During two sold-out nights this February, Creative Assembly Cohort member Steve Lands debuted Rearranging the Planets. Experience the magic of this momentous presentation during a virtual premiere of the program on Wednesday, April 20, at 7 pm.

With his original composition, Lands uses Gustav Holst’s influential orchestral suite The Planets as a jumping off point to explore the varied relationships civilizations have had to the heavens over time. While Holst structured his suite—which premiered at the Queen’s Hall in London in 1918—around the Solar System and its Greco-Roman mythological namesakes, Rearranging the Planets casts a broader net to consider how societies around the world have looked to the stars. In the words of planetary scientist Carl Sagan, “We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.”

Featuring Shea Pierre; Alfred Jordan, Jr.; Xavier Molina; Max Moran; John Maestas; Gladney; Amari Ansari; and Cubs the Poet. With additional credits to Francis Wong, Camille Lenain, Meghan Stewart, and Amina Scott.

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Performance Credits and Performer Bios

Steve Lands Hailing from the city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Steve Lands has been swaying stages, clubs, bars, museums, houses-of-worship, and studios the world over for more than a decade now. He’s got the kind of skill that can only be gained from working with great artists from all walks of life. His experience ranges from shows with R&B/gospel Grammy winner PJ Morton; doing festivals with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band; and tours through Europe with Swiss pianist and composer Florian Favre to studio sessions with the Black Keys; jamming in DC with Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters; playing in big bands with Ellis, Jason, Branford, and Delfeayo Marsalis; and doing a tribute to David Bowie with Arcade Fire. Courage and care are his motivations for music and he’s got more than enough of both to give you a sonic fantasy.
Shea Pierre A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, Shea Pierre started his musical journey at the age of 4. He joined his family’s gospel group, the Williams Sisters, and began playing for various churches in the New Orleans area. He later attended the prestigious New Orleans Center of Creative Arts, where he studied with Michael Pellera, Chris Severin, Ellis Marsalis, and Jason Marsalis. While in high school, he toured parts of South Africa with the Batiste Brothers Band from New Orleans. Shea is a 2014 graduate of Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he studied jazz piano with Dan Wall. He continues to travel and engage in different projects throughout the Midwest.
Alfred Jordan Jr. Born in New Orleans in 1993, Alfred Jordan Jr.’s parents noticed the gift that was on their son. Growing up in church, gospel music played a huge part in molding him as a drummer. Alfred’s skill sprouted, awarding him a full scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music graduating with a B.A. Alfred’s love for music turned into his profession, landing his gig as the current drummer for Big Sam’s Funky Nation and has also been fortunate to work with Donald Harrison, Christian Scott, Nicholas Payton, Kent Jordan as well as his collective projects NwaSoul Project and Bignatiouss. Alfred is forever grateful knowing this is “for the love of music.”
Xavier Molina We have watched Xavier Molina grow as an artist since 2006 when he first picked up the trumpet. Xavier has blossomed into a singer/songwriter, drummer and trumpeter with a heart dedicated to making great music. Xavier has played with several independent bands in the New Orleans, Atlanta and Alabama areas, and never ceases to amaze the audiences anywhere.
Max Moran Max Moran is a Louisiana born musician and composer who has become a first-call bassist across several genres in New Orleans’ thriving music scene. Known for his versatility on electric bass, upright bass, and synthesizer, Moran provides a solid, soulful foundation to a number of classic and progressive bands. Performing since the age of thirteen, Max Moran spent over ten years as the bassist of jazz master Donald Harrison and has also shared the stage with artists such as Davell Crawford, Leo Nocentelli (The Meters), Bernie Worrell (Parliament/ Funkadelic), and Grammy nominees Christian Scott and Jamison Ross.
John Maestas Guitarist John Maestas was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico and is now based in New Orleans. He started his career first as a sideman to many inspiring contemporary young artists performing original music, while also accompanying and learning from New Orleans legacy artists who keep the traditions of their city’s music alive and thriving. He has become known as a versatile music producer working in studios writing, recording & performing songs for world-class artists including Christian Scott, Nicholas Payton, Jamison Ross, Wendell Brunious, MonoNeon, John “Papa” Gros, Elzhi, Nesby Phips, Fiend and many others. In 2016 he co founded the independent record label Bubble Bath Records with 3 other friends that helps to educate, elevate & empower over twenty young artists who need support in navigating the music industry. “The Dream Catcher”, the debut album from Maestas’ alt-rock band Juan Tigre, is music inspired by the iconic high desert imagery of New Mexico and imbued with the expansive folklore of the Southwest.
Gladney Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist and composer Gladney is a leading contemporary exponent of the saxophone. A 6th generation native of New Orleans’s Lower 9th Ward, Gladney has performed and traveled professionally since the age of 12. Along with his work with The Rumble and the Jake Shears Band (Scissor Sisters), Gladney leads his own self-titled band and is preparing to release his debut EP and album this year.
Amari Ansari Amari Ansari brings a fresh voice to the saxophone. The son of a gospel pianist, the Alabama native credits his earliest interest in music to southern gospel and the late Alabama jazz educator Dr. Frank Adams Sr. Upon moving to New Orleans in 2009, he was the recipient of the University of New Orleans’ Ellis Marsalis Jazz Scholarship where he would go on to graduate with a Master’s Degree in Music. This introduction to the Marsalis family led him to meet NEA Jazz Master Delfeayo Marsalis, eventually becoming a long time member of the Marsalis led band the Uptown Jazz Orchestra. With his feature on Marsalis’ 2019 release, Jazz Party , Downbeat Magazine called Amari’s style, “Hank Crawford meets Maceo Parker.”
Cubs the Poet Cubs the Poet has been writing poems since 1989. Later in life, he studied psychology in school and began thinking for himself. It wasn’t long before he decided to study life outside of the classroom. He began typing poems on a typewriter, in the middle of the French Quarter on Royal Street, in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is now an artist-in-residence at the Columns Hotel and his Poetraits blend portraiture and poetry.
Francis Wong Francis Wong grew up in the New Orleans area and escaped into art from a young age. He attended the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and attended the University of New Orleans studying fine art and film. Hurricane Katrina interrupted his college education but educated him on so much more in life. His work is influenced by the magical realness of life in New Orleans and Southeastern Louisiana. Through mixed media paintings, music and video,he uses art to help heal ancestral trauma and PTSD. His work is a unique hybrid of his Chinese heritage and his Southern and American upbringing.  Francis has Exhibited all over Louisiana, NYC, and Oakland, California.
Camille Lenain Camille Farrah Lenain is a French-Algerian documentary and portrait photographer who grew up in Paris, studied Photography at l’ESA in Brussels and at ICP in New York City (virtual). She relocated to New Orleans in 2013, where she teaches photography at Tulane University and works on long-term projects with a focus on empathetic portraiture, exploring the notions of representation, collective memory and plural identities. Her clients include : Rolling Stone, The New York Times, The Washington Post Magazine, T Magazine, The Bitter Southerner and Libération. Her photographs have been exhibited internationally, including at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Festival In Cadaques, Les Boutographies, PhotoVogue Festival. She was previously an Artist in Residence at the Joan Mitchell Center and Nunu’s Arts Collective.
Meghan Stewart Meghan Stewart is a musician, designer, and instructor currently residing in New Orleans, LA. She designs exclusively for musicians, understanding the connection between visuals and sounds. She’s designed for musicians such as Steve Lands, multi instrumentalist Mahmoud Chouki, singer and Berklee resident Cindy Scott, and others.
Amina Scott Amina Scott, born and raised in Oakland, CA, is an upright and electric bassist, composer, and arranger. Her interest in music began at an early age when her grandmother began giving her piano lessons. From then, her love and passion for music has yet to cease, playing electric bass at the age of twelve and was soon playing gigs with local bands in Oakland. In 2017, Amina joined the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra led by Adonis Rose. Now based in New Orleans, Amina leads her own band and she has performed with various artists including Dee Dee Bridgewater, Steve Turre, Wessell “Warm Daddy” Anderson, Nicholas Payton, David Murray, Jamison Ross, Joanne Brackeen, Herlin Riley, Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah, and more.

About Creative Assembly

Creative Assembly is a community engagement initiative by the New Orleans Museum of Art that uses neighborhood-based participatory art experiences as a vehicle for personal exploration, community collaboration, and social change.

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NOMA’s Creative Assembly community engagement initiative is supported by the Wagner Foundation.