Nat Baldwin

Bassist Nat Baldwin launched his career by concentrating on improvisation and extended technique. His initial work immersed him in the East Coast improvisational network that featured a cluster of Wesleyan University players mentored by Anthony Braxton, yielding partnerships with Lavender, Jessica Pavone, and pianist Dan St. Clair. Baldwin sustained connections to the improvising world even as he began collaborating with pop and indie outfits. Those projects encompassed the sincere indie group Tiger Saw, contributions to albums by Vampire Weekend and Department of Eagles, and eventual full-time membership in Dirty Projectors. His solo releases frequently occupied the space between those spheres, encompassing split records with Deer Tick and the provocative Extra Life plus several proper full-lengths, numerous EPs, and limited CD-R editions. Standout entries in his solo catalog include 2005’s Lights Out, 2006’s Enter the Winter, 2007’s Most Valuable Player, and 2011’s People Changes. In 2013 he issued Dome Branches: The MVP Demos, a set of earlier recordings, and followed it in 2014 with In the Hollows and its minimalist string arrangements.