Brandon López - vilevilevilevilevilevilevilevile

On moving to NYC a little over a decade ago, López began making himself indispensable within many creative music scenes, from the New York Philharmonic to the DIY basements of Brooklyn.

As with all bass players of great skill & commitment, López has been prolifically active because he has been in high demand & has made himself available.

The Cleveland Review of Books noted: “This is virtuosity as vocabulary, a total command of texture, subtlety, and a depth that can be reached into.”

López is also an improvising composer of estimable gifts. A recent example is his duo work with equally gifted drummer Gerald Cleaver; recently incorporated into a trio with Fred Moten, the inimitable poet, theorist, and 2020 MacArthur Fellow. Among the attention paid to their 2022 debut was an “8.0” review in Pitchfork & a “Best Jazz Albums of 2022” notice by the New York Times.

The brawn which Brandon plays the bass bigger than he is abundantly clear when see/hearing him live on stage, and can be felt as a force coming out of his recordings. The strings & wood frame are wholly resonant when called forth, by muscles well-developed for the purpose by a longtime gravedigger, which was his earning gig before moving to the city of eternal future Now.

Hearing his work on four long strings and in welcome conversation – it becomes clear that brains over brawn are a key differential. A Puerto Rican kid growing up working class in North Jersey doesn’t rock with the NYC Phil without 'em.