after now is a concept album by Brandon Guerra and Jonathan Leal that’s as much about anxiety as it is about hope. Its tracks span a range of styles—contemporary jazz, neo-soul, spoken word, and ambient—and they each sit with the heaviness of contemporary issues like climate collapse, gun violence, and political instability to ask: what worlds might still be possible? What emerges after now?
The project features original music by Jonathan Leal and Brandon Guerra as well as new poetry by Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson (2020–2023 Poet Laureate of San Antonio) and instrumental performances by Adam Carrillo, Jason Galbraith, and Curtis Calderon.
Each of the six tracks on after now work as standalone pieces, but together, they create a larger, interlinked story. Sonically, the record blends acoustic instrumentation with electronic experimentation; listeners are taken on a journey through odd time signatures, synthesizer textures, improvised jazz solos, beat loops, and spoken word poetry. after now lives in the same musical universe as work by Tigran Hamasyan, Brad Mehldau, J Dilla, and Brian Eno.
The album is preceded by a standalone single—a prologue entitled “this level ground.” This standalone track incorporates samples and other compositional elements from throughout after now, blending them into a groovy dub-bossa nova reminiscent of Kamasi Washington.
credits
released November 18, 2022
after now Personnel:
Jonathan Leal (Composition, Piano, Synthesizers)
Brandon Guerra (Composition, Drums, Fender Rhodes, op-1 synthesizer, Modular Synth)
Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson (Original Poetry and Spoken Word Performance)
Jason Galbraith (Tenor Sax on “on an uneven plane”; Flute, Bass Clarinet, and Alto Sax on “in perforated time”; Flute on “this level ground”)
Adam Carrillo (Alto Sax on “this level ground,” “after now,” and “we reach into the undefined”)
Curtis Calderon (Trumpet on “in perforated time”)
Matt Meli (Mixing Engineer)
Shawn Hatfield (Mastering Engineer)
Recorded at Rocket Foot Studios in San Antonio, TX
Jonathan Leal (Brief Bio):
Jonathan Leal is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, author, and researcher based in Los Angeles. Originally from the Rio Grande Valley, a South Texas region located at the border of the United States and Mexico, Jonathan works as an artist-scholar to create collaborative arts projects that grapple with issues of place and belonging, race and gender, technology and aesthetics, and creative and political practices. He is the co-creator of Wild Tongue and Futuro Conjunto, two acclaimed borderlands-focused music projects, as well as the author of Dreams in Double Time, a book forthcoming in 2023 from Duke University Press. He holds a PhD in Modern Thought & Literature from Stanford University and is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Southern California.
Brandon Guerra (Brief Bio):
Brandon Guerra is a multi-instrumentalist from San Antonio, Texas, who holds a degree in Jazz Performance from Texas State University. While in college, he was fortunate to study closely with some of the greatest drummers in history, including: Butch Miles (Count Basie, Frank Sinatra), Wayne Salzmann II (Eric Johnson, Ari Hoenig, Johnny Vidacovich, and Shannon Powell. Since beginning his musical studies via piano at age six and drum set at age ten, Brandon has become an active drum set artist and educator, performing and recording with various groups in South Texas, the United States, and abroad. Brandon is currently the house drummer at the popular new jazz club, Jazz, TX, located in the historic Pearl Brewery in San Antonio. He can be found playing every week with a variety of musicians in the South Texas area, usually playing over 250 performances a year.
Brandon released his debut musical project with Merykid, DEATHBLOOM, in early 2022. He has also composed original music for dance companies around South Texas, including ARCOS Dance, Blipswitch, Ballet Conservatory of South Texas, and McBride Dance.
Brandon proudly endorses Vic Firth drumsticks and Canopus drums.
Additional Note:
after now also marks over a decade of friendship for Brandon and Jonathan. The two met each other in their late teens while performing together as snare drummers in the Phantom Regiment and Santa Clara Vanguard Drum & Bugle Corps, and they have kept up their connection over the years as they’ve crafted their musical practices in different parts of the country.
