Recording: Unbleak Trio

Artist: Unbleak Trio

Songs: [two excerpts]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Living Room), June 20, 2023.

Unbleak Trio - [1st set, 1st piece excerpt]

Unbleak Trio - [1st set, 2nd piece excerpt]

Another example of pianist Ananya Ganesh's quick establishment of community connections, this trio managed to present a couple performances and even do some recording to hopefully document this coming-together. Mixing Ganesh's piano and vocals with Alex Fournier's double bass (here leaning more on his pedalboard to set some moods), and Raph Roter's drumkit and water percussion, there were several unbleak zones surveyed over two sets.

Recording: Ananya Ganesh

Artist: Ananya Ganesh

Song: You Go to My Head [composed by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Ayal Senior & Friends), June 11, 2023.

Ananya Ganesh - You Go to My Head

Asked to pinch-hit at Ayal Senior's monthly, by luck I programmed a pair of sets that dovetailed nicely, each with musicians mixing standards and originals in idiosyncratic ways. Ganesh was more focused in "song" territory here, but there was room for abstractions and asides within those parameters in a set that ranged from New England fields to Brooklyn thrift shops.

You can check out some more from this set over on youtube:

[Ayal Senior's monthly is back at the Tranzac tomorrow (Sunday, June 9th) and will see him playing with Kurt Newman, plus sounds from Marilyn Yogarajah and Del Stephen's Wurld of Xo '42, plus comedy from Nick Flanagan.]

Recording: Farahbakhsh/Ganesh/McCarroll-Butler/Ng

Artist: Isaiah Farahbakhsh/Ananya Ganesh/Naomi McCarroll-Butler/Karen Ng

Song: [1st piece, excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), April 23, 2023.

Isaiah Farahbakhsh/Ananya Ganesh/Naomi-McCarroll Butler/Karen Ng - [1st piece, excerpt]

After some duo explorations, cellist Isaiah Farahbakhsh and pianist Ananya Ganesh added a wind section, with Naomi McCarroll-Butler (fipple flute, bass clarinet, alto sax) and Karen Ng (clarinet, alto sax) adding extra textures.

You can check out some more from this set over on youtube:

Recording: Isaiah Farahbakhsh & Ananya Ganesh

Artist: Isaiah Farahbakhsh & Ananya Ganesh

Song: [2nd piece]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), April 23, 2023.

Isaiah Farahbakhsh & Ananya Ganesh - [2nd piece]

Pianist Ananya Ganesh continues to forge connections in T.O, appearing here in a duo with cellist Isaiah Farahbakhsh and exploring some song-sized chamber miniatures.

You can check out some more from this set over on youtube:

[Ananya Ganesh will be performing as half of meimei (மெய்மெய்) alongside vocalist Amirtha Kidambi, opening things up at Jason Doell's album release, part of the TONE Festival this Sunday (June 18th).]

Recording: Adams/Ganesh/Ng/Stadhouders

Artist: Kieran Adams/Ananya Ganesh/Karen Ng/Jasper Stadhouders

Songs: [2nd set, 1st piece, in two parts]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Karen Ng presents), February 23, 2023.

Kieran Adams/Ananya Ganesh/Karen Ng/Jasper Stadhouders - [2nd set, 1st piece, part 1]

Kieran Adams/Ananya Ganesh/Karen Ng/Jasper Stadhouders - [2nd set, 1st piece, part 2]

A rollicking night at Karen Ng's Tranzac residency, featuring a couple musicians newly-connected in different ways to the local scene. I'd caught guitarist/bassist Jasper Stadhouders already that week (and more to come!), so the real discovery here was pianist/vocalist Ananya Ganesh, recently relocated from NYC to T.O. for the next few months. (And also a delight to hear Kieran Adams behind the kit, craftily sneaking in some electronic percussion flourishes to bump things along.)