Greenstein

Composer and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire's fourth studio album Origami Harvest—which will be released October 12 on Blue Note—began with a challenge of sorts. It was a commission from curators Judd Greenstein of Manhattan’s Ecstatic Music Festival and Kate Nordstrum of St. Paul's Liquid Music Series that began with Greenstein asking, “What's the craziest idea you have?” Considering “challenge” and “crazy” are the order of the day, Akinmusire's reply was right on time: “I wanted to do a project about extremes and putting things that are seemingly opposite right next to each other.”

What began as an incredible jazz-meets-new music experiment has blossomed into a remarkable ensemble of unique instrumentalist/composers who have found themselves involved in an extraordinary breadth of musical settings. 9 Horses has evolved a great deal since their initial recording, Perfectest Herald, which introduced the band with a stripped-down elegance: “No edits, no overdubs,” was the rule. Since then, the trio has shuffled its lineup, grown its musical palette exponentially, and performed in a wide range of configurations including experimental chamber ensembles, synth programmers, and even symphony orchestras.