Machado Mijiga - Gradient (2022)

Gradient is a culmination of a year of planning, a decade of composing, and a lifetime of artistic and interpersonal relationships weaved into a 78-minute package.

In 2020, I released, "Journal", where I enlisted a team of 23 drummers to play a mix of old and new compositions of mine. Journal was entirely self-produced, and I played all instruments except for drums.

Gradient is more of an "Essay"– I enlisted a team of 13 instrumentalists to play a mix of old and new compositions of mine, but Gradient was entirely a community effort. This time around, I only played drums, and I outsourced all production elements to specialists.

Gradient isn't just mine; it was made possible through the efforts of a sonic dream team, hand-picked from within Portland's vibrant and diverse jazz scene. Some of the finest musical minds in the city agreed to be a part of this process, and worked tirelessly to interpret and breathe life into the lines and dots I gave them.

I have mild synesthesia, and often hear sounds as colors, patterns, or even shapes. It's why a lot of my compositions have had colors or shapes as a name (e.g., "Auburn", "Isosceles", or "Ultraviolet")

Gradient got its name because a wide variety of the colors I see/hear for the pieces in this album are not a solid, but a spectrum or color group– the music is a bit harmonically, rhythmically, and texturally ambiguous. Some of the compositions have strong memories or emotions attached to them, and some are purely fictional. I hope that this music creates entirely new narratives in the capable ears of you listeners.