Billy White 
Shows Press Kit
Pianist Billy White's debut recording, First Things First is a glimpse into a musically omnivorous world reminiscent of a young Herbie Hancock. The San Francisco-born and Brooklyn-based 28-year old has already packed a panoply of experiences into his young career: a degree in ethnomusicology from UCLA, a stint with French jazz/hip-hoppers Heezbus while living in Paris, composing music for films, and studying Gnawa trance music in Morocco, to name just a few. But First Things First is his crowning achievement so far. Featuring Dayna Stephens on saxophone, Ambrose Akinmusire on trumpet, Yunior Terry on bass and Steve Belvilus on drums, the record ripples with influences that reflect White's wide-ranging sensibilities: from modern pianists like Brad Mehldau and Omar Sosa to rhythms inspired by the sounds of subway trains passing overhead.

The wide stylistic palette on the album's 12 tracks mirrors White's experience. "Adios Shermano" has a Latin groove inspired by White's time holding down the piano chair in Bobby Rodriguez' Latin Big Band at UCLA. The lyrical melody of "Song for a Friend" was inspired by the Chinese pentatonic scales White studied while an ethnomusicology major. And "Cellular" melds straight-ahead swing with some of the hip-hop influence he picked up playing with Heezbus while living in Paris, serving as musical director for the popular LA band BOKU.

In 2005, White moved to New York City, which he says helped catalyze and focus his energy toward his own music. The motivation for First Things First, which he describes as "putting all these influences together" came from his studies, "but the execution of it came from moving to New York." His new home served as inspiration in several ways. One of those was the direct influence of the city's sounds on his music- the song "Under the Train," for example, is based on a rhythm White heard while living near the elevated subway tracks in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bushwick. "The trains in that neighborhood have this crazy rhythm," he says, "and I wanted to incorporate that, so that's why it's called 'Under the Train.'"

And of course, immersing himself in the city's music scene connected him to a kaleidoscope of talented musicians. Vocalist Wallace Gary invited him to Morocco with his group Blackout, where White encountered the trance music of the Gnawa, and other avenues opened as well, such as accompanying dance classes at the Martha Graham Dance Company. All these disparate influences reinforced White's penchant for variety and experimentation, and ended up clarifying his sense of purpose for his debut recording. "I want it to reach a lot of people" he says, "not just other jazz musicians."

First Things First melds together due not only to White's compositional voice, but to his standout backing band as well. The enormously versatile drummer Steve Belvilus has known White since his days in Paris and currently plays with Les Nubians, while bassist Yunior Terry knows White from LA and has lent his talent to everyone from Steve Coleman to Steve Turre to his alto saxophonist brother Yosvanny Terry. Meanwhile young tenor saxophonist Dayna Stephens has already played with everyone from Kenny Barron to Wayne Shorter, and the even younger trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire has been startling audiences since winning the prestigious Thelonius Monk Competition in 2007, working with artists like Stephon Harris and Ron Carter.

White applies to his music with the same wide worldview that causes him to listen and find inspiration in sounds from all over the world. First Things First, he says, is made for people "who don't necessarily like or understand jazz," even though it's firmly rooted in that tradition. "I am looking for that broader message, that makes music accessible to anyone," he says, aptly summing up the sound and vibe of First Things First.



Press Kit

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