TEN STEPS: Folk meets Indian classical and spoken word in a transatlantic fusion | Dan Whitehouse/Max ZT
"Intriguing" "Gorgeous" The Guardian
"Meditative.. haunting… great musicianship" Maverick
Catch New York City’s Max ZT, aka the ‘Jimi Hendrix of the hammered dulcimer’ and Black Country/Tokyo singer-songwriter/guitarist Dan Whitehouse’s haunting blend of virtuosic instrumental, soulful song and spoken-word.
At once timeless and decidedly modern, the 'Ten Steps' album was recorded between New York and Tokyo. Max’s meditative dulcimer and Dan’s soothing vocal and spoken-word poetry meld together in a unique masterpiece of tear-stained impressionism.
Tackling subjects as wide-ranging as fatherhood, practising golf swings as a metaphor for life, the way the Japanese sunlight bounces off buildings “like God’s graffiti”, and the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Max ZT and Dan Whitehouse’s songs shimmer with restless inventiveness and draw you in with their irresistible intimacy.
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Interwoven spoken word with music and song, drawing on a shared belief in the healing power of music, and from multi-cultural roots and the magic of the present moment. Brooklyn’s celebrated hammered dulcimer player Max ZT, and Black Country/Tokyo’s dark, sophisticated gem - singer/songwriter/poet Dan Whitehouse - step out on their second live tour together.
The two stand-out musicians feed off each other’s unique creativity to present a stunning debut collaborative album, ‘Ten Steps’ - recorded partly remotely between New York City and Tokyo and completed with improvisations captured at their live gigs in 2021. They also bring pieces from their most recent solo projects: Dan with ‘Reflections On The Glass Age’ and Max ‘Daybreak’
Max ZT
“Jimi Hendrix of hammered dulcimer” NPR
“Force of Nature” New York Times
Dan Whitehouse
“lyrics that avert your gaze to the sky” BBC Radio 6
“Subtle and delicate melodies” The Sunday Times
