House of Waters

House of Waters
OriginBrooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S.[1]
Genres
Years activec. 2008–present
LabelsGroundUP Music
MembersMax ZT
Moto Fukushima
Juan Chiavassa
Richie Barshay
Past membersLuke Notary
Ignacio Rivas Bixio
Websitehouseofwaters.com

House of Waters is an American international fusion band. Created c. 2008, it is composed of hammered dulcimer player Max ZT, six-stringed bassist Moto Fukushima, and have worked with a variety of different drummers and percussionists over the years.

Its style draws from its members' musical backgrounds, incorporating elements of world music, jazz, progressive rock, classical, Senegalese music, and South American music. It has received critical praise for its unique instrumentation, melodic chemistry, and relaxed and fluid sound.

History

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House of Waters was created c. 2008 as a five-piece band, which sometime after reduced to a trio.[2] Its name evokes a sense of fluidity,[3] described by Paste as "the stability and consistency of a well-built home with the clarity and fluidity of water."[4]

The band released its first album in 2009. It joined the label GroundUP Music, begun by Michael League of Snarky Puppy, in 2016.[5] It began touring internationally in 2017.[6] For their 2023 release - On Becoming - the band was nominated for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album at the 66th annual Grammy Awards.[1]

Musical style

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The band's style incorporates elements of world music, jazz, progressive rock, classical, Senegalese music, and South American music.[7]

It incorporates elements from its members' backgrounds. Zbiral-Teller has a background in traditional Irish music, and was trained under Sankoum, Fode, and Boubacar Cissoko in Senegal, and under Shivkumar Sharma in India.[2] Fukushima was trained in jazz, classical, and South American music.[8]

Music critics have noted the band's unique instrumentation, repurposing the hammered dulcimer, traditionally known as an Appalachian folk music instrument.[3][6][9][10][11] They have also noted the band's genre fusion,[4][6][10] melodic cooperation and chemistry,[6][10] and relaxed, fluid style.[3][5] "There is an open air to the sound design that flirts with embellishments that are vibrantly full of life. It feels beautifully unobtrusive without being rendered disengaging," wrote Tyler Caldas in a review for Everything Is Noise.[12] Dan Scheiman of OnStage Reviews noted that "the real plunge into the rock, dance, and metal genres happens when they let loose live".[13] The New York Music Daily wrote that "there is no other group in the world who sound remotely like them;"[14] Mike Collins in Jazzwise called that description "rather over-heated" while still praising the group.[15]

Band members

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  • Max Zbiral-Teller – hammered dulcimer[2]
  • Moto Fukushima – six-stringed bassist
  • Juan Chiavassa - drums (2021–present)
  • Richie Barshay - drums (2021–present)
  • Ignacio Rivas Bixio – percussion (2016–2021)[16]
  • Luke Notary – percussion (founding–2016)[16]

Discography

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  • Elsewhere (2009)
  • Peace the Coats (2009)
  • Revolution (2016)[14][17]
  • House of Waters (2016)[9][18]
  • Rising (2019)[10][12]
  • Le Voyage Dans La Lune (2022)
  • Ménilmontant (2022)
  • Ballet Mécanique (2022)
  • Where I Wander (2022)
  • On Becoming (2023)

The band composed the score for the ESPN program E:60.[19]

References

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  1. ^ Jones, Peggy (May 2, 2019). "House of Waters makes big splash in Lovelock". Inside Northern Nevada. Nevada News Group. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Pillai, Karan (January 24, 2020). "Max ZT on the relevance of the hammered dulcimer and the essence of cross-genre fusion". Indian Express. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Kushner, Daniel J. (June 27, 2018). "Jazz Fest 2018, Day 5: Daniel reviews Béla Fleck & The Flecktones, House of Waters, and Partikel". City Newspaper. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "House Of Waters - Daytrotter Session". Paste. February 15, 2018. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  5. ^ a b "House of Waters, Moto Fukushima on Six-string Bass". Bass Musician Magazine. November 11, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d "Review: Snarky Puppy + House of Waters at The Sage Gateshead". The Bubble. October 26, 2020. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  7. ^ "House of Waters". Artist of the Month. Salt Peanuts. Vol. 6. April 11, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  8. ^ "Bio". House of Waters. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Farbey, Roger (November 14, 2016). "Album Review: House Of Waters: House Of Waters". All About Jazz. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  10. ^ a b c d Worsley, Jim (July 28, 2019). "Album Review: House Of Waters: Rising". All About Jazz. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  11. ^ Johnson, Kevin (February 24, 2019). "House of Waters Releases "Rising"". No Treble. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  12. ^ a b Caldas, Tyler (February 8, 2019). "House of Waters - 'Rising'". Everything Is Noise. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  13. ^ Scheiman, Dan (February 22, 2018). "House of Waters @ Space". On Stage Review. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  14. ^ a b Delarue (May 16, 2013). "House of Waters Bring Their Gorgeous Psychedelic Textures to the Rockwood". New York Music Daily. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  15. ^ Collins, Mike (May 29, 2018). "New British Jazz Generation Blasts Bath With Spiritual Baptism". Jazzwise. Archived from the original on August 10, 2018. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  16. ^ a b Funkmayor, Jake (April 17, 2020). "House of Waters' Rising Nominated for Best Independent Instrumental Album". Funk City. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  17. ^ Kringel, Dawoud (July 6, 2012). "CD review: House of Waters…an astonishing display of virtuosity and musical beauty". Doobeedoobeedoo. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  18. ^ Lézy, Aleksandr (July 4, 2017). "House of Waters". Chromatique (in French). Archived from the original on September 6, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  19. ^ Musbach, Julie (July 12, 2019). "House Of Waters to Perform at Elm Street Concert Series". Broadway World. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
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