Acclaim for Sandbox Percussion's debut album, And That One Too
The New York-based ensemble Sandbox Percussion released its debut album, And That One Too (Coviello Classics), on Friday, February 28, 2020. And That One Too includes works by Andy Akiho, David Crowell, Amy Beth Kirsten, and Thomas Kotcheff.
Since its release, And That One Too has garnered critical acclaim from publications in the United States and abroad.
“Sandbox delivers each piece with unassailable accuracy and commitment.” - I Care If You Listen
"Shedding the manic, glossy style and aesthetic of many modern percussion groups, Sandbox Percussion has quietly been carving their own route and unique voice for nearly a decade, and this album has been well-worth the wait.” // “The whole album is sonorous, and, simply put, wonderful.” - Earrelevant
"Sandbox presents here an entirely new program of four pieces, composed or rewritten explicitly for them, which benefit from the focus, technical mastery and expressive musicality of the four musicians. Their close work with composers seems to have given the album a unique stamp - their own highly personal style notwithstanding." - ConcertoNet
“In these contemporary works, music for percussion takes on a new dimension, suddenly offering the revelation of an inspired musical language. For, what is surprising here is the lightness, the finesse, the beauty of these notes, of these sounds mixing in space so as to edify a harmonious and aerial structure. Fascination, even enchantment is on the menu of this sound journey, for which silence reveals its tangible depth.” - OpusHD
"The Sandbox Percussion debut fulfills its mission well. By the end one feels that one has re-created in a well evolved series of extended possibilities for percussion quartet. It is lively and absorbing fare and a most promising first album. Definitely recommended." - Classical Modern Music
Brought together by their love of chamber music and the simple joy of playing together, Jonathan Allen, Victor Caccese, Ian Rosenbaum and Terry Sweeney formed Sandbox Percussion in 2011. A central tenet of their mission as an organization has been to collaborate with composers over long periods of time to write music that stretches the boundaries of what is possible with percussion – both technically and expressively. Rosenbaum explains, “This collection of works represents four of the most meaningful and long-term relationships with composers that we have had as a group. Furthermore, this album is about the first nine years of Sandbox's existence, and about the music of four people who have done a lot to help us become the musicians we are today.”
On the same day as the album release, the ensemble celebrated with a concert at National Sawdust in Brooklyn. The concert featured three selections from the album: Andy Akiho’s Haiku 2; David Crowell’s Music for Percussion Quartet; and Thomas Kotcheff’s not only that one but that one & that too, part 3. Additional works on the program included Amy Beth Kirsten’s may the devil take me; Ricardo Romaneiro’s Sub Pulse; and a special performance by composer and multi-instrumentalist David Crowell.