Arts Alive San Antonio

By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor —

Joël Dilley has the reputation for being “reclusive,” yet the virtuoso jazz bassist and composer is wide open to new ideas in music and beyond. Reviewers have long recognized his inclination – and ability – to tell stories through music and his newest project is a good example. Titled “Wall in the Desert” the music on the soundtrack EP – that is officially being released April 3 – is inspired by the arduous journey many Central Americans have endured in order to get to the U.S. border. All proceeds from streaming and digital sales will go to the Interfaith Welcome Coalition, an organization that assists the refugees and immigrants at risk.

“I first became aware (of the IWC) when San Antonio was getting the huge influx of asylum seekers dropped off at the bus station,” wrote Dilley in an email to us. “They were providing real-time needed help: meals, backpacks with supplies, diapers, showers, a place to stay overnight – necessities for maintaining human dignity. They helped decipher and translate bus schedules, getting people where they needed to go. And then, it turned out that we knew several people involved with the organization. So, I decided that the best use of this music would be to draw attention to and support that work.”

The “Wall in the Desert” composition consists of three parts, each focusing on a different stage of the journey, that can be experienced in terms of the actual situation that inspired the composer, or in terms of any difficult human journey. The first track features spoken parts and music dominated by a wailing electric guitar to convey anguish and pain, followed by the truly evocative second track that uses “a plaintive flute” to depict a sense of being lost and wandering. Listening to it, one can easily visualize a vast open space without road signs or familiar sights, as well as a sense of being suspended between the life you left behind and the uncertainty looming ahead. But the tone changes again on the final track with happier sounds that imply hope and “new beginnings.” Overall, the music has that New Age-y multi-layered sound, that speaks to the soul.

“My goal has always been to write music that could inspire thought,” said the composer.

In creating this soundtrack, Dilley played all the instruments involved: acoustic and electric basses, acoustic bass guitar, acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards, accordion, Celtic harp, drums, percussion.  And his wife, the acclaimed jazz singer/songwriter Bett Butler, sings on the title track.

“I set a musical environment, and then, improvise, and out of the improvisation I construct the piece,” he said. And later added: “It all starts with improvisation, though. Improvisation is just composition sped up, and composition is just improvisation written down. It’s all the same.”

Dilley has five critically-acclaimed albums to his name, including the “River of Hope” (2016), “Temple of Reflection (2017) and “A New World” (2018). Various tracks from these and other albums have been used by HBO, the Discovery Channel, Food Network, Animal Planet and others. He and Butler own and operate the Mandala Music production company and the record label Dragon Lady Records. They also continue to perform live in San Antonio and beyond.

Beyond San Antonio city limits, Dilley’s work has also been recognized by national and international organizations. His song, “Luz de la Luna” was nominated in the Best Jazz Song category at the Annual Independent Music Awards in 2011, and “Lullaby of the Flatlands” earned a nomination in 2014. In 2006, he and Butler won Best Jazz Song for “Love has left the Room” at the International Songwriting Competition (she wrote it, he produced it). In addition, Dilley is a recipient of a grant from the Artist Foundation of San Antonio, given to support the creation of original new work.

“Wall in the Desert” will be available on Spotify, Apple Music and Pandora.