This is how it happened.
We, Wells and Noah, met several years ago while playing for various ensembles in NYC. We’d known each other for a couple of years till one day, while waiting for an artist to show up to rehearsal, we began to improvise spontaneously. After just a few minutes, we knew we had a special musical relationship, something which required further exploration. We had always enjoyed playing together, but that moment of one-to-one connection really opened a new door for us.
Another thing we discovered that day while chatting is that we’re both meditators. It was no wonder we had clicked on so many levels.
We thought, “What if we entered into a project of our own which bridged our meditation and love for improvising together? Something that would be an expression of that fusion. Couldn’t that benefit others as well?”
And so Love Rules was born.
Mark Egan on bass and Arjun Bruggeman on tablas seemed like the perfect addition to several tracks. Noah’s played with them in the Krishna Das band where they’ve bonded as friends and musicians. They’re both incredible people and players, and we knew they’d be a great fit for the album. Mark’s been a crucial part of groups like the Pat Metheny Trio and Gil Evans Orchestra, and Arjun’s played tablas with everyone from Belinda Carlisle to John Densimore of the Doors. We improvised most of the album, with some planned harmonic changes here and there. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did making it.
Love Rules is being released on our very own label, Blue Yarn Records- spreading healing music by mindful musicians.
A bit about Wells and Noah…
Wells Hanley
Wells has worn many different hats along his musical journey, working for periods of time as a rock drummer, a classical pianist, a jazz improviser, and a songwriter.
Along the way, Wells has collaborated with the giants of a variety of genres, including Dave Matthews, Wynton Marsalis, Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead, Tom Wopat, and Steven Lutvak. He established a vocal coaching and accompanying business in NYC which he still maintains today, helping singers from Broadway to amateurs to hone their creative voice through an emotionally empathic approach to accompanying and collaboration.
Although Wells has performed for audiences all over the US and Europe, recorded extensively, and worked as an arranger on Broadway musicals, he finds the deepest satisfaction sharing music in a one-on-one setting - improvising along side a dancer or storyteller, or sharing in a musical dialogue with a cellist or a poet.
In his new podcast, I Wrote this Song for You, Wells interviews people whose lives and stories have inspired him to write a song for them. He and his guests share stories, ideas, and often laughter and tears, and then they listen together as Wells plays their song for them. I Wrote this Song for You has been called "...a rare gem in the recent glut of new podcasts...", "...a uniquely wonderful work of art...", and "..."...full of love, as well as heart-wrenchingly beautiful."
Noah Hoffeld
Noah comes from a life in Classical music, but playing classical was never everything to him. Before graduating from Juilliard, he began pushing limits by bringing improvisation to the cello and asking questions that would move his career beyond the ordinary.
His musical life is varied, alternating performing his own music, playing featured cello for the likes of Renee Fleming, Philip Glass, and Natalie Merchant, and recording solos for films like The Skeleton Twins (with Kristin Wiig and Bill Hader), Experimenter (with Peter Saarsgard), and A Walk in The Woods (with Robert Redford and Nick Nolte). He is a regular band member for Krishna Das, “rock star of the yoga world,” where his commitment to the spiritual path finds expression in music.
Noah played solo cello on the 2020 Grammy-winning Best Jazz Album Finding Gabriel by Brad Mehldau.
On his debut album of songs, Play Human, Noah brings home a message of spirituality and human values. Baeble Music says the album "brings the best of classical music and modern rock to bear to gorgeous effect." And Music Existence says "Play Human is a masterfully executed work of art.” A new album is in production now.
A longtime devotee of yoga and meditation, Hoffeld believes in the power of reflection to create meaningful change, and takes to heart Gandhi's “Be the change you wish to see in the World.” As well as enjoying the benefits of yoga and the outdoors, Noah is a surfing novitiate at Brooklyn's Rockaway Beach.
photos by DJ Pierce