trio 149

“RMI Records is happy to announce the release of Raise Up, an all-instrumental yet remarkably diverse debut album from Trio 149. The group is comprised of Jen Allen on piano and electric piano, Noah Baerman on Hammond organ and synthesizer, and Johnathan Blake on drums. The unconventional instrumentation is just a means of expression, in this case an expression of the musicians’ aspirations for a better world.

Allen and Baerman first performed together in a two-keyboard group in 2014, inspired in part by piano/organ combinations ranging from classic soul and gospel to the comparatively small handful of modern jazz pairings. The genesis of the group dates back further, in a sense, in that as longtime friends and colleagues the intention to collaborate was present for years prior, with instrumentation as the only barrier against making it happen. For their maiden record date, they brought aboard Blake, one of the busiest and most respected drummers on the global jazz scene. According to Baerman, “Johnathan is a phenomenal musician and, equally important to this project, a parent with a broad sense of conscience and concern for the wellbeing of humanity. We needed a truly kind and soulful human being in the drum chair for this music.”

Read the full article here

“Though the group first performed together in 2014, Allen and Baerman were friends and colleagues for years prior, first meeting in the late nineties as part of the jazz scene in Connecticut where Baerman had just moved and Allen was completing her degree at the Hartt School of Music. Their families eventually became close and they continued to compare notes as musicians and educators, even co-writing an instructional book, Sitting In: Jazz Piano, for the Alfred Publishing Company. Their first time performing together was in a sense accidental, as they played a piano/keyboard/trio gig out of logistical need, yet the musical excitement made it clear that the collaboration needed to move from abstract intention to front-burner project.”

Podcast

Trio 149 also has a podcast featuring Jen Allen and Noah Baerman. This podcast offers discussions about music, philosophy, navigating through life, and all sorts of intersections among them.