One of pianist and vocalist Jackie Myers’ favorite tracks on her forthcoming album, What About the Butterfly, is one she nearly cut—“Brown Dirt Shuffle.”
Although the musician initially felt insecure about the song, she was met with immediate encouragement and new ideas from her bandmates. Letting go of her preconceptions, she leaned into her collaborative community.
“I needed the help of the other musicians,” Myers says. “I couldn’t do it on my own. They brought ‘Brown Dirt Shuffle’ to the finish line.”
Myers is releasing What About the Butterfly later this month on Brooklyn-based label 577 Records. A bold departure from her previous work, the experimental album embraces spectral composition—a niche technique that expands harmonic possibilities outside of the traditional 12-note system.
During the pandemic, with gigs dried up and time to spare, Myers enrolled in graduate school and began taking music composition coursework at UMKC’s Conservatory. When she was introduced to experimental composer Gérard Grisey and French spectral music, she was quickly captivated.
“I really like advanced and modern composition, but a lot of it is atonal and avant garde,” Myers says. “I enjoy that, but I don’t like composing it. I was really struck by how spectral composition can access sound, but not in a way that discards the rules of harmony.”
Recorded last June, What About the Butterfly features Myers’ compositions on vocals and piano, backed by an ensemble that includes the Fountain City String Quartet, saxophonists Aryana Nemati and Rich Wheeler, trumpeter Trent Austin, bassists Seth Lee and Blake Shaw, and drummer Ben Leifer. Although the album pushes boundaries, it remains grounded with singable, memorable melodies.
A particularly special guest on the record is saxophone legend Bobby Watson, a former member of Art Blakey’s legendary collective The Jazz Messengers and Myers’ former teacher.
“The fact that Bobby was willing to play on the album—I was just so honored,” Myers says. “He’s been such a wonderful mentor for me from the moment I met him. He continues to show me the way and encourage me.”
The pianist will celebrate the album’s release later this month on April 18 at the American Jazz Museum’s Blue Room, featuring a pared-down ensemble of Myers’ regular trio and the addition of a couple horns. A short tour in her former stomping grounds of Austin, Texas, will follow next month.
“To do this album, I had to become pretty obsessive about this whole thing in micro ways, not just micro tones,” Myers says.
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GO: What About the Butterfly Album Release Party. April 18. 8:30 pm. The Blue Room. 1600 E. 18th St., KCMO.
