Everything Sacred, Nothing Serious

"...a free spirit with a strong, personal voice who can make the double bass dance playfully and rhythmically."
Eyal Hareuveni, salt peanuts* (Norway)

With a wealth of wide-ranging experiences in jazz, classical and experimental music, it's no surprise that Seattle bassist, composer & vocalist Kelsey Mines' first recording in the modern jazz tradition would offer an interesting perspective, with evocative textures and surprising, inspired orchestrations. Between flutist Elsa Nilsson, trombonist Beserat Tafesse, pianist John Hansen, and Kelsey on bass and voice, melodic statements arrive in unpredictable combinations, creating a fluid momentum, helped along by the dynamic drumming of Machado Mijiga, with appearances from Danilo Silva on guitar and Jeff Busch on percussion. Rich harmonies and hard-hitting melodies are balanced by plaintive bass / flute duets or lush soundscapes, welcoming listeners into moods of reflection and peace. Produced with the assistance of her mentor, the renowned bassist/producer Steve Rodby, Mines has created an intriguing and special listening experience on this contemporary jazz debut.

"What makes her work striking is the tri-dimensional nature of her language. Mines is not just writing pieces for instruments to inhabit; she is layering strata of sound, her bass functioning as anchor and engine, her voice both narrative and instrument, her compositions serving as a connective tissue." Paris Move (5 STARS)

Production Info:

Produced by Steve Rodby & Kelsey Mines
Recorded December 8, 2024 by Floyd Reitsma
at Robert Lang Studio, Shoreline, WA
Assistant engineers: Robert Lang & Chris Rahm
Additional recording by Robb Davidson
at Avast!, Seattle, WA
Guitars recorded by Deangelo Silva
at Estúdio Gugastro, São Paulo, Brazil
Mixed & mastered by Andrew Munsey, Seattle, WA
Cover photo by Tiffany N. Tomkinson
Cover design & layout by John Bishop

Reviews of Everything Sacred, Nothing Serious

Paris Move (Thierry De Clemensat)
5-STARS It is always a rare delight to encounter a young artist whose debut album feels less like an introduction than a fully realized statement. Such is the case with Kelsey Mines, composer, bassist, and vocalist, whose first recording announces her not as a newcomer but as a force. She does not merely play music; she constructs an entire enviro ...

Seattle Jazz Beat (Paul Rauch)
There is a familiar tale in the Pacific Northwest that has been told many times over–a young, talented musician born and raised on the region's music scene, educated in area programs, who leaves to pursue their musical dreams in cities abroad. In jazz, that usually means a pilgrimage to New York and institutions such as Juilliard or the Manhattan ...