About and press
A short kit for bookers, writers, and anyone who wants the story in one place.
Dreamroot is a band and musical collective from Durham, North Carolina. The core trio is Theous Jones (drums and percussion), Ittai Korman (acoustic and electric bass), and Joe MacPhail (piano and keyboards). Their performance style combines pre-written and improvised sections.
The band released Phases in May 2020, hoping to put out positive energy during a dark time; the album was collectively composed and arranged by the members. Leaf followed in 2022, recorded in the Catskills. Push, the first album recorded as a trio, arrived on streaming services in 2024 (and appears on Bandcamp as Sands).
The earlier records are collaborative projects with trumpeter Lynn Grissett and saxophonist and poet Serena Wiley, with additional vocals from Kerisha Roi. Video work also features vocalists Myk’l Hanna and Phinehas Nyang’oro.
“Durham jazz quintet DREAMROOT recently released an accomplished album, the intricate and energetic Phases.”
— Brian Howe, Indy Week, May 18, 2020
The understated engine room of Dreamroot is bassist Ittai Korman and drummer Theous Jones; their interplay is subtlety itself.
— Bill Kopp, Musoscribe, July 25, 2020, reviewing Phases
The previous website also attributed this longer line to Indy Week: “One of the distinctive strains of the Durham jazz scene, melding R&B forms with modern jazz solos that all fit nicely into the length of a longish pop song.” We have not independently located that original article, so it is presented here as it appeared on the band’s earlier site.
Credits
- PBS NC / North Carolina Museum of Art. Offstage Live: Music at the Museum, a 28-minute concert and interview. Livestreamed September 15, 2020; the PBS episode is dated February 12, 2021. Watch on PBS.
- DCJazzPrix finalist, 2020 DC Jazz Festival. Named as one of five finalists for the streamed festival finals on September 27, 2020, as reported by The Washington Informer and CapitalBop.
- East Coast rooms and festivals, including the North Carolina Museum of Art, NorthStar Church of the Arts (Leaf release, October 28, 2022), Reevestock, Sharp 9, and Shadowbox Studio (May 24, 2025).
The trio
Ittai Korman
Acoustic and electric bass
Ittai Korman is an upright and electric bassist as well as a music educator at Kidznotes and Dr. Bass Studios. Kidznotes is a music for social change program based on the El Sistema model of youth orchestras, originally developed in Venezuela. Born and raised in New York City, he currently lives in Durham, NC, where the members of Dreamroot met and came together to form the band. His mother is a contemporary classical pianist, and he grew up listening to many different styles of music, influences he still folds into his playing. Battling with chronic illness for a decade, music is his medicine.
Theous Jones
Drums and percussion
They say that music is the language of the soul, and nothing could be truer for this musician. An inspirational artist, Theous Terryel Jones has earned his reputation as a talented drummer, educator, clinician, and skillful performer. From live gigs to studio sessions and more, Theous continues to touch fans around the world with his distinct and enjoyable musical style.
Joe MacPhail
Piano and keyboards
Joe MacPhail is a keyboardist, drummer, producer, songwriter, and composer. Born in Durham, NC, Joe’s musicianship reflects a globalized ear, combining genres into a personal, emotive, uncompromising, and moving style. His playing lives somewhere in the continuum of Derek Trucks, D’Angelo, Flying Lotus, The Punch Brothers, John Hiatt, and Hiatus Kaiyote. He plays keyboards with Dreamroot, and is constantly inspired by the musical synergy found within.
