Best wishes to you for a wonderful 2020!! May it be full of possibilities and opportunities for the life and world you want to live in. I’m excited about 2020 for so many reasons. For the first time I wrote out all I was thankful for in 2019 which I’ll share further below.

First UP, First SHOW

I am thrilled beyond measure to share that I’ll perform a DUO show with the iconic French bassist & vocalist, Joelle Leandre!
TUESDAY, January 7 2020
Zurcher Gallery
33 Bleecker Street, NY NY
8PM $20 at the door
www.galeriezurcher.com
DO NOT MISS THIS…

Later in the month catch me with Maria Grand (January 8); Women in The Arts (Jan 11-afternoon): WinterJazzFest Tribute to Steve Dalachinsky (Jan 11-night); We Have Voice (Jan 17-University of Pittsburgh); SoundNoiseFUNK3 (Jan 22-24/Dartmouth/Greenfield, MA).
Details on these performances on the Upcoming Gig Section of the FV website.

Gratitude Walk through 2019

Personally 2019 was a great and transformative year for me.  I feel I came into my own as an educator, developing an ever clearer vision of how to teach vocalists AND instrumentalists how to improvise. I’ve also performed more of my own composed music than ever before, sharing compositions with ensembles from Berkeley, CA to Banff and I kept on developing Mutations for Justice, set for a grand performance later in 2020, closer to Election Day.

I am grateful for all the support I’ve received last year for my work and for the myriad opportunities to stretch and expand outward.  So many folks to thank, listing quite a few below. 

My deepest gratitude to:

*John Zorn and The Stone at the New School for giving me the first week of January 2019 to honor the great pianist/composer that would have been 100 on January 3rd 2019.  I curated 4 days of concerts attempting to show  different sides of Herbie Nichols’ flexible genius that were well attended to boot.  I want to thank all of the musicians that contributed mightily to the proceedings and the New York Times for including the concerts in their weekly jazz listings.

*Martine Syms, Ellen Alderman and The Graham Foundation for the Fine Arts (Chicago, IL) for inviting to partake in a day of events closing out the 5 month exhibit of Martine Syms. I performed in Syms’ piece Incense, Sweaters & Ice which premiered at MOMA in 2017. The day at the Graham Foundation centered around a workshop on confidence building, performance in DUO with the esteemed Chicago drummer/impresario Mike Reed + with Q&A over process, message and improvisation. 

*Brice Rosenbloom & Matt Merewitz and The Winter Jazz Fest for presenting Mutations for Justice on the Festival, our 2nd WIP performance of the project.  This performance made Rolling Stones top 10 wrap of the festival, expressing what I want this project to be about -small mantras that state what’s going on.

*Matana Roberts, for including myself and trumpeter Jaimie Branch in a set to open up the season at the Issue Project Room.

*The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music for bringing me on as a faculty member!!

*Brad Linde at the Georgetown Day School in Washington DC for inviting myself, pianist Anthony Coleman and bassist Ratzo Harris to celebrate the great Herbie Nichols Centennial through masterclasses and performances with the students and a full Herbie Nichols SUNG performance as well.

*Our new landlords (who we found in Feb 2019) for our new and comfortable digs!

*William Parker and Hamid Drake for the invitation to record with them as a trio.  The *ISH is LIT! I understand it will be included in a box set to be released later this year.

*Billy Martin and Creative Music Studios for asking me to take part in a stupendous fund-raising concert that included the likes of Marshall Allen, Marc Ribot, Oteil Burbridge and so much more at Brooklyn Bowl and for inviting me to be an Artistic Director!

*Steven Bernstein and Verna Gillis for inviting me to celebrate Roswell Rudd, who we all miss so much, at City Winery. It was a heart warming and beautiful event.

*Jamaaladeen Tacuma for inviting me to be a part of the closing set on the Outsiders Festival in Philadelphia, PA.  I shared the stage with the legendary reedist Gary Bartz as well and H Prizm and Charles Treece. A musical highlight!!

*Amy Bormet, for inviting me to join her and a killing crew of musicians at the Art Summit at the Kennedy Center where we were tasked with composing a closing song that encapsulated all that happened throughout the day.  We did good! Phew.

*Billy Martin for inviting me to be a Workshop Leader at the Annual summer retreat in the Catskills for the Creative Music Studios.

*Vijay Iyer & Tyshawn Sorey for inviting me once again to be guest faculty at The Banff Center for the Arts and Creativity for the 2nd year in a row. Teaching there has changed me as an educator in the best possible way.

*The New York Jazz Workshop for asking me for the 10th consecutive year to conduct the International  Jazz Vocal Summit.

*Headlands Center for the Arts for rewarding me with a residency to write more of Mutations for Justice.  I also thank Headlands for inviting to perform a solo excerpt of Mutations for Justice as part of their yearly fundraising event.  A special shout out to the residents I spend time with there; a very, very special shout out to the Residency Manager, Holly Blake, who was warm and welcoming throughout.  Not mention the person that knows absolutely all there is to know about that amazing space on earth.

*Pianist/composer extraordinaire Myra Melford for inviting me into her UC-Berkeley classes to share music and my performance practices with her ensembles. It was a blast to work with Lisa Mezzacappa as well in Myra’s class as well as in a couple performances.  

*Steve Dickinson at the Poetry Center of San Francisco for organizing a wonderful day of events at San Francisco State and Center for New Music, effectively launching the DUO of Myra Melford and myself that we then took to the Western Front in Vancouver, BC (Canada) and Earshot Jazz Festival in Seattle, WA.  We tested beautiful ground in the afternoon talk and performance, already clarifying the ideas that moved into the evening concert.  A very unique connection of texts, song, form and improvisation. These opportunities are priceless to feel things out and happen far too little. Wonderful to work with Steve and everyone at the Poetry Center for this happening.

*guitarist/composer Jeremiah Lockwood for presenting me twice in the Bay Area while at the Headlands at Beth Sholom Congregation. First as part of a monthly listening series where I presented my compositions with Lisa Mezzacappa & Darren Johnston and then for Kol Nidre, which was my last day as Headlands Resident.  I’ll never forget it.

*pianist/composer/educator/curator JASON MORAN for getting an amazing exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art.  And he was so generous with it, including a series of performances in the sculptures throughout the 5-month run. I was honored to be one of the featured performers and that event was so incredible on many levels.  So grateful and honored to have gotten the opportunity.

*Nick Lloyd and Carl Testa at Firehouse 12 for programming SoundNoiseFUNK in the Fall Series.  We took that opportunity to record a live album, due to come out in 2020 on ESP Disk. Grateful to make more music that more of you can hear with this amazing group! Sam Newsome (soprano sax), Joe Morris (guitar) and Reggie Nicholson (drums).

*the powerful musician and educator James Newton for inviting me to be an Artist-in-Residence at UCLA this Fall. An incredible learning experience. I gave a lecture for the students on the importance of communicating messages in one’s music; I rehearsed an instrumental ensemble to perform my music for a final concert. Grateful for the opportunity to work with these great students that gave so much to the music

 **Northern Spy Records for releasing BARN SONGS on November 15 2019, my 10th album as a leader!!! If you haven’t heard it yet, do have a listen at: www.northernspyrecs.com

Outside of my New School Class, I gave more talks/lectures than ever in 2019 on subjects such as *Jazz Composers on Jazz Composers (Banff), *Experiments in Communicating Message (UCLA & The New School), *Beginning Jazz Harmony (NYU), *Creative Improvisation (Creative Music Studios, Banff + Private course) Rhythm in Real Time w Myra Melford (University of British Columbia)

I’m ending with giving special shout out to all the people that inspired me with their vision, their faith and their love. Thank you, Thank you for being YOU Nicole Mitchell, Imani Uzuri, Tyshawn Sorey, Vijay Iyer, Marika Hughes, Joe Morris and my hubby Jochem van Dijk who never ceases to amaze me. I connected more to my family in 2019 too, even meeting my half-brother in person for the first time. I ran into cousin at Banff that I hadn’t set eyes on in 30 years and my closest aunt turned 70, celebrating with a huge celebration that bought so many of us together from far and near. And ending the year with my Dutch family was special too, the first time that has happened since I moved back in New York City in 2003.

Dream BIG y’all. No reason not to.  May you soar into the light in 2020.

Happy Holidays Friends,

I write this last note to you for 2019 as we sit in the middle of impeachment hearings for the current US president, as humanity hangs on the cusp of a climate catastrophe and as strongmen and the extremely wealthy around the world blatantly assert their superiority. It easy to feel helpless, hopeless, cynical and just afraid in light of all of this. Yet, we all have a say in how we conduct our own lives, how we impact others around us.  What are we doing to contribute to the world we want to see? We may think we’re so small in light of all this but I say NO! If our voices are for the positive forces want to see, we must use them how ever we can. And keep moving…there is still much to be hopeful about. 

In the past couple years, I’ve worked in academia much more than I have ever before.  Not only as Faculty at the New School but in doing appearances at various academic institutions around the country.  Interacting with students around jazz, improvisation and composition.  What I’ve witnessed over and over again is an openness in the students I’ve encountered.  A willingness to go down unknown roads with little resistance.  I’ve had immense conversations with young people about what they want to say with their art.  What they are grappling with and how their struggle for language and understanding keeps them on the search. It’s inspired me deeply and instilled even more faith that the music and the future is in good hands.  I don’t have children myself so gathering this understanding has been given me much more insight into where to focus my own energy as an educator. 

On that front, I just wrapped the last class (and performance!) for my Vocal Performance 5 Class at the New School.  It was a wonderful semester.  Very excited for Spring 2020 and happy to share as well that I joined Creative Music Studios (CMS) as an Artistic Director. Honored to be asked by Billy Martin (of Medeski, Martin & Wood fame) and Steven Bernstein to be a voice in this esteemed organization started by Ornette Coleman, Karl Berger & Ingrid Sertso.

Out in the bigger world – folks around the world are fed up, hitting the streets, putting and pitting their bodies against teargas and rubber bullets to say NO MORE. These times are scary and fascinating the geo-political shifting feels seismic and when the dust finally settles – who knows where we’ll be but if we have solidarity in our truth at least we won’t be alone.  

I won’t get any credit for it in the ‘jazz’ press (and rarely have I) but my work is always political.  Here’s a track from my latest album – Talk Talk (part 2) – about making up one’s mind on where we stand and please consider picking up a copy for your gift-giving pleasure this holiday season

More on being the change you want to see. I am so so very proud to report that the We Have Voice Collective that I am deeply honored to be a part of, we that launched an Open Letter in December 2017 and then went on to arduously and carefully crafted a Code of Conduct to Promote Safe(r) Spaces in the Performing Arts has been selected by the New York Times as ONE of the definitive moments in jazz of the entire decade of the 2010’s. 

Final concert of the year!

Last show of the year is very special indeed! Playing a DUO concert with the amazing drummer/composer Gerald Cleaver.  I’ve played with Gerald over the years in collective contexts but this is a FIRST.  And it’s Free.  The Brooklyn Rail wrote a nice lil preview.  

That’s happening here:
The Clemente, Room 203
107 Suffolk Street, NY NY 10002

www.artsforart.org
3PM FREE
Bring your kids! Last 10 minutes of the concert is interactive.

Please check the GIG section for all the coming appearances for 2020 (and keep checking back!)

FIRST Show in 2020 – a dream come TRUE!

DUO with the illustrious Joëlle Léandre (double bassist, vocalist)
Fay Victor/Joelle Leandre
TUESDAY, January 7 2020
Zurcher Gallery
33 Bleecker Street, NY NY
8PM $20 at the door
www.galeriezurcher.com

Be kind to yourselves and each other. Let’s figure out ways we can communicate better with each other. Somehow. Wishing all of us the best possible outcome for life, love and unity on this planet in the coming decade. Happy New Year!

Dear Friends,

How are you? It’s been a moment since I checked in with you all, so much to share!
New ALBUM OUT!
That’s right friends!! I’ve released a new record on Friday November 15th called BARN SONGS on the Northern Spy Records label. It a special project of songs my husband and bassist Jochem van Dijk and I wrote when we lived in Amsterdam, the Netherlands (along with two new compositions) re-imagined with contributions and sounds of cellist Marika Hughes and alto saxophonist Darius Jones.

Cellist Marika Hughes co-owns a barn outside of West Fulton, NY and when I decided that these tunes should be recorded, the barn felt like the right place. 

Nothing like having a regular gig, especially one that gives me the freedom to program how I like and expand. Since 2015, Marika, Darius and I would perform older compositions of mine and Jochem’s (pre FVE compositions). The more we performed them, they transformed and morphed into perhaps more ‘grown-up’ versions. I am thrilled with the results of the work and connection deep in the country.  If you check out Barn Songs, you’ll hear a bit of the countryside along the way.  
Already some press!

*Downbeat
*NYT Playlist (11/15/2019)
You can listen/purchase on BAND CAMP ,
you can purchase BARN SONGS at northernspyrecs.com

I’m just back from LA! I was invited by the great flutist, co,poser & educator James Newton for an Artist-In-Residency at UCLA.  What an honor. I gave a lecture called ‘Experiments in Communicating Message’, expanding on a talk I gave at Banff in 2018. I also had the honor of rehearsing a fantastic student ensemble to develop my compositions for a concert on the final night of the residency.  A deep learning and incredible experience.  The first time I’ve presented a full concert of my mostly instrumental compositions and the students got into the music and played so well and full of passion. An amazing opportunity to have and I’m still floating on it. 

The great Patricia Nicholson Parker – Artistic Director for Arts for Art (Vision Festival, Evolving Festivals, InGardens…), a real powerhouse arts advocate in New York City especially around Free jazz and black expression. Patricia is turning 70 on November 19th and it’s a huge party along with a fundraiser for Arts for Art. Come on through! 

PATRICIA NICHOLSON PARKER
BIRTHDAY BENEFIT CELEBRATION
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2019
at 
The Clemente
107 Suffolk Street
6-11PM

That’s all until December – please check the GIG section on the website to keep up with performances as well. Looking forward to a DUO meeting with the great drummer & composer Gerald Cleaver on December 15th at 3PM, also through Arts for Art.

Just in case you didn’t know!

The renaissance artist Jason Moran invited me to participate in his wonderful exhibit STAGED at the Whitney Museum of Art.  For two days (October 18 & 19th) it was a joy to perform with Herbie Nichols SUNG as well as a pre-release CD celebration of BARN SONGS.  Beautiful audience and production team.  Amazing experience! The exhibit lauched on September 20, 2019 and runs through January 2020, with performances throughout. Learn more here!

The Whitney appearances happened just after my return to NYC having spent a month in the Marine Headlands, just north of San Francisco.  I was there to work on the compositions for Mutations for Justice, my WIP musical diary of the current administration and it’s policies. While there in that incredible environment – I worked a lot with the great pianist/composer/educator Myra Melford! I came into her classes and worked with her students to develop my compositions with them.  That was so much fun and quite an opportunity.  These classes culminated in a concert with the students performing my and bassist Lisa Mezzacappa’s compositions +  trio performances with Myra, Lisa and myself. At the end of the residency, Myra and I went on a duo tour, playing and giving a talk in Vancouver as well as a set on the Earshot Jazz Festival. More to come on that front. 

Thanks for reading, it’s been a busy autumn! 

Wishing you all well, much love to you all!
Fay

Hello Dear Friends,

Summer greetings to you all! Getting in touch about my annual birthday HANG at the 55BAR on THURSDAY JULY 25 from 7-9PM with SoundNoiseFUNK (WooHoo!) and special guests joining the fun. This year is a slight change in me bringing in a working band that has NEVER appeared with me at the 55BAR. SoundNoiseFUNK with guitarist Joe Morris, soprano saxophonist Sam Newsome & drummer Reggie Nicholson and myself bought out Wet Robots on the ESP label in 2018 to amazing critical acclaim. 4.5 stars in DownBeat Magazine (including a HotBox appearance) and placing #4 in the Jazz Vocal Category on 2018’s NPR Jazz Critic’s Poll! Most important though is the great music we make and the deep connection we have. A joy to make music with these gentlemen plus the special guests who’ll join us on that day as well. Come on through!

More news to share!
I’m hosting my next Creative Improvisation Workshop in November 2019!
CREATIVE IMPROVISATION WORKSHOP IV by Fay Victor
FOUR TUESDAYS
>>November 5, 12, 19, Dec 3 2019//6-9PM
+ FINAL Concert for all participants
>>Friday, December 6 2019//7PM
Workshop & Concert Location
I BEAM
168 7th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215
(between 2nd & 3rd Avenues)
Sign-up to hold your spot//signup & payment due:
Tuesday, October 2nd, 2019

Thanks for reading, see you out there.
Fay

Happy summer dear friends!

Greetings and best wishes. As some of you know, I had to have an emergency medical procedure in mid-June that kept me out of the loop for a few weeks. I’m thrilled to share that I’m doing much better now and almost back to my old self! I’m looking forward to seeing many of you soon on the scene.

There is an opportunity coming up to hang out very soon, as luck would have it. My annual 55BAR Birthday BASH happening and on my official birthday to boot – THURSDAY, JULY 26th!  It will be my first performance after being tucked away for a minute. I am really looking forward to singing for you all, not to mention the amazing array of musicians that will join the hang. Would love to see you all there + + + as always, there will be cake.  Flyer below!

In other news – I am super thrilled to share my latest release, Wet Robots with my group SoundNoiseFUNK has been released on ESP-Disk! SoundNoiseFUNK is Sam Newsome on soprano saxophone, Joe Morris on guitar and Reggie Nicholson on drums.  It has been and continues to be a joy making music with these gentlemen! There are no upcoming performance for the 4-tet but the SoundNoise TRIO will make an appearance on the EarShot Jazz Festival (Seattle, WA) in October 2018!

“…while Morris astounded with his staccato runs, sounding at times like a cross between Johnny Smith and James “Blood” Ulmer, and Newsome showcased his expansive vocabulary, alternately making his straight horn sound like a digeridoo, a duck call, a fuzz guitar, it was Victor’s finesse, ferocity and freestyle abandon that led the way. Watch for the upcoming debut recording on the ESP-Disk label by this extraordinary musical collective.”-Bill Milkowski, Downbeat Magazine

“If jazz is the sound of surprise, this album startles – a sonic funhouse of left turns.  The band floats in its own space, untethered by a bass. Morris’ guitar moves like a snake. Newhouse keens, taps, sighs on the straight horn. Nicholson makes his percussion set-ip a skittering, rattling thing. Then there is Fay her voice…as attuned to unfettered expression as Albert Ayler’s tenor.”-Bradley Bambarger – from the liner notes of Wet Robots

Purchase via ESP-Disk here: http://www.espdisk.com/5025.html
Read complete review here: http://downbeat.com/news/detail/winterfest2
Hear Creative Folks!, a track off of WET ROBOTS here:

Thanks for reading and hope to see you out there soon…

Peace,
Fay