Jeremy Mage started playing piano and synthesizers at eight. He grew up in the shadow of the Schwangunk mountains of upstate NY, riding the trailways bus to NYC on weekends to buy Sugarhill Gang cassettes at Crazy Eddy's and to hear the groundbreaking psychedelic hardcore of emerging bands like Sonic Youth and the Butthole Surfers at the Ritz.
At 12 he picked up a crappy maroon electric guitar and dove headfirst into the noise (New Paltz Hard Core was no joke, folks), and around the same time started seriously studying jazz piano, brought there by way of Jazz's closest cousin to punk, Thelonious Monk. A mindblowing summer experience studying African rhythms with Olatunji sealed the deal: he became confused, and has remained so.
Mage studied Indian classical music in Varanasi, Cuban timba in Havana, and Mandinka grooves in the Gambia, West Africa. He has toured the world as a keyboard player playing original music with reggae, soul, afro-breaks, and hip hop groups, and has jammed keys with the Wailers, Omar, Lizz Wright, Goapele, Peven Everett, Spearhead, and KRS-One among many others.
J Mage's musical influences have a rare combination of breadth and depth. His productions are inspired by the organic, sun-dappled world of mountain and woods and the grit and heartbeat of urban and noise music. He currently resides in New York City and Los Angeles.--Check out his EP on vinyl (featuring Brother Jacques, Marivaldo dos Santos, Hanifah Walidah, and many more) at http://listenlabs.com
Discography:
DOUBLE MOON REMIXED II with DJ SPOOKY Remix
JAMES HURT EP Coming this fall! Ask Somebody!
JMAGE: CRAZY HEART
TUMMY TOUCH: THE MOOD IMPROVER Production, Keyboards, Bamboo Flute
TUMMY TOUCH: HEART SOUNDS AND MURMURS Production, Multi instruments
WUNMI: A.L.A. Production/Keyboards/Arrangements
WUNMI: A.L.A REVISITED Remix
EASY STAR ALL STARS: UNTIL THAT DAY Keyboards, Songwriting, Production
EASY STAR ALL STARS: RADIODREAD Engineering/Keyboards
MAYA AZUCENA: MAYA WHO? Keyboards/Songwriting
ABBY DOBSON: SLEEPING BEAUTY Keys
GARRIN BENFIELD: NOWHERE IS BRIGHTER Keyboards
HANIFAH WALIDAH: ONCE UPON IT IS Keyboards/Production/Songwriting
HIWAY FREEKER: THE SHARK Production/Keyboards/Arrangement
THE TRAPPS: GOOD LUCK OR GOODBYE Keyboards
ELIANE: Production, Mixing,Keyboards
JUCA: Keyboards
BEETROOT: THIRTEEN Rhodes, Organ, Sounds
Film/Theatre/TV/Installation Composing:
NBC LIPSTICK JUNGLE Two original songs licensed
THE HISTORY CHANNEL Original score for animation
SAN FRANCISCO MIME TROUPE
NEW YORK THEATRE WORKSHOP
U PEOPLE FILM SCORE
CONFLUENCE CAROUSEL INSTALLATION, FARMLAB, LA
RAISSA VENABLES GALLERY OPENING, BERLIN
AND THEY DUG FILM SCORE
Major Tours:
LIZZ WRIGHT- Folk/Soul/Jazz..........North America, Europe
EASY STAR ALL STARS-Dub Reggae...U.S, Europe, S. America, Middle East
WUNMI-Afro Fusion........................U.S., North Africa
SISTER CAROL-Roots Reggae...........West Africa
MAYA AZUCENA-Soul.....................U.S.,U.K.
TONI BLACKMAN-Hip Hop...............Southeast Asia
S.F. MIME TROUPE- Radical Theatre..North America
GARRIN BENFIELD- Folk Rock..........U.S.
Clip: EASY STAR ALL STARS (live 8 piece dub band), Napoli<.. .."425" height="350">.. ..>
