Chet Doxas: saxophones, clarinet, field recordings
Jacob Sacks: piano, mellotron
Joe Grass: pedal steel, guitar, banjo
Zack Lober: bass
Eric Doob: drums

For Montreal born, Brooklyn based saxophonist Chet Doxas, the visual arts and music are two things that have been present throughout his entire life. The last seven years have found Doxas embracing and celebrating the ways in which the two mediums mingle, and where they intersect. “Quite simply put, when I look at paintings, I hear music,” says Doxas. “This intersection is one that I feel very fortunate to be able to experience and revel in. It is by studying this relationship that I first composed a body of work dedicated to New York City’s Lower East Side art movement of the early 1980s entitled Rich in Symbols. I am now delighted to be able to interpret seven of our national masterpieces from The Group of Seven, Tom Thomson and Emily Carr. In responding to these iconic works, I felt a wide range of feelings and the feeling that surprised me the most was one of respect for our land and how it has helped me get closer to answering the question: What does it mean to be Canadian? While I do not think that there is only one answer to this question, through composing this series of pieces, I believe that part of the answer can be found in the intrinsic role that our great landscape plays in defining our cultural identity.” 

Doxas composed the pieces for Rich In Symbols IIin the presence of the artwork, manuscript and pencil in hand. The paintings are also an integral part of the music’s live presentation, as the band performs alongside projections of the iconic works. The live line-up consists of Chet Doxas (saxophones, clarinet, field recordings), Jacob Sacks (piano and mellotron), Joe Grass (pedal steel, guitar and banjo), Zack Lober (bass) and Eric Doob (drums and programming.) The album also features  a spoken word poem, read by celebrated songwriter Sam Roberts.

chetdoxas.com

Release Date: Friday, September 9th 2022 on Justin Time Records.