Carlos Niรฑo & Shabaka at Churchill Orchard in March (Photo by Sam Lee)
This week offers our spirits three moments of sonic discovery with Openness Trio.
On Saturday we gather in the oak cathedral of the Ojai Valleyโs beloved Churchill Orchard for an evening of improvisation and co-composition with guitarist Nate Mercereau, saxophonist Josh Johnson, and percussionist Carlos Niรฑo. Pull up to lay on the land where a portion of their album was recorded, share a sunset among friends, sit in the shade of towering oaks nestled amidst acres of oranges, tangerines, avocados, and celebrate this wide-open collaborative album out now on the legendary Blue Note Records.
Need to drop back into these tones? Consider joining us in LA on Thursday evening with us for a performance in the ongoing native habitat restoration site of the Audubon Center, or, weโll be ending the weekend run with a performance at Record Surplus, one of LAโs largest and longest running record shops on the Westside.
Take a deep breath, call out of work, pack a blanket, do what you need to do, and weโll see you here.
Openness Trio is the debut album by a unique collective comprised of guitarist and producer Nate Mercereau, saxophonist Josh Johnson, and percussionist Carlos Ninฬo.
Free-thinking creators who bring a depth of experience from wide-ranging collaborations with the likes of Andrรฉ 3000, Meshell Ndegeocello, Kamasi Washington, Shabaka, Jeff Parker, SML, Makaya McCraven, and many more, the trio presents a profound musical offering born of deep communication, immersive emoting, exploration, discovery, and trust.
The album is five recordings from five different sessions all around Los Angeles and Ventura county โ outdoors in the hills of Ojai with a view of the Topatopa Mountains, an intimate living room setting in Elysian Park, in an Oak Tree Cathedral at the Churchill Orchard in Ojai, a Garden of Electronics in the courtyard of an Echo Park home, and a recording session under a pepper tree at Elsewhere in Topanga Canyon.
Churchill Orchard is in the beautiful East End of the Ojai Valley in Southern California, in the foothills of the Topatopa Mountains.
They cultivate roughly 12 acres of certified organic tangerines & 3 acres of avocados in fabulous variety. This is an active farm, and a project in community nourishment.