Tonotrope is a collaborative trio of Michael Malis (piano), Jaribu Shahid (bass), and Jonathan Taylor (drums). Together, they search for the inner logic of musical language by exploring the outer limits of the jazz repertoire.
Jaribu Shahid is a leading bassist of international stature. A native Detroit he has played with some of the defining artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. He has collaborated with such luminaries as Sun Ra, Roscoe Mitchell, Muhal Richard Abrams, Anthony Braxton, Geri Allen, James Carter, and the Art Ensemble of Chicago. He is a founding member of Griot Galaxy, Detroit’s defining avant jazz ensemble of the 1970’s and beyond.
Michael Malis is a pianist and composer based in Detroit, MI. In August 2017, he released an album of duets with saxophonist Marcus Elliot, entitled “Balance.” The album was praised by the Detroit Metro Times as “contemporary jazz of the highest order, a benchmark for where the genre can go.” He has performed at venues such as the Yokohama Jazz Promenade (Yokohama, Japan), the Kennedy Center, Birdland (NYC), the Detroit Jazz Festival, The Stone (NYC), and the Detroit Institute of Arts, and with notables such as Marcus Belgrave, Tyshawn Sorey, William Hooker, Jaribu Shahid, Ken Filiano, Andrew Bishop, Dennis Coffey, and Marion Hayden. He has been lauded for his scores for film and theater, which have garnered awards, critical acclaim, and have reached international audiences. He is a founding member of Polyfold Musical Arts Collective. He is currently as Master’s student at Wayne State University, studying composition.
Jonathan Taylor is a Detroit-based drummer, improviser, composer, and educator. A tireless collaborator, he co-leads a number of original projects including the electro acoustic duo Says Things, sound and movement ensemble Legs, art rock quartet saajtak, and his own quintet of original music, Mover. He has performed alongside such luminaries of creative music as Wadada Leo Smith, Dave Liebman, Michael Formanek, and Jaribu Shahid, and is a founding member of Polyfold, a musical arts collective. His compositions have been described as “A balance between form and freedom” and “Music for the head and heart” (All About Jazz). As a performer, he’s been featured at Edgefest, The DC Jazz Festival, The Jazz Gallery in New York, Detroit’s Strange Beautiful Music, and more.
www.michaelmalis.com