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Keegan Tawa

@keegantawa

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Composer | Producer | Engineer | Saxophonist | Duduk | Worldbuilder
💠 Tessellation out now on all platforms 💠

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One of my favorite parts of Dune 2 was the incredible emphasis on the Duduk! The huge, sweeping melodies in unison with the massive Vangelean synthesizers were truly, absolutely epic. Here is one of my favorite motifs from the film.
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@hanszimmer @dunemovie taken in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by @keegantawa

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3 years ago

I am proud to present my 2024 NPR tiny desk audition: Twelve Freedoms. Stream the full 6 minute recording at the link in my bio.

Years ago I felt like making jazz music was a ship that had sailed in my life. My former peers were all studying music professionally and academically, while I had chosen the path of engineering. My music became almost entirely electronic, which was in many ways an extension of my technical pursuits.

It wasn't until, 2021, in the depths of Covid lockdowns, that I quietly submitted a 'Jazz' piece to NPR's tiny desk contest as an experiment. That piece was featured on NPR's Jazz Night in America, which really opened up a few doors inside of my mind. It made me realize that yes, I absolutely CAN create a compelling piece of 'Jazz' music that people are interested in listening to. For this realization, I am incredibly grateful for the Tiny Desk contest and what it was able to show me about myself. My ship hadn't sailed at all: it was simply docked and uncrewed, waiting to be taken out to sea.

So I embarked upon the grand voyage of Tessellation, one of the greatest adventures of my lifetime. This audition is a live rendition of "Twelve Freedoms," the second song of Tessellation. I am so excited to share the rest of this album with the world.

Crew:
@gpsounds : Clarinet & Flute
@passantecontaldi : Keys
@groove_dispenser : Drums
@friendshipwizard : Bass
@maximusfeeman : Saz
@itsjonbradley : Video taken in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by @keegantawa

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3 years ago

An excerpt from Tessellation's title track, played with Hadi Kamali on the Kamanche. This segment is inspired by the Turkish Hicaz mode (though it is not precisely Hicaz). Hadi has taken roles on three of Tessellation's seven songs (or "puzzles," as he calls them), lending the album his amazing skill and distinctly Iranian style.
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Tessellation involves musicians from Iran, Turkey, Israel, India, China, Sweden, and of course the US. It has been a truly mind-expanding, intercontinental effort. Each collaborator teaches me a little bit more about the vast ocean of music outside our tiny little corner of the world and its history. Recording will be finished by June and engineering will be finished by July. We're almost at the finish line.
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Audible in this recording:
@hadi.kamali , Kamanche
@sophiavastek , Piano
@csmirnovmusic , Viola & Violin
@dan_kassel_cello , Cello
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#saxophone #kamanche #jazz #worldmusic by @keegantawa

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3 years ago

WIP excerpt from the title track of my new record, Shape in Air.

Erhu - Qin Qian
Keys - @sophiavastek
Drums - @dubedubedooooo
Handpans - @seanyoungmanmusic taken in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by @keegantawa

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22 days ago

Improvised theme from an abandoned vineyard on the Ligurian Coast taken in Liguria, Italy by @keegantawa

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a month ago

I'm overwhelmed by the openness, warmth, and passion of all the teachers I found in Yerevan. I could have never anticipated the amount of knowledge and adventure I would find in just one week. I'm off to Istanbul, where my studies will continue. taken in Yerevan, Armenia by @keegantawa

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2 months ago

I will be performing this song and others this Friday at @nostalgiafishtown here in Philly. Nostalgia is an incredible DIY venue and a local Philly favorite. I'll be joined by @dan_kassel_cello and special guest @maximusfeeman - You can find tickets at the link in my bio! This will be my last performance before setting out for Armenia and Istanbul to study the Duduk. taken in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by @keegantawa

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3 months ago

Probably one of the most involved maps I've designed for a TTRPG. My players exploded a drink on it in less than five minutes 🥲 all hand drawn, pen & ink taken in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by @keegantawa

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4 months ago

Had a great time playing at @phillyethics last week. It's always fun to play for a room resonant enough that I can be fully unamplified! I'll be heading to Yerevan and Istanbul this summer to study the Duduk, I cannot contain my excitement.

🪗 @_sarikh_
📷 @gpsounds taken in Philadelphia Ethical Society by @keegantawa

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4 months ago

Something about this song makes me nostalgic for a time that never happened, and sad that I don't know what it was.

Cover of 'Hide' by @dorian_concept by @keegantawa

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7 months ago

I will be performing this piece and others tomorrow night at Epicycles 2.

Epicycles is an event series curated by me that is premised on long form, continuously blended music. Tomorrow night, Danielle Nia will begin with an hour of analog modular synthesis, after which I'll play some ambient and woodwinds. I'll pivot into DJing and hand off the stage to IANN who will close out the night with dance. Visual artist Ali Ruffner will be creating a live improvised painting throughout the night.

If you're in for a wild musical journey, please find tickets in my bio and join us tomorrow night!

The event is hosted by Velvet Whip, one of my favorite venues in the city, and runs from 10-2.

CALL FOR ARTISTS: if you or anyone you know produces experimental, ambient, electronic, or dance music of any sort, please reach out. I'm looking to build up my pool of Epicycles performers!

@daniellenia81
@i_am_iann_
@alirufranoruffner
@velvetwhipphilly by @keegantawa

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5 months ago

I picked up a 100-year-old vintage soprano this week from 1926! I've always been interested in branching out into other forms of saxophone. The soprano is an entirely different instrument from the alto - I knew this going in, but didn't appreciate just how foreign the two horns really could be. The hand shapes, spacing, intonation, embouchure, and voicing are all new and I'm loving the learning process. There are echoes of the Duduk in the soprano's embouchure. It's also just so cool to be playing a century-old saxophone. What has it lived through?

Thanks @andymohlermusic for hooking up the horn and for all the great advice. taken in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by @keegantawa

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8 months ago