Boston-based tap company
@subjectmattertap has made bold musical choices since its inception in 2015, choreographing to music by everyone from Fela Kuti to Herbie Hancock. But its latest offering, a studio album entitled “With Far Hand” (out now on music streaming platforms), features songs that no one has ever heard before. That’s because director
@ianberg67 co-composed and arranged them alongside drummer
@andresudol . The two met at the
@berkleeglobaljazzinstitute , where Berg earned his master’s in music in 2023.
Notably, Berg is the first tap dancer to graduate from
@berkleecollege of Music. But the Chicago native isn’t the first tap artist to produce a jazz album. It’s a genre that includes the legendary Baby Laurence’s 1977 record “Dancemaster,” and 2018’s “New Change,” by tap standout
@sourtaps . “With Far Hand” is Subject:Matter’s sophomore album, following last year’s “Songbook,” and also exists as a full-length show, in which Berg performs with longtime dance collaborators
@jaxxonclayton and
@samithajo .
Learn more at the link in our bio. 🎶
📸: Ian Berg in Subject:Matter’s “Blowout.” Photo by Bradley Wakoff, Courtesy Berg.
📝:
@ryancaseydance
#tapdance #jazzmusic #rhythm
Descriptions:
1) A male tap dancer performing on stage in front of a live band. His weight is in his left leg and his arms extend side. Text: Tap dancer Ian Berg Explores the Musical Potential of Tap Sounds in a New Jazz Album
2) Text: “I always wanted to make stuff that, if you could just watch it, it would be great to watch, and if you could just listen, it would be great to listen to. People go to concerts and they know all the words. Wouldn’t that be so cool if people showed up to a tap dance show and knew all the rhythms?” —Ian Berg, tap dancer and musician
