House Of Waters | Artists | GroundUP Music

House Of Waters

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featuring...
Max ZT Hammered Dulcimer
Moto Fukushima Six-String Bass

House Of Waters Bio

“One of the most unique groups you will ever come across . . . I can only describe their sound as being a sound which one has longed to hear without truly realizing it.” (The Bubble)

“In today's world, there are no musical boundaries,” says Max ZT of ‘House of Waters,’ a trio that makes those words come alive as they incorporate elements of West-African, jazz, psychedelic, indie rock, classical and world music into their astonishingly unique sound.

The “Jimi Hendrix of the Hammered Dulcimer” (NPR), Max ZT is an innovator of an instrument rarely heard in contemporary music. With roots in Irish folk music, Max has studied in Senegal, where he trained with the Cissoko Griot family, and India, where he studied under the santoor master Pandit Shivkumar Sharma. His unorthodox playing style has been a pioneering force in revolutionizing dulcimer techniques.

Moto Fukushima is a recognized master of the six-string bass. With a background in jazz improvisation, Western classical music and the music of South America, Moto's playing is a combination of finesse, subtlety, and power that leaves audiences “slack-jawed in awe.” (Jazz Wise)

Nominated for the Best Contemporary Instrumental album at the 2024 GRAMMY awards, House of Waters is at the forefront of jazz innovation. With their new GroundUp Music recording, On Becoming, Max ZT and Moto Fukushima are joined by first-call accompanists: drummer Antonio Sanchez joins them throughout the album, and guitarist Mike Stern and vocalist Priya Darshini join the innovative group as special guests.

“The concept for our new album, On Becoming was tuning the collaboration, focusing on the moment, openness, presentness, composition as a connective tool, composition as an isolating tool,” Max ZT states. “And the fluidity between the two. ”According to House of Waters’ bassist, Moto Fukushima, they strive for openness married to accessibility. “I want to keep the freedom, But if we keep everything free — like certain kinds of abstract music... it can often be a little too far to communicate between us and the audience. We want to have a certain structure and balance.”

House of Waters has scored an Emmy-winning documentary (ESPN), and recently re-scored three 100+ year-old French Dadaist-Era silent films in partnership with GroundUP Music and Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas. They have received the South Arts Jazz Road Grant and have an extensive touring history around the world.

Having shared the stage with influential musicians including Pandit Ravi Shankar, Victor Wooten, Tinariwen, Snarky Puppy, Karsh Kale, and more: “House of Waters is a band that is bending the very fabric of the musical universe as we know it.” (Onstage Review)

Music

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On Becoming: The Improv Sessions (2024)

In addition to their original compositions, House of Waters' Grammy-nominated album On Becoming featured four completely improvised performances. The guiding ethos of the album —a practice and exploration of presentness—lent itself to this concept. However, the four improvisations included on On Becoming were just the initial selections. With The Improv Sessions, House of Waters offers previously unreleased improvisations from their original session. Featuring Antonio Sanchez on drums, these additional pieces exemplify House of Waters' continuous search for new sounds, new grooves, and new dynamics—a real-time exploration to capture the essence of the moment. We invite the listener to collaborate in their discovery of the unknown.
1 Improv 6
2 Improv 4
3 Improv 9
4 Tsumamiori
5 Folding Cranes
6 Kabuseori
7 Improv 12
8 Improv 13
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Improv 9 (2024)

1 Improv 9
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On Becoming (2023)

1 Folding Cranes
2 Avaloch
3 705
4 Hanging in the Air
5 Tsumamiori
6 Azures
7 Still
8 The Wall
9 Kabuseori
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Where I Wander (2022)

Available Now
1 Moon
2 Chaca
3 Where I Wander
4 Breath
5 Raindrops
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Rising (2019)

Rising is an exploration--a sharing of connections and collaborations, music and life. In an intense two-day recording session, House of Waters captures the spontaneity that is a hallmark of their creative efforts. With Rising, we hear three virtuosic musicians communicating sincere collective emotion to their listeners. This is a journey inward, and one that they are excited to share with you.

1 Renew
2 Kites
3 When I Play
4 Wedding Song
5 The Wall
6 Together
7 Midnight
8 Shape Of My Heart
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House Of Waters (2016)

This new album, the band’s first in 5 years, contains all original compositions that flow, and that reflect the journeys of these pioneering master musicians as they bend genres and develop a new sound.

The eponymous album features percussionist and n'goni player Ignacio Rivas Bixio, virtuosic cellist Dave Eggar, flautist Sam Sadigursky, and the groundbreaking singer, Priya Darshini.

1 La Semana
2 Save Home
3 Hamza
4 The Falls
5 Francesco
6 Black Mallard
7 Forming The Emptiness
8 In Waves
9 Patience
10 17
11 Juice
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Revolution (2012)

1 Martino
3:29
2 Chaca
5:34
3 Clean Peace
5:08
4 Revolution
4:27
5 Thiaroye
3:26
6 Sense
2:44
7 Agnoli
5:16
8 Sound of Impermanence
3:02
9 Sockets
3:54
10 Djigee
3:51
11 Sabula
3:33
12 Zones
1:44
13 For and From
1:50
14 Possibility
3:08
15 Ball in Cage
4:01
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Peace the Coats (2009)

1 Turtle Shell
2:55
2 Hotsko 700
6:36
3 Raindrops
4:04
4 Milonga
3:26
5 Pu'usa Taka
2:50
6 Baby Styles
6:39
7 Walking Blues
3:59
8 Reginald and Julius
4:21
9 A Spool of Thread
1:12
10 Turquoise
3:55
11 Saya
4:19
12 Into the Wind
1:38
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Elsewhere (2008)

1 Eyes
6:17
2 Saya
6:12
3 Venus
5:28
4 Djigee
4:08
5 The Picnic
5:33
6 Juice
6:18

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