Patricia Brennan: Vibraphone Visions Of The Universe

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Today, we're putting The Tonearm's needle on vibraphonist and composer Patricia Brennan.

Patricia Brennan grew up in Veracruz, Mexico, playing salsa with her dad while listening to Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin with her mom. She studied classical percussion at the Curtis Institute, performed with Yo-Yo Ma and the Philadelphia Orchestra, then found her voice and career in jazz and improvisation.

Patricia's latest album, Of the Near and Far (Pyroclastic Records, 2025), takes constellations from the summer sky and turns them into music. She superimposes the circle of fifths over star patterns to generate pitches, then turns them into compositions that reflect a voice as unique as the compositional approach.

Patricia's ten-piece ensemble features a jazz quintet, a string quartet, and an electronic musician, all conducted by Eli Greenhoe.

Hot on the heels of her 2024 release, Breaking Stretch (Pyroclastic Records, 2024), which won Album of the Year and Vibraphonist of the Year in the DownBeat Critics Poll, Patricia talks about finding symmetry between the cosmos and composition, why she carries a telescope wherever she goes, and how ancient myths and modern astronomy shape her work.

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