Recordings
Reaching For a Fall is the second full length release from contemporary jazz quintet Third Shore Collective. The album continues the tradition of showcasing compositions from multiple band members. Zakk Jones, Will Schneider, Kyle Brooks, and Brad Billmaier each contribute two pieces, forming a cohesive but diverse array of music.
The debut recording from Philly-to-Indiana based alto saxophonist and composer Geoff Schneider. Geoff’s poignant compositions provide a unique and musically enriching perspective. In his words, “An eight-movement addition to the canon of great (jazz) civil rights suites (a la Mingus, Rollins, Ellington, Roach, Peterson, etc.) discussing the life, beauty, trials, and tribulations of queer life in modern day America.”
Brad’s sophomore effort as a bandleader is a full-length release featuring his Artificer Quartet. focused on illuminating the individual players within a group sound through collective improvisation and high-level musical communication, the quartet is heard here performing entirely Brad’s compositions. Featuring SE Michigan musicians Kenji Lee (saxophone), Max Bowen (guitar), and Andy Peck (bass).
The full length follow-up record to the EP listed above. “A chordless trio under the leadership of hornist Will Schneider, the group draws influence from a range of chordless ensembles from musicians such as Joe Henderson and Sonny Rollins to the avant garde expressionism of Ornette Colman, Old and New Dreams and Albert Manglesdorff.” Some tracks feature Zakk Jones on guitar, others feature Logan Maccariella on piano.
Spring Song (EP)
The Precursor to Will Schneider’s debut album as a bandleader featuring Dylan Bretz on bass, Zakk Jones on guitar, and Brad Billmaier on drums and cymbals.
Third Shore Collective
This full-length, 8-song album features the unique instrumentation of alto sax, horn, guitar, bass, and drums and contains compositions from four of the five members of the ensemble. The collective’s first unified recording effort was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Eric Sills at Stone Soup Studios in Maumee, Ohio.
Starless
Starless is Brad Billmaier’s debut recording. It features saxophonist Peter Formanek, pianist Kenton Davey, trumpeter Ben Wolkins, guitarist Max Bowen, and bassist Aidan Cafferty. The 7-song album was recorded over the span of two days at Willis Sound in the summer of 2020 during the beginnings of the Covid-19 pandemic. Many tracks were composed as direct reflections on the socio-political and biological issues that came to a fever-pitch at the turn of the decade.