Hometown Sounds

For some sad reason, the jazz world hardly ever produces music videos. Thankfully we’ve got stellar guitarist Anthony Pirog shaking things up in many different ways. Though rooted in jazz with a degree in jazz studies, genre and convention utterly fail to contain Pirog’s virtuosic guitar abilities. While most well known locally for his Sonic Circuits-featured experimental work with partner Janel Leppin, I was quite surprised to see Pirog playing guitar for alt-country rock band The Jackfields at Iota’s Magnificent Intentions festival earlier this month. Now Silver Spring based label Cunieform Records has released Pirog’s debut full length album as a jazz trio leader, Palo Colorado Dream, featuring drummer Ches Smith from New York and Baltimore’s Michael Formanek on bass. The video for “The New Electric” was created by filmmaker Dan Sharnoff from 7848 photos he took of the trio performing at Shangrilah Studios in Brooklyn. I love how the imagery matches the song in pace as it progresses from its quiet jazz intro to bombastic post-rock noise. Make your way to #DCDIT house show mecca Paperhaus tonight to see the Anthony Pirog Trio along with Split/Red, Native America and DC’s resurrected Young Rapids.