Sungazer is the primary creative outlet for bassist and music educator Adam Neely and drummer Shawn Crowder. Formed in 2014, the project began as a formal experiment in inverted composition: Crowder would record improvised drum solos to a click, and Neely would subsequently compose harmonic and melodic structures around those rhythms.
This process resulted in a sound that bridges the gap between the technical proficiency of Snarky Puppy and the glitchy, programmed aesthetics of IDM. Their work is heavily informed by contemporary music theory, frequently utilizing xenharmonic (microtonal) scales and complex rhythmic concepts like metric modulation. Culturally, they occupy a unique space as 'internet-native' jazz musicians, with Neely's massive YouTube presence providing a pedagogical context for their experimental choices. Critical consensus views them as leaders in a new wave of 'math-jazz' that prioritizes digital-age production values over traditional live-in-the-room jazz recording tropes.
Shares math rock, electronica, jazz fusion, digital_clarity (subgenre)
Shares nu jazz, electronica, jazz fusion, progressive rock (signature)
Shares nu jazz, electronica, jazz fusion, digital_clarity (signature)
Shares nu jazz, electronica, jazz fusion, instrumental_only (signature)
Shares nu jazz, bass, jazz fusion, instrumental_only (signature)
Shares nu jazz, electronica, jazz fusion, digital_clarity (signature)
Shares bass, electronica, jazz fusion, nu jazz (signature)
Shares nu jazz, electronica, jazz fusion, instrumental_only (signature)
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