Jeremy Mage

   Jeremy Mage writes songs that are emotionally vulnerable and philosophical. "I studied with Alan Ginsberg in intensive workshops when I was a teenager deep in the 80's NYC Punk scene. I was influenced by the no-frills, buddhist song-poems he was performing at the time. He attacked the mysticism in my work, and made me ground my writing in reality, which led me to seriously study Buddhist Philosophy. Those experiences have informed my life and my songwriting."  More recently, Mage has been a frequent participant in NYC downtown folk icon Jack Hardy's songwriting workshops in Greenwich Village.  "Jack helped me understand the true power of song. He guided me away from trends and styles, to focus instead on the core, timeless elements of song craft. He was a great mentor, and we all miss him terribly." (Hardy died April 11th, 2011)      Mage is also a producer, and a jazz pianist. "As a kid, I loved soul music, and I was obsessed with Stevie Wonder and the Temptations. I had no interest in Jazz; it felt so flashy to me. I became drawn to the power and politics of punk. Then, I was introduced to Thelonious Monk, and he bridged the gap for me." Mage studied jazz piano intensively for over a decade. He's toured as a multi-instrumentalist and singer with soul-jazz artist Lizz Wright (Verve Records) , Afro punk diva Tamar Kali, and Nigerian dance superhero Wunmi. He has produced and written music for Tummy Touch (London dance), Easy Star (Brooklyn reggae), and Double Moon (Istanbul experimental).             "I grew up in a trailer in the woods,  amid the tumbling mountain streams of Upstate New York, but even then I always spent a lot of time in the city. I'm interested in the spaces between simplicity and dissonance, the city and the wilderness,  between raw personal feeling,  and a broader perspective."

Awards

2012 Grammy (pianist/organist on Best Children's Album, "Can you Canoe?"

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