Sean Ali

[seanali]

Quartets for Plucked String Strings Neither/Nor Records

Sean Ali's third solo album on Neither/Nor Records consists of a collection of four compositions performed on a quartet for plucked string instruments: two mandolins of different shapes, an octave mandolin and an acoustic steel string guitar. The instrumentation is a variation on, and a tribute to the classical string quartet. The pieces were written when Sean was an expecting father, something which profoundly influenced the music, and include unabashedly lyrical moments along with abstract weaves of sound. Primarily known for his masterful improvising and extended vocabulary on the double bass, over the past years Sean's solo work has increasingly included compositional elements.

Find it Here: Quartets for Plucked String (Neither/Nor Records)

Sean Ali interviewed by Webb Crawford in January 2025 for the release of Quartets for Plucked Strings (n/n 027)

release date: June 20, 2025

Sean Ali - mandolins, octave mandolin, guitar, compositions

Recorded by Jonah Rosenberg at Blueberry Farms in Brooklyn, NY on August 16th and 23rd, 2023. Mixed by Jonah Rosenberg. Mastered by Nathaniel Morgan. All music by Sean Ali. Album artwork by Sean Ali.

[seanali]

I recorded this one on a mellow, bird-enriched day in mid-June. Just days before the solstice, a little low mandolin to herald in the coming longest day of the year. Enjoy~! released April 17, 2025

Sean Ali: octave mandolin, audio samples

Recorded at Forest Park in Queens, NY on June 15th, 2023

Listen/purchase: Field Recording Series Volume V: Forest Park by Sean Ali

[seanali]

Throughout this recording, you will hear samples of "Greensleeves" that are out of sync with each other. I found myself in a gift shop one day and activated all the Christmas toys, which were playing that song, at roughly the same time and recorded it. The other customers were possibly perturbed, but who can say? This little sample threaded its way through a bass guitar improvisation at Turtle Pond in late August. Since it was still summer, I had to pun on the title. Hence, "Greenleaves." Enjoy~!

released December 7, 2024 Sean Ali: acoustic bass guitar, audio samples

Listen/purchase: Field Recording Series Volume IV: "Greenleaves" by Sean Ali

[seanali]

Foster/Ali/Meehan Live at Threes Brewing -Michael Foster (curved soprano & baritone saxophones) -Sean Ali (double bass, chromatic and bass harmonicas) -Sean Meehan (snare drum)

Recorded live at Three Brewing in Brooklyn, NY on September 10th, 2024. Video by Kevin Reilly.

[seanali]

São Miguel Island presents recordings of ambient sounds found throughout various locations on Ilha de São Miguel in the Azores recorded between July 29th and August 6th, 2023. Tracks are presented as-is: unedited, unmixed, unmastered. Please adjust speaker/headphone volume accordingly.

released November 10, 2024 Sean Ali: field recordings

Listen/purchase: Field Recording Series Volume III: São Miguel Island by Sean Ali

[seanali]

One unseasonably warm day in February (it was something like 75 degrees Fahrenheit, if memory serves), I took my mandolin to the banks of the Little Miami that runs through John Bryan State Park in Ohio. I was visiting from NY. I go back as frequently as I can, since I was born and grew up in the Dayton, OH area and still have many family members who live there. It marked a time in my life where I was deeply searching for connections to nature, to shed some of the existential malaise that had marked my musical aesthetics up to that point, and to focus on peacefulness of mind and health of body. Even so, there were feelings of uneasiness that were on my mind at the time. On this particular trip, I wanted to spend time with my maternal grandmother, whose health had begun failing. She passed away less than a month and a half later. Furthermore, the pleasant weather that I was enjoying so much on the day of this recording was underscored by climate change anxiety, of how the nature that I was trying to connect with to heal is under threat. "John Bryan" is my mediation in times of crisis that I humbly offer to anyone inclined to listen. credits

released September 25, 2024

Sean Ali: mandolin, voice (whispered poem)

Recorded at John Bryan State Park in Yellow Springs, OH on February 23rd, 2023.

Listen/purchase: John Bryan by Sean Ali

[seanali]

August 13th, 2024 Improvisation at Turtle Pond -Sean Ali (tremolo and bass harmonica)

Recorded with my phone at Turtle Pond in Alley Pond Park in Queens, NY on August 13th, 2024.

[seanali]

Oakland Lake Self-Release, 2024

On February 22nd, 2024 after getting a haircut, I took a walk at Oakland Lake in Queens and stumbled upon some amazing bird sounds. Fortunately, I had both my audio recorder and my bass harmonica with me. This mini-album, Oakland Lake, presents two tracks. The first track captures the ambient sounds at the lake. The second track is a continuation of the same sounds but with some long tones from my trusty bass harmonica. The recordings are presented without any editing, mixing, or mastering. In so doing, I feel it better encapsulates the unreality of that moment. However, it may mean you need to adjust your speaker/headphone volume accordingly (apologies).

released August 13, 2024

Sean Ali: field recording, bass harmonica

Recorded in the afternoon on February 22nd, 2024 at Oakland Lake in Alley Pond Park in Queens, NY.

Listen/purchase: Oakland Lake by Sean Ali

[seanali]

[seanali]

Moritz/Ali/Costa Live at The Prospect Series -Jonathan Moritz (soprano & tenor saxophones) -Sean Ali (double bass) -Carlo Costa (drums)

Recorded live at The Prospect series in Brooklyn, NY on April 13th, 2024. Video by Jonathan Moritz.

[seanali]

Mattrey/Bordreuil/Ali Live at The Prospect Series -Joanna Mattrey (viola) -Leila Bordreuil (cello) -Sean Ali (double bass)

Recorded live at The Prospect Series in Brooklyn, NY on November 12th, 2023. Video by Jonathan Moritz.

[seanali]

Foster/Ali/Meehan Live at The Prospect Series -Michael Foster (saxophones) -Sean Ali (double bass) -Sean Meehan (percussion)

Recorded live at The Prospect Series in Brooklyn, NY on October 27th, 2023. Video by Jonathan Moritz.

[seanali]

[seanali]

Warren.Moritz.Ali.Costa Live at The Prospect series -Kenny Warren (trumpet) -Jonathan Moritz (soprano & tenor saxophones) -Sean Ali (bass) -Carlo Costa (drums)

Recorded live at The Prospect series in Brooklyn, NY on March 26th, 2022. Video by Kevin Reilly.

[seanali]

A Blink in the Sun is the second solo album by bassist and poet Sean Ali. The album is composed of many layers of bass and spoken word that have been shaped into seven musical pieces that depict an inner journey, a joyful dive into the interior rabbit hole. Speaking, whispering, and breathing combine with spectral and timbral double bass performances to create a series of self-portraits in sonic hues and oratorial pigments.. The album’s journey through density to translucence is a musical meditation on the multi-faceted nature of the self. Find it here: A Blink in the Sun

Sean Ali - double bass, voice

Recorded by Nathaniel Morgan at Buckminster Forest in Brooklyn, NY on January 4th and 26th, 2020. Mixed and mastered by Nathaniel Morgan. All music and text by Sean Ali. Album artwork by Sean Ali. Text from tracks 2-6 originally published in Awake Afar Off (The Bodily Press, 2017).

Release date: April 1, 2021.

[seanali]

“The Reptilian Throat” -Sean Ali (basses and text) -Meghan Desmond (video)

Please enjoy this bonus track from my new solo album, A Blink in the Sun, which will be released on April 1st, 2021 on Neither/Nor Records. Pre-order currently available: http://neithernorrecords.com/neithernorrecords/A_Blink_in_the_Sun.html

[seanali]

Forest Music Snow Day -Sean Ali (percussion) -Flin van Hemmen (percussion)

Recorded on a brisk winter day in December, 2020 in New York, NY. Video footage and editing by Flin van Hemmen.