Artist Biography
Blue Cranes are a creative jazz group with a prominent indie rock sensibility, expressed not only in the band's embrace of rock rhythms and keyboard voicings but in the songlike themes played by saxophonists Reed Wallsmith and Joe Cunningham. In addition to original material, albums like 2007's Lift Music! Flown Music!, 2008's Homing Patterns, and 2010's Observatories have found the band dipping into music by artists such as the late Elliott Smith, indie rockers Blonde Redhead, and composer/keyboardist Wayne Horvitz. They have also experimented with their sound, working with a string quartet on 2013's Swim, while 2021's Voices featured singers like Laura Veirs and Holland Andrews. Primarily, Blue Cranes' albums have served as vehicles for the compositions and tandem saxophone stylings of Wallsmith and Cunningham, revealing not only an indie mindset but also a wide range of jazz, avant-garde, and classical influences, as on 2023's My Only Secret.
Hometown
Portland, OR, United States
Genre
Jazz