To mark the announcement of their new LP on AKP Recordings, Canadian-born guitarist, composer and improviser Jessica Ackerley shares their unconventional and deeply rewarding title track and first single, All Of the Colours Are Singing. The accompanying self-directed and edited multisensory video was inspired by Georgia O’keefe’s 2023 exhibition at MoMA, “To See Takes Time,” and Bob Ross’s paint tutorials. O’Keefe’s working methods also offered a framework for Ackerley’s own trajectory, which you can read more about below.
“What started as a simple melody that came to me through humming to myself evolved into a full spectrum of interweaving sonic colours,” Ackerley says. With little direction of what to play other than the jotted melody and sketches of pencil crayon markings in the score, the musicians stretch out into an unconventional form, concluding in hypnotic, stuttering drum pulsations. The ensemble’s warm, lush strings and loose melodic gestures draw upon Ackerley’s experience with synesthesia, with each component embodying a vibrant colour of its own.
All of the colours are Singing will be released on August 16th, 2024, on AKP Recordings.
Pre-order + pre-save ‘All Of the Colours Are singing’ – https://ffm.to/aotcas
EU and UK Tour Dates in June/July (see below)
Following their move to Hawai’i in 2021, Ackerley began to work with acrylic paints. When they’d be back in NYC for performances, it was a joy to actually have the free time during the day they rarely had as a city resident. In the course of checking out art galleries, Ackerley came upon an exhibit of Georgia O’Keefe’s work at the MoMA, titled after a quote from O’Keefe: “to see takes time.” Highlighting the charcoal, pencil, watercolor, and pastel works O’Keefe made developing her unique vision and hitting her stride later in her career, it granted Ackerley an inspiring glimpse into the artist’s working methods and a framework for their own trajectory. Painting is also tied to Ackerley’s time taking art classes with their first friend in Hawai’i, who was diagnosed with cancer while Ackerley was working on the string arrangements for this album last spring. Their friendship blossomed from the early composing stages of the music.
Jessica Ackerley EU/UK Tour Dates
June 26th – Berlin, DE @ Sowieso
June 28th – Berlin, DE @ Tricksterr Series
June 29th – Amsterdam, NL @ De Tanker
June 30th – Amsterdam, NL @ de IJzerstaven
July 1st – Eindhoven, NL @ POM
July 2nd – Rotterdam, NL @ Koffie & Ambacht
July 3rd – London, UK @ Vortex
July 4th – Edinburgh, UK @ TFEH Presents
July 5th – Glasgow, UK @ Old Hairdresser’s
July 6th – Liverpool, UK @ St. Brides Church
July 7th – Manchester, UK @ St Margaret’s Church
July 8th – Derby, UK @ Deda
July 9th – Birmingham, UK @ Hexagon Theatre
https://www.jessicaackerley.com