Travel Notes with Clay Ross from American Patchwork Quartet
Description
Drum roll….it’s the first episode of Travel Notes for 2024! I’m so excited about this year’s first guest - Clay Ross, a multi-grammy award winning guitarist/vocalist, composer and educator about his group American Patchwork Quartet or APQ. I saw the American Patchwork Quartet perform at the APAP conference in NYC this past January and was absolutely blown away by their live performance and music.
This dynamic and virtuosic group binds timeless American folk songs with jazz sophistication, country twang, West African hypnotics, and East Asian ornamentation on their debut self titled album which comes out Friday, February 9th.
Throughout the album, we find potent symbols of unity in diversity, exploring universal truths through a range of musical languages and cultural lenses - themes like longing, heartbreak, desire, fulfillment, tranquility and love...ultimately revealing the joys, sorrows, and unwavering hope of a nation crafted by shared dreams and diverse histories.
United States
