joe sheehan | musician
KINETIC - BIO
In 2021, Kinetic released Dances of Lake Volta, its second album exploring folk songs from Ghana respectfully blended with original music. It reimagines songs from the previous album with an expanded roster of musicians, and adds new songs including the original afrobeat composition ‘Another Day’ by Samuel Boateng. The music has been performed live for Chamber Music Pittsburgh and at Con Alma, with further performances planned for 2022. Textura.org wrote “[it] engages instantly… vocals, percussion, bass, and piano come together gloriously in this ravishing statement… ‘Another Day’ is irresistible, as is the celebratory closer ‘Subo.”
2018’s Songs of Lake Volta, released on Ansonica Records, presented nine Ghanaian folk songs surrounded by original music. In this release, Kinetic collaborated with members of the Kassia Ensemble. Sonograma.org wrote “[Songs of Lake Volta] is the best we've heard in a long time of what we call world music.” Textura.org wrote “[It] blends classical strings and jazz ensemble playing with nine traditional Ghanaian songs … as if it’s the most natural thing in the world”, and rated it as No. 5 in its Top 20 Classical releases of 2018. A planned album tour in 2020 to China is currently being rescheduled.
Kinetic has performed at concert halls, art galleries, universities, jazz clubs, and outdoor music festivals, at venues in Toronto, New York City, and Philadelphia, with arrangements of the music being performed at the Clazz International Music Festival in Italy (2017). In Pittsburgh the group has performed for the Chamber Music Pittsburgh Presents Series (2021, 2018, 2016), the Three Rivers Arts Festival (2016, 2014), the African Arts in the Park Festival (2021), and at the jazz venue Con Alma. The ensemble has been featured on Americana Radio, WQED Classical FM, WESA (NPR radio), and the Pittsburgh City Paper.
Utilizing a unique blend of global folk traditions and contemporary jazz, Kinetic’s performance efforts celebrate multiculturalism, wisdom, and unity. The diverse and adaptable music collective was first imagined when its founder, composer and pianist Joseph Sheehan, created music that reflected his experiences studying traditional music in Ghana, classical composition, and jazz.