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Bryan and the Aardvarks

Bryan Copeland formed Bryan and the Aardvarks in order to explore an inventive new sound that derived from his jazz training as well as his upbringing in pop and country music. The music he writes for the quartet combines a hushed intimacy with memorable, singable melodies and a narrative directness that nevertheless leaves space for expressive improvisation. In pianist Fabian Almazan, vibraphonist Chris Dingman, and drummer Joe Nero, he has assembled a distinctive ensemble able to flesh out his unique compositions.

“These guys are all very sensitive musicians,” Copeland says. “Their main focus is making music sound beautiful. There’s no ego involved. These guys are all amazing technical masters, but they put all that stuff aside to develop this group sound.”

Raised in the North Texas panhandle and later in the more urban centers of Dallas and Austin, Copeland grew up surrounded by country music – which he rejected as a child but later came to appreciate. Instead, his tastes turned more to pop, rock, and singer-songwriter music, especially the likes of The Kinks, David Bowie, Elliott Smith, and Nick Drake. The latter two, who combine an incisive expressiveness with an air of mystery, seem especially relevant influences on Bryan and the Aardvarks.

Copeland hit on the sound of Bryan and the Aardvarks organically, while coping with the death of a close friend from Texas. He sat down at the piano one day and the shimmering melody of “Sunshine Through the Clouds” flowed out of him. “I was having a hard time dealing with the feelings I was having,” Copeland recalls, “and I wasn’t really thinking about what I was playing. Something deep in my subconscious just came out, and that’s still the approach I take with this band. I just close my eyes and let my subconscious write the music.”

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Album Review

Bryan and the Aardvarks: Sounds from the Deep Field

Read "Sounds from the Deep Field" reviewed by Luca Muchetti


Gustiamola un poco alla volta questa cosmogonia musicale che si apre fisicamente come un origami-custodia virtuale, il “Biopholio" ossia un'elegante contenitore/libretto di copertina che all'interno non contiene un CD, ma un codice per il download della musica, in perfetta consonanza con lo spirito ambientalista che anima l'etichetta discografica fondata dal pianista cubano Fabian Almazan, come il nome stesso, Biophilia Records, sottolinea. La musica inizia ipnotizzando e si conclude stordendoci in un mare di suoni nel quale è dolcissimo naufragare.

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"This is a band with dynamic flux in its DNA, and brisk technique in its bloodstream." - Nate Chinen, NY Times

"The melody-centric compositions shimmer across deeply cinematic soundscapes.” - Marlon Bishop, NPR

"Bryan and the Aardvarks - Like Claudia Quintet crossed with Pat Metheny Group. Pastoral shred - I love it!" - Hank Shteamer, Time Out NY

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Sounds from the Deep...

Biophilia Records
2017

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To Gaze Out The Cupola Module

From: Sounds from the Deep Field
By Bryan and the Aardvarks

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