strange new world that leaves us wanting to know what The Moon Is will do next.

The Moon Is EP is out now on Dawn Chorus Records.

Videos: Block Art Media