Brian Shanker Adler: Making Music Is A Transcendental Moment in Time

Imagine finding the key to the mythical Elysian Fields or the otherworldly Nirvana or the sublime Heaven, where the body and spirit come together beyond the terrestrial plane.  When the body meets the creative force that builds life.  

Drummer-composer-collaborator Brian Shanker Adler experiences such transcendental moments while he is composing music, collaborating with others and crossing cerebral streams to create soundscapes that supersede anyone's individual imagination.  It is a moment when minds are synchronized to shape a symposium of sounds that flicker with the intensity of a sonically entrancing constellation.

Adler shares, "Some of the most profound conversations I’ve ever had have taken place through music—specifically through rhythm. I have performed with musicians where no common spoken language existed, yet our connection remained as clear as day within the music. When we find these rare connections, it’s exactly the kind of spark we’re looking for."

His collaboration with NASA soprano saxophonist/composer Jane Ira Bloom entitled Once Like A Spark, released by Adhyâropa Records, is packed with transcendental moments, discernible to the listener.  From the limber movements of "Drums Like Dancing" to the exotic interludes of "Song for Khan" and the sensual curves of "Air," Bloom and Adler enshrine engagements made in-the-moment along the continuum of time.  Like one can never step in the same body of water twice, their collaboration is continually flexing, conjuring new patterns, moving across changing rhythms, and intertwining at different moments through the melodic progressions.

"Working with Jane is such a treat," he postulates. "She has incredible ears, an amazing sound, and so much wisdom—every one of her musical statements feels earth shattering! We started playing sessions and gigs a few years ago and found a kinship from the start. This recording project grew organically out of those duo sessions."

Though the recording is comprised of collaborations between Bloom and Adler, the track "Psalm" features upright bass player Ken Filiano.  Adler describes, "Ken and I first met through vocalist Sunny Kim.  We only played once, but it was clear even then that he was a force!  Jane and I invited him to augment our duo for a gig right before our studio date; the chemistry was so great we asked him to record with us, too. 'Psalm' in particular needed the grounding of a drone, and I thought Ken’s sound would be the perfect fit for it."

Bloom's improvised musings along "Psalm" are scaffold by Filiano's tightly clipped beats, melding a tribal pulse with the sophisticated tone of the saxophone.  Adler produces a tinpan resonance through "Shan Dara" coasting into the swirling tweets of "Together We," as the rapid tapping of his drum strikes pummel the track into a folkloric Indo-Asian dance.  His thumping, tapping, throbbing, and pulsating beats build dimension in the tracks, choreographing the tempo and stride in conjunction with Bloom's lissome flares.

His attraction to playing the drums, "It’s very simple," he portends, "when I play the drums every day, I am a happier person–I feel centered. I love the physicality that the instrument demands, the tactile nature of producing a sound, and the choreography of musical phrases around the kit."

Primarily playing a hybrid drum set that includes North India tabla, Argentine bombo legüero, and an array of found objects, he reveals, "I have been improvising on various drums since I was a child where I’d play along to recordings and explore sounds, ideas, and textures freely. To this day, I let that same sense of curiosity guide me."

He proclaims, "It was around this same time that I began composing. When I sat behind the drums, I had so many ideas that I wanted to express. Composing gave me an outlet to share these concepts with other musicians–creating the specific musical landscapes that I could then play against."

Adler directs his focus on making music by entering into partnerships with various types of collaborations.  His duet with Bloom is just one project where he has focused his energy.  Another has been his collaboration with scientists at the Shaw Institute to create Dance of the Cephalopod.

He explains, "Created through a fellowship from the Center for Art and Social Justice, Dance of the Cephalopod draws inspiration from the biological adaptability of the octopus. The work evolves across eight multidisciplinary iterations, including a percussion solo, a chamber quartet, and a polyethylene installation. Through a collaboration with the Shaw Institute, it bridges the gap between art and science with the goal of highlighting the issue of plastic pollution and its effects on marine life and human health."

He has also been a composer-in-residence at Antenna Cloud Farm, Avaloch Farm Institute, and Vermont College of Fine Arts.  He professes, "It was an honor to be a composer-in-residence at these three institutions. Each, in its own way, does incredible work to support artists in the creation of new music."

His extraordinary musical experiences have each been an unique odyssey in their own right.  Each making such a lasting impression on him that when asked how has he grown as a collaborator, improviser and drummer, he answers, "This is a big question… I think the most growth has come in trusting the process, trusting my intuition and learning when to let go."

When he isn't working on making music, he cites, "I really enjoy the simple things: spending time with family and friends, being quiet in nature, cooking, and discovering art that moves me."

Brian Shanker Adler has performed internationally, in caves, forests and adjacent glacial ice fields, in addition to the formal settings of Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City.  Collaborations are where the body meets the creative force that builds life for Adler.  It is where he transcends his own imagination and finds the elusive bliss that luminaries have claimed an individual will find in Elysian Fields, Nirvana, or Heaven.  Adler knows how to find the key into these dimensions, and he moves in and out of it as he wishes.

 

Visit:  https://brianshankaradler.com/