What is PROJECT?

I had the opportunity to chat with PROJECT bassist Peter Seymour recently, which was a wonderful opportunity for me to get better acquainted with the exciting and unclassifiable new trio. Even the instrumentation for this group is unusual–how many cello, bass, and flute trios have you heard in your life?

Although this may initially seem an unorthodox grouping, it works extremely well, and these three talented and creative musicians manage to generate infectiously funky beats that will turn the head of teenagers and senior citizens alike. Flutist Greg Patillo and cellist Eric Stephenson join forces with Peter to create this exciting new group, providing a great example of how one can incorporate the skill and training of the conservatory system with the music of today.

PROJECT recently released Winter in June, their first CD, and this will hopefully be the first of many releases from this great group. We’ll be hearing music from this new release plus featuring Pete Seymour in an interview on an upcoming Contrabass Conversations episode.

All three of the members of PROJECT attended the Cleveland Institute of Music, and although each of them have found a great deal of success in the classical music world (Peter played bass for a season with the Cleveland Orchestra, and Eric performs with the IRIS Orchestra in Tennessee), these three performers also enjoy composing, improvising, and performing contemporary styles of music like hip-hop and R&B.

Here’s a little background on the ensemble–you can read more about them on their appropriately named website www.whatisproject.org:

PROJECT is a dynamic young group that is exciting audiences with their energy and innovative style. Their sound can only be described as a fusion of jazz, hip-hop, and world music – balanced out by a sincere allegiance to their classical roots. By combining the classical repertoire with original compositions, PROJECT reaches out to new audiences. Through performance and outreach/education concerts, we can provide access for the next generation of music lovers.

Check out this clip of PROJECT from a live performance in Boulder, Colorado:

This trio manages to switch styles while still keeping consistently groovy. Check out this clip titled ‘Pelea De Gallo’ from this same performance in Boulder:

One of the great things about sharing one’s music in an era of YouTube and MetaCafe is the ability to not only hear music but also see what kind of online buzz it is generating. One look at the number of views for these clips from PROJECT confirms that there is something really compelling about seeing these three musicians perform. This following clip features Greg and Eric at Union Square in New York and has received over 500,000 views:

Finally, these clips from flutist Greg have really become an online video phenomenon, receiving 6,000,000+ and 9,000,000+ views respectively:

Super Mario Bros theme from Greg Patillo

Inspector Gadget theme from Greg Patillo

Learn more about this great young trio at www.whatisproject.org, and stay tuned for our Contrabass Conversations interview with Peter Seymour in the next few weeks!

Related Posts:

• Eric Stephenson in NYC subway
• Ranaan Meyer and Time for Three on Contrabass Conversations
• Time for Three video
• Time for Three perform Czardas

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