Joe Henry and Ross Gallagher’s ‘neon night’ with strings

Midcoast bassist-composer Ross Gallagher celebrates his new record neon night with the iconic Grammy-winning songwriter-producer Joe Henry and a special all-local sextet, complete with string trio.

Joe Henry and Ross Gallagher present a seamless evening across a continuum of American music. Beginning in an atmospheric electro-acoustic territory, Gallagher’s core trio of bass, guitar, and drums will weave melodies that evolve through collective improvisation. Joined by a string trio of cello, viola, and violin, this sextet will veer into Western classical influences while remaining firmly grounded in driving jazz rhythms, exploring the space in between. As Joe Henry augments the sextet with his singular voice and songwriting poetics, the group will shift into the role of a modern orchestra, embellishing the twists and turns of Henry’s narratives with lush and subtle arrangements. 

Joe Henry is a celebrated master of exploring the subtleties of American life in song. As both a producer and a singer/songwriter, he has cultivated some of the most distinctive music of his generation, mining the complexities of American life for those common threads that sing of our collective experiences. Joined here by a rhythm section and strings, Henry will punctuate his poetic musical narratives with the colors and textures of a modern orchestra.

Ross Gallagher is a composer and multi-instrumentalist who draws upon and works within a variety of American musical traditions. Born and raised in northern coastal Maine, Ross moved to New York City after high school, where he received a B.F.A. from The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music while participating in the rich musical landscape of the city. He has gone on to work with a variety of artists including Marc Ribot, Joe Henry, Andrew D’Angelo, Madeleine Peyroux, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Paula Cole, and the Hogfish Opera Company.

Ross’ latest album neon night uses the structures and sonics of ambient and electronic music to create a musical world that is built around rhythmic bass ostinatos, clouds of processed looping electronic atmospheres, and melody. Drawing upon myriad non-Western musical influences, the songs are a collection of luminous constellations, roved between by a band of texturally minded instrumental improvisers. By turns both subtle and unapologetically noisy, neon night floats into the far reaches of outer space with a firm grounding in terrestrial tradition.

For this show, Ross will be joined by:
Meagan McIntyre – violin
Anna Maria Amoroso Noyes – viola
Benjamin Noyes – cello
Peter Herman – guitar
RJ Miller – drums