Circling by Jerk

Following a lengthy spell at home and endless wandering and cycling around Brooklyn during 2020, prolific composer, producer and beatmaker, Jerk, marked their return with ‘Circling’ in 2021.

A collection of songs directly inspired by the people, places and experiences in Jerk’s and their fellow collaborators' lives, 'Circling' was composed, produced, mixed and mastered by Jerk, and the album sees the reintroduction of Carey Ozmun (trumpet) and Martine Wade (drums) who have featured on previous Jerk records, along with vocal contributions from Taylor Burgess, Habit Blcx and Franco Colon.

"Kaihogyo is an ascetic practice in Japan - It translates to “circling the mountain”. In this practice, Tendai Monks walk 30-80km per day for up to 1,000 days as a quest for enlightenment.

Like the rest of the world, I was unemployed and at home for a significant part of 2020. The only thing I felt safe doing outside of my apartment was taking walks and bike rides. I just wandered around Brooklyn with no destination in mind. I noticed streets and buildings in my neighbourhood blocks from my apartment, and I was similarly inspired to write music with no end product in mind. The past several years had been so goal-oriented and forward-moving that I didn’t take time to reflect, and those several months of lockdown were a chance to really think about where I’ve been and how I’ve gotten here. “Circling” is a collection of songs directly inspired by the people, places and experiences in mine and my collaborators' lives."

Jerk is the brainchild of composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Joshua Kinney. Based in Brooklyn, NY, the project is an exploration of the connection between jazz and hip hop with compositions blurring the lines between hip hop beats and instrumental jazz compositions. As a band, Jerk is Joshua Kinney on Saxophone, Carey Ozmun on Trumpet, Jean Matthieu Carvin on Keyboards, Mikey Migliore on Bass, and Martine Wade on Drums. Jerk’s releases include a trio of EPs (Pink, Yellow, and Green), a full-length beat-tape entitled “Pressing On”, live jazz album entitled “Some Cosmic Shift”, and his latest beat-tape, “Circling”.

Based in Brooklyn, NY, Jerk is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer known for exploring the liminality between jazz, hip hop, and r&b, citing influences ranging from traditional jazz artists Charlie Parker and Gene Ammons to 70s fusion figures Don Blackman and Patrice Rushen to hip hop producers J Dilla and Madlib.

jerkmakesmusic.com