As I wrote in the liner notes to Strange Arts, when this music was recorded in summer 2019, what I didn't know was a lot. I did not expect that by the time it was released my world and everyone else’s would be so unimaginably different. I didn’t know that within a few months we would all be locked down in fear, with music-making the last thing on our minds. I didn’t know our country would soon face a racial reckoning and an attempted coup. And I didn’t imagine life without my father or the years of dealing with the logistical and emotional fallout of that loss.

I certainly didn’t realize that I was unconsciously creating a testament to all the ways his art and mine evolved on similar paths, even as I had (mostly accidentally) followed his career trajectory through music and design.

Five years and an epoch later, the finished album is finally here! It features my 7-piece ensemble Wood Metal Plastic—with stellar Bay Area artists Lisa Mezzacappa, Kasey Knudsen, Alisa Rose, Mia Bella d'Augelli, Jess Ivry, and Jon Arkin, expertly recorded by John Finkbeiner—and explores the connections between my compositions and my dad's intricately creative artwork (which is featured throughout the album design). You can listen to and purchase the album (in CD or digital format) at Bandcamp (which is the most artist-equitable of the streaming/retail services) or stream it wherever you listen.

Album Release Show Sunday April 7 in Oakland

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We'll be celebrating the album release with a special performance on 4/7 at 3pm at Oaktown Jazz Workshops in Jack London Square (just across the street from Yoshi's), which will feature original members saxophonist Kasey Knudsen, bassist Lisa Mezzacappa, and cellist Jess Ivry, plus drummer Jason Levis, violinist Irene Sazer, and another special surprise guest on violin. 

CDs will be available, along with signed original Philip Carey envelope art and books, and a selection of his other artwork will be on display during the concert. I hope to see you there!

Hello folks! I wanted to invite you to a very special performance coming up--it's the East Bay premiere of my brand new composition Fire In My Head (the Anxiety Suite) for my Quintet+1 (with Kasey Knudsen, alto saxophone; Sheldon Brown, bass clarinet; Adam Shulman, piano; Fred Randolph, bass; Jon Arkin, drums, and myself on trumpet) at The Back Room in Berkeley.

Some back story: a few years ago I wrote a suite for my Quintet+1 called Interview Music, which was purposefully not about anything. I wanted to let the music stand on its own, and while I don't regret that decision, in retrospect 2016 was a not a good year to be "above the fray," artistically speaking.

So when I was very fortunate to receive a grant (from Chamber Music America's New Jazz Works program) to compose a new major work for my band, I decided to write about something I've been struggling with on a personal level for ages, and that pretty much everyone I know has been dealing with on an hourly basis since, oh, late 2016: anxiety.

Fire In My Head is my five-part, 55-minute attempt to translate that emotional cyclone into music. The movements (Signs & Symptoms, This Is Fine, Thought Spirals, Internal Exile, and Resistance) range from straightahead jazz to chamber music to free improvisation, and represent some of the densest yet most personal composition I've ever done. But one thing I discovered in the process is that, just as my wife pointed out to me that "even your happy songs have an undercurrent of anxiety," even my intentionally anxious material can't seem to help but to also reflect hope and a desire to create beauty and connection.

So please join me and my bandmates (who have been working their butts off on this challenging material) Sunday, December 9 at 5pm for our East Bay premiere at The Back Room in Berkeley!

The Ian Carey Quintet+1: Fire In My Head (The Anxiety Suite)—East Bay Premiere
Sunday, December 9, 5pm-7pm
The Back Room, 1984 Bonita Ave, Berkeley
Tickets ($15 advance, $18 door)

Hello folks! The day that I've been waiting for, obsessing over, and in a state of near-panic about for the past several years is almost here—I'm talking, of course, about the midterm elections Tuesday. (Vote!) But I've also been doing pretty much those same things in anticipation of the world premiere this Sunday evening of my new piece Fire In My Head (the Anxiety Suite) at SFJAZZ's Joe Henderson Lab (joined by my longtime partners in crime Kasey Knudsen on alto saxophone, Sheldon Brown on bass clarinet, Jon Arkin on drums, Fred Randolph on bass, and Adam Shulman on piano).

Some back story: a few years ago I wrote a suite for my Quintet+1 called Interview Music, which was purposefully not about anything. I wanted to let the music stand on its own, and while I don't regret that decision, in retrospect 2016 was a not a good year to be "above the fray," artistically speaking.

So when I was very fortunate to receive a grant (from Chamber Music America's New Jazz Works program) to compose a new major work for my band, I decided to write about something I've been struggling with on a personal level for ages, and that pretty much everyone I know has been dealing with on an hourly basis since, oh, late 2016: anxiety.

Fire In My Head is my five-part, 50-minute attempt to translate that emotional cyclone into music. But one thing I discovered in the process is that, just as my wife pointed out to me that "even your happy songs have an undercurrent of anxiety," even my intentionally anxious material can't seem to help but to also reflect hope and a desire to create beauty and connection.

So please join me and my bandmates (who have been working their butts off on this challenging material—see a sneak peek below) Sunday at 6pm or 7:30pm for this opportunity to hear original music by local musicians at the beautiful SFJAZZ Center! Buy tickets here.

ALSO: I'll be talking about the show (and giving away some tickets!) with Alisa Clancy this Thursday morning at 9am on KCSM Jazz 91. Tune in or listen online.

Hello folks! I am very excited to announce the premiere next month of my new suite Fire in My Head, which was commissioned by Chamber Music America's New Jazz Works program.

The piece, which ranges from straightahead jazz to chamber music and beyond, is a 50-minute, 5-movement exploration of the topic of anxiety, which is something I've dealt with personally for a long time and that many of us have recently been forced to deal with on a community level. I wrote the piece for my long-time musical partners the Ian Carey Quintet+1 ("a highly skilled band of improvisers" –Down Beat), featuring Adam Shulman, piano; Kasey Knudsen, alto saxophone; Sheldon Brown, bass clarinet; Fred Randolph, bass; Jon Arkin, drums; and me on trumpet. (You can get a taste of the piece in the video below.)

I'm especially excited to be premiering this work at SFJAZZ's Joe Henderson Lab. Tickets are now available for both shows (6pm and 7:30pm). Please don't miss this rare chance to hear original music played by great local musicians in this beautiful space!

ALSO: I will be on our local treasure KCSM Jazz91 talking about the show with Alisa Clancy on Thursday 11/1 at 9am. Tune in or listen online here!

Hello listeners! I just wanted to tell you about some exciting shows coming up. Things in the world are awful and difficult and sometimes it feels like our little artistic endeavors don't amount to a hill of beans, but sometimes music does bring us together (and it can be a way of working through these crazy emotions—see Fire In My Head below), so I'll keep making it and hopefully you'll keep listening to it. I hope to see you at one or all of these shows!

Circus Bella presents "Ring Out Loud!"

Shows Through June & JulyCircus Bella presents its 10th Anniversary Circus in the Parks season (dedicated to the memory of our longtime friend and bandmate Ralph Carney), with shows throughout June and July at locations all across the Bay Area! With live original music from Rob Reich and the Circus Bella All-Star Band (including me)!View the schedule here.

Nathan Clevenger Group (Pocket Edition)

Saturday 6/16, 8p, Jupiter, BerkeleyNathan Clevenger is one of my favorite local composers and bandleaders, and it's always a (really freaking challenging) treat to play with his group. With me on trumpet, plus Cory Wright, woodwinds, Lisa Mezzacappa, bass, and Jon Arkin, drums.

Jazz Inside Out with Jim Nadel & Friends

Friday 6/22, 8p, Campbell Recital Hall, Stanford UniversityIf you’re new to jazz and wonder how the musicians all play together without any sheet music, this special Festival kickoff concert is for you. Even if you’re a longtime jazz fan but still aren’t clear on when jazz musicians are improvising and when they’re not, SJW Founder and Artistic Director Jim Nadel will demonstrate with his horn and his band of top-notch players.

Fred Randolph Quintet

Sunday 7/15, 4:30p, Bird & Beckett, SFBassist and composer Fred Randolph brings his quintet to the great SF jazz & culture hub Bird & Beckett in Glen Park. With Sheldon Brown, saxophones, Ian Carey, trumpet, Dan Zemelman, piano, and Greg Wyser-Pratt, drums.

Class: Modern Jazz Improvisation

6 Weeks Starting Tues. 7/10, The Jazzschool at CJC, BerkeleyReady to take your improvisational toolkit beyond bebop licks, modes, and blues scales and into the sonic worlds opened up by artists like McCoy Tyner, John Coltrane, and Woody Shaw? This course will look into three different approaches for developing melodically compelling ideas for use in a wide variety of harmonic situations. (Basic knowledge of jazz harmony required.)Register here.

Save the Date! The Ian Carey Quintet+1: Fire In My Head: The Anxiety Suite (World Premiere)

November 4,  Joe Henderson Lab, SFJAZZ CenterThis November, I'm thrilled to bring my Quintet+1 to the SFJAZZ Center for the first time. We'll be premiering my new piece Fire In My Head (The Anxiety Suite), which was commissioned by Chamber Music America and deals with themes of anxiety (both personal and on a community-wide basis). With Sheldon Brown, woodwinds, Ian Carey, trumpet, Kasey Knudsen, alto saxophone, Adam Shulman, piano, Fred Randolph, bass, and Jon Arkin, drums.More info & tickets here.

Hello folks! I'm very excited to tell you about a special performance this Friday (11/3) at 8pm, at California Jazz Conservatory (aka The Jazzschool) in Berkeley. I'll be bringing my brand new genre-bending septet Wood/Metal/Plastic (with Alisa Rose and Mia Bella D'Augelli on violins, Jessica Ivry on cello, Kasey Knudsen on alto saxophone, Lisa Mezzacappa on bass, Jon Arkin on drums, and myself on trumpet), performing a new book of original music (by me) ranging from chamber music to straightahead jazz to free improvisation.

We'll be joined by a true treasure of the Bay Area musical scene, the Nathan Clevenger Group, led by my friend the guitarist and composer, and featuring Rachel Condry on bass clarinet, Cory Wright on tenor sax, clarinet & flute, Tim DeCillis on vibraphone and percussion, plus Kasey, Lisa and Jon (who will be doing double duty in both bands). The Group has released two acclaimed albums and notable recent performances include SFMusic Day, the Switchboard Music Festival, and a featured night as part of the Best Coast Composer Series at the SF Center for New Music.

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL! After our individual sets, the two groups will be combining, Voltron-like, to an 11-piece "superband" to perform two brand new compositions which Nathan and I have written specifically for this concert.

Tickets available here! Don't miss this chance to hear two (really three!) adventurous ensembles for the price of one! And check out a preview video of Wood/Metal/Plastic below.