The Makanda Project

The Makanda Project was started in 2005 as an effort to explore the previously unrecorded compositions of Makanda Ken McIntyre (1931-2001). Twenty years and over 250 performances later, the 13 musicians in the group are still moved by the challenges and opportunites this music presents. Leader and pianist John Kordalewski, a former McIntyre student, has arranged over 60 McIntyre compositions for the group’s 10-member horn section. Especially given that there is no record of Dr. McIntyre having performed these pieces, the Makanda Project differs from those repertory groups whose function is largely to re-create sounds or styles from the past. Rather, the McIntyre compositions have been a vehicle for the group to develop its own sound and identity.

The Makanda Project has established a presence on the Boston jazz scene through their ongoing series of self-produced free concerts in low-income neighborhoods. These concerts are unique in the Boston area both as a platform for creative music and as community events. They tale place throughout the year and have attracted a large and still-growing following.

The band has also collaborated with renowned guest musicians such as Oliver Lake, Chreles Tolliver, Chico Freeman, Ricky Ford, Feya Faku, Michael Gregory Jackson, and Craig Harris, as well as with poet Askia Toure and dancer/choreographer Mickey Davidson. These collaborations often involve the guests’ compositions. The Makanda Project has also performed at East Coast locations from Washington DC to Maine, in the Midwest, and in Europe. This will be their second appearance at the Side Door.

The individual members are Kurtis Rivers, Seth Meicht, Sean Berry, Temidayo Balogun, and Charlie Kohlhase (saxophones), Jerry Sabatini and Haneef Nelson (trumpets), Alfred Patterson, Richard Harper, and Bill Lowe (trombones), John Kordalewski (piano), Avery Sharpe (bass), and Yoron Israel (drums).