Lesley Mok/Joy Guidry/Ka Baird - sounds by J.Mordechai

Lesley Mok (b. 1994) is a New York City-based percussionist and interdisciplinary artist who works in sound, installation, film, and theater. Interested in the ways social conditions shape our beings, Lesley’s work focuses on overacting humanness to explore ideas about alienness and privilege. Their work draws from queer and feminist art practices, Chinese philosophy, Afro-Cuban musical traditions, futurist perspectives, and ancestral knowledge.

Their ongoing explorations with composition and improvisation are most notably documented in their debut album The Living Collection, which features a ten-piece improvising chamber ensemble. The album, described as “an exquisite and stimulating work” by All About Jazz and “a singularly personal statement” by Jazz Trail Magazine, was named International Debut Album of the Year at the 2024 Deutscher JazzPreis.

In addition to their own practice, Lesley is a part of collaborative ensembles tombstar (Isabel Crespo Pardo, edi kwon, Zekkereya El-magharbel) and vehicle / passenger (Marc Alberto & Florian…