Embrace in the New York Times

Embrace received a glowing review in the New York Times!

“On each of his first two albums, the vibraphonist Chris Dingman made himself an element within his sextet’s prismatic splendor, full of interplay between spiky glistening surfaces — like an El Anatsui work rendered as music. On “Embrace,” his latest album, Dingman cuts the band’s membership in half, and the challenge of building a tapestry falls largely to him. Somehow he rises to it, laying chords atop arpeggios, running across the instrument’s range, all while focusing your ear on the big empty space in the trio’s sound. His study of Indian and West African classical musics has helped to furnish his toolbox, and on “Ali” he pays homage to an inspiration, the Malian guitarist Ali Farka Touré, though Dingman’s playing here is as influenced by the sound of the kora, a different West African stringed instrument, as by the guitar.” RUSSONELLO

See the full article here 

New Album “Embrace” Releases March 6, 2020

Five years after his critically-acclaimed album The Subliminal and the Sublime, vibraphonist/composer Chris Dingman returns with his much-anticipated follow-up, Embrace. Due out March 6, 2020, the album features Linda May Han Oh on bass and Tim Keiper on drums, produced by Keith Witty.

How can we heal unacknowledged wounds within of ourselves? How can we find creative ways to work with our limitations and embrace new directions? The Embrace project explores these quandaries and more…

You can hear the first track “Inner Child” now and get an instant download when you pre-order the album.

See the album page and listen to the first track here.

Envisage Collective’s Debut Album Out Now

Reach Out, the debut album from Envisage Collective is out now on RMI Records.

Featuring:
Kris Allen (alto sax) Nadje Noordhuis (trumpet) Chris Dingman (vibraphone) Noah Baerman (piano) Ike Sturm (bass) Allan Mednard (drums)

Dingman penned the title track “Reach Out” as well as the anthemic “Wish.”

About Envisage Collective
Envisage Collective is a cooperative ensemble that was founded in 2012 by Kris Allen (alto saxophone), Chris Dingman (vibraphone), Noah Baerman (piano and organ). Along with co-founders Johnathan Blake (drums) and Jimmy Greene (tenor and soprano saxophones), these established composer/performer/bandleaders were brought together by a shared vision of socially conscious jazz music that would speak prophetically, aid practically, and inspire thoughtfully.  With each successive year the Collective (Initially known as the Jazz Samaritan Alliance) crafted all-new programs of works drawing thematic focus from and raising awareness about the important issues of hunger and food justice, domestic violence, and healthcare access, while raising funds for local charities working on the front lines of these efforts.

Musicians who joined the protean ranks of the group over its first five years include saxophonist Wayne Escoffery, bassists Linda May Han Oh and Henry Lugo, and drummers Rudy Royston, Otis Brown, III, and Anwar Marshall.  November of 2019 marks an important milestone for the Envisage Collective, with the release of their first full-length album for RMI records, Reach Out.

This record features the current iteration of the band with Baerman, Allen and Dingman joined by Ike Sturm on bass, Nadje Noordhuis on trumpet, and Allan Mednard on drums, and provides both a snapshot into the potent chemistry of this evolving ensemble, and a retrospective of highlights from its members’ eclectic compositional output.

Presentation about Music at the Gold Foundation Humanism Summit

Chris will be speaking about his “Peace” project at the Gold Foundation Humanism Summit, focused on humanism in medicine, and will be performing solo, all as part of the Planetree Conference on Person-Centered Care, in Orlando, FL, October 27-29.

“Peace” is a performance and recording project by vibraphonist Chris Dingman, intended for therapeutic use in palliative and hospice care as well as in treatment and rehabilitative environments. The music comprises 5+ hours of solo vibraphone music, which was recorded as it was performed for his own father during his time in home hospice care in June 2018. The music of “Peace” sets an atmosphere of calm and compassion, to help people feel happier, more peaceful, and less alone, especially during the physical and emotional pain and discomfort of end-of-life and other difficult experiences.

All Around Us

Hear and watch the premiere performance of Chris’s piece “All Around Us” by LIU Post’s Long Island Sound Vocal Jazz Alum Ensemble, directed by Dr. Jennifer Miceli, performed June 10, 2018 at Saint Peter’s Church, NYC.

World Premiere of “Gifts of Transition”

The world premiere of Chris Dingman’s suite Gifts of Transition for a cappella choir will be Sunday June 10th at Saint Peter’s Church, as part of his month long residency in June. The 3-part suite for SATB choir, featuring text by Jen Shyu, Rumi (translated by Coleman Barks), and by Dingman himself, will be sung by the Long Island Sound Vocal Jazz Ensemble from LIU Post, conducted by Jennifer Miceli.

Gifts of Transition
“No Boundaries” – text by Jen Shyu
“Quietness” – text by Rumi (trans. Coleman Barks)
“All Around Us” – text by Chris Dingman

featuring the Long Island Sound Vocal Jazz Ensemble
Jennifer Miceli, conductor

Sunday, June 10th
5pm

Saint Peter’s Church
619 Lexington Ave
New York, NY 10022

Free admission, all are welcome