Last year, guitarist Lage Lund took a writing retreat at the Pocantico Center in Tarrytown, NY as part of his Jazz Gallery Fellowship. While nestled in the modernist Marcel Breuer house on the former Rockefeller Family estate, Lund found his thoughts gravitating toward the crises of American culture, alongside the natural beauty of his immediate surroundings. In an interview with Jazz Speaks, he spoke of his perspective during that time:

The idea is that so much of the fabric of our society seems to have torn, or has turned out to be in worse shape than we perhaps realized. That constant barrage of abuse our senses are subjected to—emanating from this one orange asshole—can lead to paralysis and inertia.In a larger perspective, so many things seem not good, pretty bad or terrible. So I think the need is to look to your immediate surroundings—the beauty of the people in your life—and draw strength from that. Otherwise, rebuilding the rubble just seems insurmountable. Kurt Vonnegut’s writing describes all of this so precisely and beautifully and, to me, he also represents a moral authority and voice of reason that is so sorely needed.

The writings of Kurt Vonnegut became the underpinning of Lund's Fellowship Project, which he called Rebuild the Rubble. With the help of vocalist Theo Bleckmann, Lund has shaped Vonnegut's words into a libretto that speaks to the present moment. This weekend, September 6 and 7, Lund reconvenes the full band for an encore performance. Don't miss this rare chance to hear Lund's deeply felt and timely music. Lage Lund presents Rebuild the Rubble at The Jazz Gallery on Friday, September 6, and Saturday, September 7, 2019. The group features Mr. Lund on guitar, Obed Calvaire on drums, Ben Street on bass, Micah Thomas on piano, Pete Rende on synthesizers, and Theo Bleckmann on vocals. Sets are at 7:30 and 9:30 P.M. each night. $25 general admission ($10 for members), $35 reserved table seating ($20 for members) for each set. Purchase tickets here.