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Detroit-bred pianist and composer David Janeway has spent more than five decades developing a voice shaped by one of jazz’s most influential musical communities. Raised in the city’s deeply rooted jazz tradition, Janeway came of age in an environment where mentorship, groove, and collective spirit defined the music. As a teenager he encountered the music that would shape his life, hearing Oscar Peterson at Baker’s Keyboard Lounge and discovering The Creative Profile, a Coltrane-influenced ensemble led by trumpeter Marcus Belgrave. The experience redirected his musical path and placed him within a lineage of Detroit musicians committed to expressive individuality and creative freedom. His new release was recorded “Live at the Blue Llama” in Ann Arbor.
When three groove masters of modern funk and soul-jazz converge, sparks are bound to fly. “The Breaks” brings together guitarist Eddie Roberts (The New Mastersounds), drummer Stanton Moore (Galactic), and organist Robert Walter (The Greyboy Allstars)—three musicians whose collective groove has shaped the sound of contemporary funk for over two decades. Rooted in the tradition of late-60s organ trios and hard-hitting boogaloo, The Breaks pushes the sound forward with deep-pocket rhythms, tight arrangements, and fearless improvisation. Roberts’ sharp melodic guitar work dances effortlessly over Moore’s explosive New Orleans-infused drum grooves, while Walter’s signature Hammond organ tones tie it all together with grit and soul.
Also this week, the Reid Hoyson Project reconvened in Pittsburgh in the summer of 2024 to record “Home,” with guest guitarist Dan Wilson, best known for his work with Joey DeFrancesco; Minneapolis-based guitarist and composer Zacc Harris continues his exploration of American roots music through the lens of modern jazz on “American Reckoning”; and trumpeter and composer Rich Willey utilizes eleven top-notch Chicago musicians and the talents of arranger Wally Minko on “Laid Back Vol. 1.”