Jerk - Some Cosmic Shift (2020)

Jerk is the brainchild of composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Joshua Kinney. Based in Brooklyn, NY, the project is an exploration of the connection between jazz and hip hop with compositions blurring the lines between hip hop beats and instrumental jazz compositions. As a band, Jerk is Joshua Kinney on Saxophone, Carey Ozmun on Trumpet, Jean Matthieu Carvin on Keyboards, Mikey Migliore on Bass, and Martine Wade on Drums. Jerk’s releases include a trio of EPs (Pink, Yellow, and Green), a full-length beat tape entitled “Pressing On”, and a forthcoming live jazz album entitled “Some Cosmic Shift”.

"In 2018 I had graduated college, moved to my first place in Brooklyn, and was teaching music and playing gigs professionally. This new independence provoked an emotional response that I didn’t expect and wasn’t ready for. Sitting in traffic two hours a day, working for less than ideal employers, and dealing with fluctuating wages was stressful. Sitting at a piano in between the lessons became my coping mechanism. In fact, I composed the majority of this album on the pianos of my employers. This transitional period of my life permeated into my music. Composing and playing became less academic and more cathartic, and it was a balance between the two I had never experienced. It was a change in worldview - 'Some Cosmic Shift'."