Hello Fans of Interesting Music!

I'm excited to invite you to a very special performance next Saturday: my Quintet+1, which has done me the great honor of digging deeply into my music for the past decade, will be returning to The Sound Room in Oakland's Downtown arts district for our first show of 2015. 

The Sound Room, a labor of love by proprietors Robert Bradsby and Karen Van Leuven, has made a significant positive contribution to the downtown district and the East Bay jazz scene, and is one of our favorite places to play. (It's also very close to a variety of happening restaurants and BART.)

The Quintet+1 (Kasey Knudsen on alto saxophone, Adam Shulman on piano, Fred Randolph on bass, Jon Arkin on drums, Sheldon Brown on bass clarinet, flute, and saxophone, and myself on trumpet and flugelhorn) will be playing original music from our previous 3 albums (2006's Sink/Swim, 2010's Contextualizin', and 2013's Roads & Codes), plus selections from my new 4-part suite "'Interview Music," as well as arrangements of music by some of my favorite composers like Charles Ives and Jimmy Giuffre. We are fresh out of the studio (recording our next album, due in the fall) and the band is sounding great—judge for yourself in the video below. 

We hope very much to see you next week!

WHAT: The Ian Carey Quintet+1WHERE: The Sound Room, 2147 Broadway, OaklandWHEN: Saturday, May 16, 8pm (doors open at 7)TICKETS: $15 (available here or at the door)

Hi folks, here's the first video from our CD release show for Roads & Codes last month at the Sound Room in Oakland. It was taken by saxophonist/video whiz Ben Torres.Due to some technical difficulties (not Ben's fault) the trumpet is pretty far down in the mix, but I don't think that detracts from the music too much. More to come!Also, if you're in the Bay Area, I'm going to be playing tomorrow (Saturday, March 9) at the Cheese Board in Berkeley with pianist Betty Shaw's Quartet (with Ron Marabuto, Robb Fisher and myself), from 12-3pm. The pizza's delicious and the music is free, so come on by!

Hi folks, the long-awaited (by me anyway) day has arrived, and our new album, Roads & Codes, is available for purchase (both physically and digitally) at my new web store, as well as on CDBaby (the only place to get the physical CD so far), Amazon, iTunes, and eMusic. Locals can also pick it up at the great Groove Yard in Oakland (additional stores soon to come).Also, just a quick reminder that tomorrow is our big CD Release & Art show at the Sound Room in Oakland. The band is sounding great and, in addition to all the music from "Roads & Codes," we'll be doing two brand new expanded arrangements of favorite originals from previous albums.WHAT: Kabocha Records and Bay Area Jazz & Arts present The Ian Carey Quintet+1: CD Release & Art Show for Roads & CodesWHO: Evan Francis, flute & tenor saxophone; Kasey Knudsen, alto saxophone; Adam Shulman, piano; Jon Arkin, drums; Fred Randolph, bass; Ian Carey, trumpet, flugelhorn, illustrationsWHEN: Thursday, February 21, 8pmWHERE: The Sound Room, 2147 Broadway (@ 22nd St.), OaklandTICKETS: $15, includes free CD with purchase! (advance tix available here.)Next, some really nice reviews for the album have started to come in, including one in our very own East Bay Express today:

Besides being a clever graphic artist, Carey is a gifted musician who gets a warm sound out of his trumpet and flugelhorn, his approach suggesting Chet Baker, Miles Davis, and Art Farmer. His six original compositions on Roads & Codes not only draw on post-bop traditions but expand on them, particularly in the way Carey imaginatively harmonizes and layers his horns, Knudsen's alto sax, and Francis' tenor sax or flute over pianist Shulman, bassist Randolph, and drummer Arkin's firm yet floating grooves.

There have also been positive reviews from Midwest Record ("champion of a session... solid stuff that never hits a false note") and @CriticalJazz ("on the cutting edge of new sounds and exciting compositions for modern jazz... 4 Stars!").Finally, Phliip Freeman at the music blog Burning Ambulance put together a great feature about the album, including a slideshow of the cover art comic (I'm flattered that he describes it as "Harvey Pekar-esque") and a free streaming track--our version of Neil Young's theme to the movie "Dead Man". Check it out!