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.

Hello folks! Here's an update about some upcoming performances I'm really excited about. Hope to see you at some of them!Nathan Clevenger Group in OaklandThis Thursday night (9/1) in Oakland, I'm thrilled to be playing again with one of my favorite bands—the Nathan Clevenger Group ("includes many of the scene’s leading figures, but he’s created a sound that stands out from the crowd... he makes brilliant use of the many colors at his disposal.” –Andrew Gilbert, KQED). In addition to Nathan's guitar and compositions, this version of the group includes Kasey Knudsen on alto sax, Rachel Condry on bass clarinet, Jason Levis on drums, Lisa Mezzacappa on bass, Tim DeCillis on vibraphone, and myself on trumpet. The show is at Octopus Literary Salon in downtown Oakland, a cozy cafe that's been putting on some extraordinarily happening shows. (The show starts at 8, and the opening act is Bristle, another astounding chamber music-meets-free improvisation unit.) More info about the show here.Ian Carey Quintet+1 at SFMusic DayFor the past few years, the great local arts organization San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music has been presenting an annual day full of free chamber music at the SF Veterans Building, and this year, on Sunday, September 25, I'm very happy to bringing my Quintet+1 to participate (along with a cast of hundreds including heavy hitters like Kronos, Rova, Myra Melford & Ben Goldberg, and many more). We'll be playing a half-hour set at 3:30 in the Education Studio. More info here.Electric Squeezebox Orchestra Meets Brazil!I'm also excited to be playing several times this month with the Electric Squeezebox Orchestra, SF's great original big band, back at Doc's Lab in North Beach after their summer break. Sunday, September 4, I'll be performing with the band, playing their usual (but unusual!) assortment of music all written by members of the band (including me!). The following Sunday, Sept. 11, we'll be joined by special guest the Brazilian saxophonist Spok (aka Inaldo Cavalcante de Albuquerque), performing the music called Frevo, which he has pioneered in Northern Brazil. More about this show here.Also...A reminder that my new album, Interview Music ("an incredible piece of music… a superlative work.” —Brad Stone, The Creative Source, Soul and Jazz Radio), is now available on CDBaby, Amazon, and iTunes.And just because, here's a video of an improvised duet that my friend the great trumpeter Darren Johnston and I recorded before a gig last month at opposite ends of the huge Festival Pavilion building at Fort Mason (with its 8-second reverberation). Enjoy![embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWNTj3xZVOE[/embed]Improvised Duet, Darren Johnston & Ian Carey, trumpets. Festival Pavilion, Ft. Mason, San Francisco, August 21, 2016.

Hi folks, this is just a quick update to tell you about a few upcoming shows I'm excited about.This Thursday (7/2) I'll be joining local legendary pianist, composer, author and poet Don Alberts and his Renaissance Band for my first appearance at Cafe Stritch, San Jose's very happening Rahsaan Roland Kirk-inspired jazz spot. We'll be playing Don's swinging original tunes.What: Don Alberts Renaissance BandWho: Don Alberts, piano; Stu Pilorz, trombone; Ron Marabuto, drums; Ian Carey, trumpet; Larry Epstein, bassWhen: Thursday, July 2, 8:30p-12amWhere: Cafe Stritch, 374 S 1st St, San Jose CA 95113Monday, I'm very excited to be playing for the first time with one of my favorite Bay Area creative music aggregations: the Nathan Clevenger Group, which plays exclusively Nathan's beautiful and thorny compositions, as part of the venerable Monday Make Out series. (I will be shedding this relentlessly unpredictable music until about 8 minutes before the gig in the hope of not crashing and burning in such heavy company.) Also on the bill are two additional bands featuring plenty of other big-time local improvisers!What: The Nathan Clevenger GroupWho: Marcus Stephens: clarinet, tenor sax; Ian Carey: trumpet; Rachel Condry: bass clarinet, clarinet; Sam Bevan: bass; Jon Arkin: drums; Jason Levis: drums, percussion; Nathan Clevenger: guitar and compositionsWhen: Monday, July 6, 10ish? (The show starts at 8:30 and we play the third set, following sets by EGW Trio and Ryan Pate.)Where: The Make Out Room, 3225 22nd Street (& Mission), San FranciscoHow Much: FREE!Finally, I am fortunate to perform once again with Circus Bella, the Bay Area's independent circus, as they begin their 2015 Circus in the Parks series--all shows are free, with live music by Rob Reich and the Circus Bella All-Star Band (Reich, accordion; Ralph Carney, saxophone; Ian Carey, trumpet; Greg Stephens, trombone; Jonathan Seiberlich, sousaphone; and Michael Pinkham, drums). Upcoming shows are:July 3rd, 6pm: Mosswood Park, OaklandJuly 10th, 6pm: Studio One Arts Center, OaklandJuly 11th, 2pm: Hamilton Playground, San FranciscoJuly 12th, 2pm: Union Square, San FranciscoJuly 19th, 12pm: Dimond Park, OaklandJuly 25th, 2pm: Pickleweed Park, San RafaelJuly 26th, 2pm: Herons Head Park, San FranciscoAugust 1st, 1pm: Mission Bay, San FranciscoThanks!P.S. my new graphic design site is now live—please have a look and let me know if you have any design needs!

Attention Everyone!This Friday, I'm very excited to be bringing my Quintet+1 (with pianist Adam Shulman, bassist Fred Randolph, drummer Jon Arkin, alto saxophonist Kasey Knudsen, and multi-woodwindist Sheldon Brown) back to that great spot in downtown Oakland, The Sound Room (site of our really enjoyable CD release show for Roads & Codes last year--see some footage here). We've had some great rehearsals and the band is sounding fantastic, especially on the new music. (We'll also be hitting new arrangements of some of our "greatest hits.")That would be exciting in itself--since I really love playing with them and it's not easy to book a six-piece band these days--BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE: you'll also get to hear ANOTHER OUTSTANDING SEXTET, the Nathan Clevenger Group ("a sound that stands out from the crowd" - Andrew Gilbert, KQED).Nathan is an outstanding composer/guitarist and his music has been consistently inspiring to me since I first encountered it, not least because we've had a habit of hiring some of the same great musicians. (He also writes for bass clarinet like nobody's business, which inspired me to ask Sheldon to add that big axe to my music as well--come on out to hear the results!)So please don't miss this opportunity to hear TWO six-piece composer-led bands playing new, original music. Each group will be performing one long set--Nathan's group will go first, with my group following around 9:30.WHAT: New Music for Sextets: Ian Carey Quintet+1 & Nathan Clevenger GroupWHEN: Friday, May 23, 8pmWHERE: The Sound Room, 2147 Broadway, OaklandTICKETS: $13 adv., $15 doorHope to see you!