Instant Alter (San Jose Jazz SummerFest)

About

Instant Alter is a Future Fusion quartet led by New York saxophonist Emilio Modeste and Los Angeles vocalist Natasha Agrama, both alumni of Stanley Clarke’s band. Fearlessly genre-bending, the group blends jazz, rock, soul, storytelling and the celebratory spirit of Brazilian Tropicália into one of the freshest sounds in contemporary music. Modeste, perhaps best known for his time performing with the late trumpet great Wallace Roney, is currently touring with Stanley Clarke, Cindy Blackman Santana and Kassa Overall. His singular tone and sense of melody can be heard on Steve Turre’s Generations and Dezron Douglas’ Atalaya, and he is featured on Stanley Clarke’s upcoming album. A student of drummer and producer Lenny White, Modeste brings an exploratory restlessness to every project he touches. Agrama is a vocalist, composer, poet and multi-disciplinary artist whose velvet-fire voice carries what she describes as the storied victory of love and the history of finding belonging in a new world. Granddaughter of renowned Chilean crooner Antonio Prieto, she has performed and recorded with Kamasi Washington and the West Coast Get Down. Her 2017 release The Heart of Infinite Change features Thundercat, George Duke, Austin Peralta and Stanley Clarke. Together with rising stars Brandon Rose, Jermaine Paul, Miguel Russell and Myles Martin, Instant Alter proves that progressive music can be both imaginative and healing.