A Morbid Instinct Production

Directions in Music by Jack Holloway

Bass on "Spirit's March," "Try to Relax," "Not a Moment Too Soon," and "Look Alive": Colin Weiss

Guitar on "Not a Moment Too Soon" and "Look Alive": Ed Rock

Mastered by Seth Manchester at Machines with Magnets
Mixed by Jack Holloway
Guitar on "James Mtume" mixed by Tommy Von Voigt

From Jack:

I tend to steer in the direction of the music I listen to, and during the pandemic I have been listening to a lot of Jazz-funk and world fusion--"social music," as Miles Davis called it. My listening led me to polyrhythm, and made me want to get better at improvisation.

It began as an experiment. My goal was to create a conversation between all the instruments--while also consistently thinking in terms of rhythm. I wanted to find my melodies by locking myself into the rhythm, treating each instrument like a drum. As I went on, the project became less experimental and more intentional. Mostly, I just had a lot of fun.

Pleasantly surprising was the collaboration it turned out to be. I heard guitarist Ed Rock busking on 6th Ave in Manhattan and his music was so funky that I had to get his contact info. When he came to my apartment in Brooklyn, he had with him only two guitar pedals. In between his fiery shredding, I fixed him margaritas, and he talked about growing up in Bed Stuy. Eventually, I asked for one too many takes. He said, laughing, "You're greedy, you're worse than Busta Rhymes."

On another day, I passed by my neighbor's apartment and heard him playing bass. It wasn't long after we got acquainted that Colin Weiss and I started jamming til 3-4 o clock in the morning. We struck a deal that I would dogsit his corgi in exchange for bass tracks.

In an exceptionally difficult time to connect with other musicians, I was grateful for the chances I had to collaborate. This album is my answer to the question, How do we make social music in the era of social distancing?