LEADER

MAQUISHTI

Solo debut album that features a combination of compositions and improvisations by Patricia Brennan. Released in January 15, 2021 on the label Valley of Search. Recorded in August 2018 at the Samurai Hotel Recording Studio, this project is a documentation of a sonic and personal journey using mallet percussion as a vessel. By exploring sonic textures via extended techniques and electronic effects, each piece in this project creates a unique and incomparable experience. Maquishti was included on The New York Times 10 Best Jazz Albums of 2021. See Music page to listen/buy.

MORE TOUCH

A quartet with a quite unusual instrumentation: mallet percussion + effects, percussion, drums, and bass. Essentially, a small percussion ensemble with bass, carving a space where rhythm, color, and texture flourish. More Touch features: Kim Cass on bass, Marcus Gilmore on drums and Mauricio Herrera on percussion. More Touch is also the title of the debut release of this project which was released on November 18, 2022 on Pyroclastic Records.

MOCH

Nahuatl for “all, everything”, MOCH is a collaborative electroacoustic duo with percussionist, drummer and turntablist Noel Brennan (DJ Arktureye) plus the addition of special guests. Previous guests have included bassist Michael Formanek, percussionist Mauricio Herrera, among others. In December 2019, MOCH premiered an audio visual suite composed by Patricia Brennan called “Raíces Jarochas” (Roots from Veracruz) inspired by sounds and memories from Brennan’s native Veracruz. This suite was part of the 2019 John Zorn commissioning series at National Sawdust.

“The music is tight but fluid, and moves from earth to sky and back with ease. It’s melodic and oozing within spacious, woven structure. For one brief passage, at the end, Brennan plays unamplified marimba with the most condensed harmony of the evening. It is striking. Otherwise she is melting the vibraphone into Mauricio Herrera’s patient, intricate Afro-Latin rhythms, or returning to an impressive duet with Michael Formanek on upright bass. They offer as virtuosic a scat as you can imagine, in unison, and delightful.”

Lana Norris, National Sawdust Log 2019

patricia Brennan SEPTET

The Patricia Brennan Septet is an electrifying ensemble that brings together some of today’s most dynamic improvisers to explore bold new sonic territory. Expanded from her critically acclaimed More Touch quartet, the septet showcases her adventurous compositions for an extended horn section, layered rhythms, and immersive electronics. Led by vibraphonist, marimbist, and composer Patricia Brennan, the group features: Adam O’Farrill – trumpet & electronics, Jon Irabagon – alto & sopranino saxophones, Mark Shim – tenor saxophone, Kim Cass – bass, Marcus Gilmore – drums, Mauricio Herrera – percussion and Patricia Brennan – vibraphone, marimba & electronics. This powerhouse lineup merges Afro-Caribbean grooves, contemporary classical textures, and avant-garde improvisation, filtered through Brennan’s distinct rhythmic and harmonic lens. Her compositions push the boundaries of form and pulse, blending her Mexican heritage, classical training, and experimental instincts into a sound that is richly layered and rhythmically alive. Featured on her 2024 album Breaking Stretch (Pyroclastic Records), the septet builds a world where vibrant horn lines, shifting meters, and electronic atmospheres collide — creating music that is as cerebral as it is emotionally direct. With performances that move between deep groove, open improvisation, and intricate composition, the Patricia Brennan Septet is a bold step forward in the evolution of genre-defying ensemble music. Breaking Stretch received wide acclaim earning spots on multiple Best Jazz Albums of 2024 including The New York Times 10 Best Jazz Albums of 2024 and NPR 50 Best Albums of 2024 (across all genres of music).

“Across three albums in four years, the vibraphonist Patricia Brennan has built up her sound from a sparse and reflective solo statement to a teeming sonic metropolis. Her latest is a septet effort that’s as challenging as it is danceable, recalling the fantastical constructions of big thinkers such as Henry Threadgill and Steve Lehman as it interweaves dazzling ensemble passages with bracing solos from the leader, the saxophonists Mark Shim and Jon Irabagon, and the trumpeter Adam O’Farrill.”

New York Times, Hank Shteamer, Best Jazz Albums of 2024

talamanti

TALAMANTI is a project and a body of work for piano and mallet percussion. This project is inspired by the uniqueness of the instrumentation and the limitless sonic possibilities of the combination of both instruments. Along with the extraordinary pianist Sylvie Courvoisier, both musicians will explore and push the sonic boundaries that their respective instruments present as well as develop a new collective improvisational language that will expand on the legacy of this unusual instrument pairing within jazz and improvisational music.

This duo made its debut with a premiere performance at Roulette in Brooklyn, NY on December 6, 2023. The debut recording of this duo is expected to be released in 2026.

OF THE NEAR AND FAR

Of the Near and Far is a ten-piece ensemble project led by vibraphonist, marimbist, and composer Patricia Brennan, featuring a unique blend of string quartet, jazz quintet, and live electronics. This ensemble was created during Brennan’s 2024 Jazz Gallery Residency Commission and brings together some of today’s most innovative musicians across genres. The group includes: Modney – violin, Pala Garcia – violin, Kyle Armbrust – viola, Michael Nicolas – cello, Sylvie Courvoisier – piano, Miles Okazaki – guitar, Kim Cass – bass, John Hollenbeck – drums & percussion, Arktureye – electronics, Patricia Brennan – vibraphone with electronics, marimba, and compositions. Eli Greenhoe conducts the ensemble. The world premiere took place on December 6, 2024, at The Jazz Gallery, and the project’s debut album will be released on October 24, 2025, via Pyroclastic Records. The first single drops on August 8, 2025.

Inspired by the vastness of the night sky, Of the Near and Far draws on Brennan’s lifelong fascination with astronomy and the geometries of constellations. By mapping these celestial shapes onto musical structures, she crafts a sonic language that is both conceptually rigorous and emotionally resonant. Building on the foundation of her acclaimed 2024 album Breaking Stretch, Brennan expands her creative vision by blending classical composition, electronic experimentation, and her deep love for 1990s alt-rock. The ensemble’s sound is genre-defying — merging jazz improvisation, classical string writing, and avant-garde textures rooted in contemporary chamber and percussion music. Each piece is inspired by a specific constellation or astronomical idea — from the mythic drama of “Andromeda” to the mechanical elegance of “Antlia.” The album weaves together themes of science, myth, and emotion, forming a deeply personal exploration of our shared connection to the universe. Through Of the Near and Far, Brennan invites listeners on a cosmic journey — one that links the internal rhythms of human experience with the infinite patterns of the stars.

Photo credit: Db *Electronic musician Arktureye is not in this photograpgh.

SIDEWOMAN

THE JOHN HOLLENBECK LARGE ENSEMBLE

“John Hollenbeck’s 19-piece Large Ensemble can explode with rhythmic drive and technical dazzle, or it can evoke serene calm, tone poetry and even prayer. It’s a big band for a new eclectic world, building on the legacy of seminal big-band composer Bob Brookmeyer and other role models. Hollenbeck holds it together with intricate drumming, compositional acumen and searing wit as he marshals the resources of top jazz improvisers.”

David R. Adler, TimeOut NY

MICHAEL FORMANEK ENSEMBLE KOLOSSUS

A large ensemble in the form of a full size jazz orchestra, assembled in 2013 to perform the compositions and arrangements of Michael Formanek. Their first CD, The Distance, on ECM, received Five Stars in Downbeat and much praise in the international media.

“The esteemed bassist and composer Michael Formanek hasn’t led a big-band recording until now, but with this release by his 18-piece Ensemble Kolossus he joins the ranks of state-of-the-art orchestral experimenters […] Working with longtime associates, Formanek nails every element of large-ensemble writing: sustained long forms with continuous development, lucid relationships between improvised and written material, details that ring out as part of a clearly articulated whole. Add to that a deep grasp of knotty grooves, free-form improv, fetching themes, and sweet, sweet swing. The sequencing is peerless […] Extraordinary.”

John Garelick, The Boston Globe

MATT MITCHELL PHALANX AMBASSADORs

The ultimate in maximizing the potential of my fellow band members. Stretch goals.

TOMAS FUJIWARA 7 POETS TRIO

7 Poets Trio formed during Fujiwara’s Stone residency in April 2018. The rapport was instantaneous and their debut was described by All About Jazz as “a meshing of chamber jazz, modern classical composition, and improvisation, although most of Fujiwara’s music sounded well organized in advance. All three players rose to an individual expression, working as a composite unit to deliver solo embellishments. Roles were malleable, as the listener decided whether everyone was soloing, or no-one. All three members were devoted to establishing a sensitive group consciousness, and they succeeded eminently.”

RogueArt · Blend : KP - 7 Poets Trio - Excerpts

MARY HALVORSON’S AMARYLLIS

A newly formed sextet of master improvisers, including Halvorson, Patricia Brennan (vibraphone), Nick Dunston (bass), Tomas Fujiwara (drums), Jacob Garchik (trombone), and Adam O’Farrill (trumpet).