Kirkwood’s compositions draw from Duke Ellington’s melodic, harmonically rich music, and other influences include Gil Evans, Igor Stravinsky, and Bela Bartok. Music critic Tim Page describes Kirkwood’s music as “simultaneously modernist and immediately appealing: lyrical, gracious and rhapsodic in character.”
Musicians
- Saxes: Dan Block, Patience Higgins, Matt Hong, Adam Kolker, Bruce Williamson
- Trombones: Art Baron, Sam Burtis, Curtis Fowlkes, James Rogers
- Trumpets: Andy Gravish, Ron Horton, Dave Smith, James Zollar
- Rhythm section: Neal Kirkwood, piano, Diana Herold, vibes and marimba, Aidan O'Donnell, bass, Rob Garcia, drums