Sean McCann

McCann was born in California in 1988 in a small beach town called Goleta. He now resides in Los Angeles. He has been publishing albums since 2007, utilizing an array of instruments including violin, piano, & voice.

His first fully realized album, Music for Private Ensemble (2013), found the artist multi-tracking and performing dozens of layers of instruments and sounds to form a one-man orchestra. The logical follow-up album, Music for Public Ensemble (2016), lassoed in 30 other musicians to join in and puzzle together a 2xLP of lush chamber works, choral pieces, & text-sound compositions. Appearing on this album were Andrew Chalk, Ian William Craig, Graham Lambkin, Sarah Davachi and more.  Previous releases have been published on Root Strata, Aguirre Records, and Students of Decay.

Composition has been keeping McCann busy in 2018, premiering the ten-person ensemble work "Portraits of Friars" at Fylkingen in Stockholm, Sweden as part of Edition Festival. The piece toggles between ugly poetic recitation and courtly musical passages.  In 2017, he premiered "Vilon" for chamber quintet performed by the KYMATIC Ensemble in Moscow, Russia.  

In 2012 he formed the record label Recital, which has published dozens of LPs and books with an emphasis on new music, sound poetry, & sound art, examining the similarities and differences between the pastoral and the bizarre. Recent LPs showcase works by Daniel Schmidt, Charlie Morrow, Loren Connors, and Fluxus artist Dick Higgins.

"Saccharine Scores," McCann's new album, will be released on Recital in the fall of 2018. It holds four compositions, including the aforementioned "Portraits of Friars."  The CD is housed in a 130-page book, holding photographs, scores, and poetry associated with the pieces.  The first edition is numbered and signed, limited to just 200 copies.

Featured releases

Sequel to Sean McCann's heavy reggae/dancehall mix of 2020 which bedded the late Jean-Marie Massou's cave recordings under the likes The Summertaires, Barrington Levy and Freddie McKay. Vol 2 marries Caetano Veloso's sound poetry with the Jack Ruby Soundsystem, Horace Andy and The Wailers. Very much what we need to drag us into 2022 - thanks Sean. Sean McCann is a Los Angeles-based composer, sound artist, curator, and audio engineer. He concurrently operates Recital, a label dedicated to sound poetry, new music, and Fluxus archival recordings. In 2022 Recital will celebrate it's 10 year anniversary - congrats to Sean and all the artists who make it such a special label. We should say that we initially wrote to Sean asking him to contribute to our festive mailout with a mix, and we were a little slow with the idea - Silk House shared a brilliant choral / sound poetry mix he made in December. Definitely worth checking out after this. --- Barrington Levy - Mine Yuh MouthWailing Souls - Old BroomAugusto de Campos & Caetano Veloso - Dias Dias DiasFreddie McGreggor - BanduloIcho Candy - Selassie IAugusto de Campos & Caetano Veloso - QuazarCornell Cambell - Broken Hearted GirlDon Carlos - Infra Red DubAugusto de Campos & Caetano Veloso - PulsarTenor Saw - Roll CallSugar Minott & John Wayne - Jamming In The StreetLenox Miller - Better Must ComeCarlton Livingston - 100 Weight of Collie WeedHorace Andy - ElementaryHubert Lee - Pressure & SlideAngus MacLise - Humming In The Night SkullThe Wailers - I Need YouToots & the Maytals - Oh YeahThe Martinis - Second That EmotionIcho Candy - Where Do They PlayNoel Ellis - Marcus GarveyBarry Brown & Brigadier Jerry - ChaliceJack Ruby Soundsystem

The Games of the Leaves Vol. 2 – Sean McCann

Past events