About

A pallet is a modest bed made by hand from the materials that are at hand, and the music of Pallet of Leaves is an ode to simplicity and traditional craftsmanship. A variety of handmade instruments furnish sounds for songs fashioned of bits and pieces of language and rhythm, leaves fallen from ancient trees and gathered from near and far to make a nest for the listeners, where they can both lose themselves and find themselves strangely awake, aware, and at home. Some songs ask you to listen: others ask you to dance. But the attention always comes back to the curious cast of characters, an international crew with a collective spirit that invites the audience to join in, to sing, to forget the distractions of the day and to remember the deeper, older things.

Based in Berlin, the band was created by the husband-and-wife team of Nick Morrison and Maike Novák. Influences on the music are myriad, but the impact of traditional american and african music on Nick’s songwriting is clear and profound. To this duet of guitars, banjos, bongos and male-female vocals is added the voice of the alto-saxophone, played with warmth and tenderness by Felix Gibaud, and the colorful rhythmic palette of Joe Smith on percussion.