🇺🇸/🇬🇧 “Word Out … takes its name from Rainer Maria Rilke’s observation that “most experiences are unsayable.” Even so, it’s a heck of a lot of fun when they can be played instead.”
🇫🇷 “Word Out … tire son nom de l’observation de Rainer Maria Rilke selon laquelle “la plupart des expériences sont inexprimables”. Néanmoins, quelle joie de pouvoir les entendre jouées à la place !”
Geno Thackara, All About Jazz
Albums
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Singles
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Band Bio
Led by pianist and composer Jim Funnell, post-bop/ethno jazz fusion band “Word Out” offers a repertoire of jazz compositions that revels in mixed breeds. Playfully blossoming through constant dialogue, their music draws from diverse traditions from around the world in a true spirit of celebration.
With Word Out, Jim has released three albums (Word Out, Spirit of the Snail, and Live in Japan), a reggae/jazz single (Lesser Vice) featuring dub activist Umberto Echo, won the Composition Prize in 2011 at the “Trophées du Sunside” (Paris), and toured internationally, appearing at festivals and venues such as ShapeShifter Lab, Rockwood Music Hall (NY), Paris Music Festival, Sunset-Sunside, Improphile, Baiser Salé, Jazz à Vanves, Jazz de Mars, Jazz en Touraine (France), SOMETIME Kichijōji, JZ Brat, Royal Horse (Japan), and the Malta Jazz Festival.
Inspiration from literary sources (Ellul, Kundera, Musil, Orwell, Saint-Exupéry, Mérimée, Sartre…) often pervades Jim’s music. In resonance with Rilke’s perception of poetry, jazz composition and improvisation are apprehended as ideal vehicles for infinite shades of emotion:
“Most experiences are unsayable, they happen in a space that no word has ever entered.” – Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet
A third studio album is currently in the works… In the meantime, Bitcorn Soup, a microtonal jazz fusion single featuring guitarist David Fiuczynski, was recently released (September 10, 2022). Enjoy and stay tuned! Word out.
Recent Videos
Press Quotes
“Jim Funnell’s Word Out’s melodious and playful neo-bop blends tradition with modernity.“
Bob Hatteau, Jazz à bâbord
“Jim Funnell … makes a convincing case for quality over quantity. A lot of living goes into making each of his works.“
Geno Thackara, All About Jazz
“This music is the singular result of a thorough reflection on rhythms, sounds, and colors.“
Guillaume Lagrée, Le jars jase jazz
“These young musicians (Word Out) are simply fresh, alive, curious, open-minded, joyful, and listening to their music does heaps of good.“
Guillaume Lagrée, Le jars jase jazz
“Led by Anglo-French charismatic pianist and inspired composer Jim Funnell, Word Out offers sophisticated yet accessible worlds.“
Basem Shalabi, L’Écho Républicain
SoundCloud Audio Playlist
Contact
jim@funnelljazz.eu
+1 929 229 9250 (US)
+33 (0)6 58 34 20 62 (FR)
WhatsApp, Skype (jimiroquai91), Zoom
“The mystery of the whole life has a great charm. … but when one wants to explain [ it ] words are not adequate.” – Hazrat Inayat Khan, The Power of the Word