Being & Becoming was formed in 2017 by composer and trumpet player Peter Evans. The name of the band, drawn from the writing of Sufi writer and musician Inyat Khan, reflects the group's commitment to the challenge of spontaneous creativity. Evans' compositions for the band draw from a wide variety of sources, traditional and experimental, with a grounding in improvisational idioms, notated concert music and an array of experimental approaches.

The band features some of the most virtuosic and forward-thinking young musicians in Jazz and Contemporary music today; vibraphonist Joel Ross (Immanuel Wilkins, Marquis Hill, Blue Note recording artist) bassist Nick Jozwiak (Ravi Coltrane, Aaron Burnett, Dave Liebman)  and drummer Michael Ode (Theo Croker, Isaiah Collier, Joey Defrancesco). Each of these players are widely known for their individuality, virtuosity and deep musical curiosity. 

Influences for the music range from the work of masters like McCoy Tyner and John Coltrane, 20th Century European modernism, compositional strategies pioneered by the AACM, the Spontaneous Music Ensemble and many more. The result is something that feels  new and old at once, an experimentalism grounded in both rigor and a passion for the undiscovered.

Being & Becoming's eponymous debut album was released to wide acclaim in 2020 on Evans’ More is More Records in both vinyl and digital formats. Since then they have premiered multiple programs of original music, performing multi-day residencies in NYC and toured USA and Europe.  The highly anticipated second album from Being & Becoming will be available in the Fall of 2023 on More is More Records, coordinated with their November tour in the EU. 

 

Photos by Reuben Radding