8
Mar, 2026
Mike Gotthard/Gergo Borlai Group

MIKE GOTTHARD/GERGO BORLAI Group | Modern Jazz Fusion (HU)

Mike Gotthard/Gergo Borlai Group

Modern Jazz Fusion | HU

AVAILABILITY FOR EUROPE

2026/27 | Dates upon request (EU Resident band)

Line-up

Mike Gotthard | guitar
Gergő Borlai, Mohini Dey, Jesús Molina, Scott Kinsey, Al Di Meola, Gary Willis, Hadrien Feraud, Anton Davidyants, Kornél Fekete-Kovács, Dániel Szebényi

Martin Gudics | bass
Gergő Borlai, Frank Gambale, Boca Gambale, Tom Schuman, HAUSER, Péter Ferencz, Attila Závodi, Olivér Magán, Marcell Gudics

Erik Tempfli | keyboards
Bori Hegedűs, Petra Gubik, Dániel Görögh, Frankie Látó, Gergő Szakács, Dániel Szebényi, Dávid Kovács, Peta Lukács, Sándor Zsemlye

Gergő Borlai | drums
Scott Kinsey, Gary Willis, Jimmy Haslip, Hadrien Feraud, Nathan East, Bob Mintzer, Al Di Meola, Matthew Garrison, Scott Henderson

Style

A modern fusion quartet led by guitar, where Mike Gotthard’s blues-rock phrasing meets a broader, more fluid jazz grammar. The rhythm section of Gergő Borlai and Martin Gudics drives the project toward an elastic, sharply defined groove able to absorb odd meters without losing immediacy. Erik Tempfli completes the DNA with open harmonic thinking and a contemporary timbral palette: the result is music that is sensual in attack, brutal in energy, and always melodic in design.

Profile

Mike Gotthard/Gergo Borlai Group is the most compact and readable form of Mike Gotthard’s authorial language: a project built on original compositions that move through jazz, blues, rock, and funk without treating genres as fenced territories, but rather as reservoirs of accents, timbres, and dynamics. Around Gotthard’s guitar, the band works through contrasts: tension and singability, rhythmic precision and spontaneity, electric impact and harmonic breadth. Borlai brings international-level metric drive, Gudics holds the center with a mobile, reactive bass voice, while Tempfli opens depth and color through keyboards that can be both structural and narrative. The dominant traits are energetic articulation, a modern fusion harmonic vocabulary, tight interplay, and a clear live-performance vocation: not a simple all-star vehicle, but an ensemble with its own identity, recognizable for its balance of technique, groove, and writing.

Details

Mike Gotthard
A Hungarian guitarist and composer, he forms the expressive center of the project with phrasing that blends blues lyricism, rock attack, and jazz-fusion development. Official and critical sources describe him as an author more interested in musical narrative than in technical display, with a language built on melody, groove, and reciprocal listening. Within the band, he is the main vector of aesthetic direction: themes, dynamic shifts, and formal design remain readable even when the ensemble opens into improvisation.

“Misi is a real bomb of energy whose musicality can speak equally to rock lovers and jazz devotees.” (György Szentgallay, review of “Intellectual Brutality”, 2016-11-11)

Martin Gudics
A bassist able to move across fusion, songwriter-driven pop, smooth jazz, and high-intensity technical contexts, he brings rhythmic elasticity and structural awareness to the group. His role goes beyond support: he builds links between guitar and drums, keeps metric transitions fluid, and strengthens the groove element without weighing down the texture. Within the band’s DNA, he represents the pole of balance: precise, but always in service of collective musical unity.

“By now we can say with pride that Martin Gudics belongs to the elite of bass players not only in his country, but worldwide.” (JazzMa.hu, presentation of “BVDA”, 2024-04-17)

Erik Tempfli
A pianist, keyboardist, and Artisjus Award-winning composer, he brings broad harmonic thinking and a timbral awareness that avoids both mere filling and decorative virtuosity. His parts help define the group’s breathing space: pads, organ colors, electric piano textures, and modern comping become tools of architecture rather than simple color. He is the member who most clearly expands the quartet’s tonal horizon and reinforces its melodic-contemporary side.

“The natural lightness of his touch is in perfect harmony with his personality; his playing and musical humour evoke the very greatest.” (JazzMa.hu editorial, 2020-12-12)

Gergő Borlai
An internationally established drummer and composer, Borlai acts as an identity accelerator for the project: rhythmic precision, dynamic control, advanced fusion vocabulary, and the ability to make even the most complex metric turns feel organic. His presence transforms the ensemble from an author-led group into a band with strong performance traction. In the group’s DNA he carries weight both as rhythmic engine and as a marker of prestige: his signature is recognizable in the energy, the clarity of pulse, and the dramatic handling of climaxes.

“Gergo has become one of the most exciting up-and-coming drummers today and continues to be recognized with each jaw-dropping solo.” (Drumeo, 2022-08-19)

 

Biography

Mike Gotthard is a Hungarian guitarist and composer whose work bridges blues phrasing, modern fusion, and a strong live-performance instinct. Gergő Borlai, with an international career spanning hundreds of recordings and top-tier collaborations, brings world-class rhythmic identity and prestige to the ensemble. Together with Martin Gudics and Erik Tempfli, the group delivers a modern jazz fusion format built on compositional clarity, high-impact groove, and advanced interplay.

Discography

Mike Gotthard
Intellectual Brutality — album — 2016
9 Wheels — single — 2021
Flotation — single — 2024
The Electric Shock Live Session — EP — 2025
The Group Live Session — single — 2026
Sensual Brutality — album — 2026
LesMi — single — 2026

Martin Gudics
Ups & Down — album with Peet Project — 2020
Sweet Lemon — album with Peet Project — 2022
Global Warning — Oliver Zisko album featuring Martin Gudics — 2022
Hard to Say Goodbye — single with Dániel Szebényi and Gudics Twins — 2023
Sensual Brutality — album with Mike Gotthard/Gergő Borlai — 2026
LesMi — single with Mike Gotthard/Gergő Borlai — 2026

Erik Tempfli
Altató — song performed at A Dal with Bori Hegedűs — 2021
Anya — single with Bori Hegedűs — 2022
Unalmas felnőtt — single with Bori Hegedűs and Johanna Lengyel — 2022
ReStar — album with Kodály Spicy Jazz — 2025
Sensual Brutality live set with Mike Gotthard Group — repertory documented from 2024 to 2026

Gergő Borlai
17 — album — 1998
Sausage — album — 2004
M.M.M. — album — 2010
ARC Trio — album — 2018
The Missing Song — album — 2020
Burger Joint on Oxnard Street — single — 2023
Monster Pop — single — 2023
A New Normal — single — 2025
Sensual Brutality — album with Mike Gotthard — 2026
LesMi — single with Mike Gotthard — 2026

Quotes

“Misi is a real bomb of energy whose musicality can speak equally to rock lovers and jazz devotees.”
György Szentgallay | JazzMa.hu | 2016-11-11

“The natural lightness of his touch is in perfect harmony with his personality; his playing and musical humour evoke the very greatest.”
JazzMa.hu editorial | 2020-12-12

“By now we can say with pride that Martin Gudics belongs to the elite of bass players not only in his country, but worldwide.”
JazzMa.hu editorial | 2024-04-17

“Gergo has become one of the most exciting up-and-coming drummers today and continues to be recognized with each jaw-dropping solo.”
Drumeo | 2022-08-19

Reviews

Gotthárd Mihály: Intellectual Brutality / JazzMa.hu / György Szentgallay / 2016-11-11

Katartikus elektrosokk Solymáron / JazzMa.hu / Géza Barcsik / 2020-09-15

‘I meet new inspirations almost every day’ / Secret Eclectic / 2021-03-16

Lamantin Jazz Fesztivál szerda / JazzMa.hu / László Czika / 2025-07-04

WHATS GOING ON

13
Feb, 2026
CONFLUENCE TRIO ft. Alessandro Napolitano, Bill O’Connell & Dany Noel | Contemporary Latin Jazz (IT/US/CU)

CONFLUENCE TRIO ft. ALESSANDRO NAPOLITANO, BILL O’CONNELL & DANY NOEL | Contemporary Latin Jazz (IT/US/CU)

CONFLUENCE TRIO

ft. Alessandro Napolitano, Bill O’Connell & Dany Noel

Contemporary Latin Jazz (IT/US/CU)

AVAILABILITY FOR EUROPE

2026 | TBA

Line-up

Alessandro Napolitano | Drums
Dennis Chambers, Virgil Donati, Jerry Bergonzi, Joey DeFrancesco, Eric Marienthal, Fabrizio Bosso, Rosario Giuliani.

Bill O’Connell | Piano
Mongo Santamaría, Jerry González / Fort Apache Band, Dave Valentin, Paquito D’Rivera; collaborations also include Chet Baker and Gato Barbieri.

Dany Noel | Electric Bass & Vocals
Pino Daniele, Paolo Fresu, Omara Portuondo, Vicente Amigo.

Style

A groove-forward, drummer-led trio where Afro‑Cuban clave and Brazilian pulse meet contemporary jazz harmony—odd meters, polymetric turns, and lyrical improvisation.

Overall profile 

Italian drummer/composer Alessandro Napolitano convenes a transatlantic meeting point in Confluence Trio, pairing New York Latin‑jazz authority Bill O’Connell with Cuban bassist/vocalist Dany Noel. The debut album Beyond Borders (Soundiva; available 2025-12-01 in digital and physical formats) frames seven originals and three reimagined standards as a single narrative arc: odd‑meter themes, conversational polyrhythms, and open improvisation that never abandons melody.

The band DNA is Rhythm/Groove first (clave awareness, tumbao/montuno as engines, metric elasticity), with a post‑bop/Latin harmonic palette (extended voicings, modal color, chromatic side‑steps) and a clear division of roles: drums as narrative architect, piano as rhythmic-harmonic driver, bass/voice as melodic anchor. The result is a compact, high-impact trio sound designed for audiences who want both danceable momentum and modern-jazz depth.

Member details

Alessandro Napolitano — Drums
• Leads the trio as composer and form-shaper, foregrounding odd meters and polymetric design as expressive tools.
• Beyond Borders blends jazz, Afro‑Cuban jazz, Brazilian Latin-jazz and fusion with an emphasis on rhythmic architecture and collective interplay.
• Direction from the kit is “compositional”: cueing dynamics, re‑framing sections, and keeping the narrative arc in focus.
(“A record marked by a broad, skillful use of odd meters, polymeters and polyrhythms.” — Stefano Dentice, Sound Contest, 2025-12-02)

Bill O’Connell — Piano
• A key New York voice in Latin jazz: montuno fluency, post‑bop clarity, and a pianist’s ability to steer the groove from inside the harmony.
• Longstanding work across the Latin‑jazz continuum (including Dave Valentin, Jerry González and Mongo Santamaría) informs the trio’s rhythmic confidence.
• In Confluence Trio, his touch moves from percussive engine to luminous colorist, shaping transitions and harmonic perspective.
(“His signal contributions to Latin jazz with Dave Valentin, Jerry Gonzalez and Mongo Santamaria are familiar to devotees.” — Richard J. Salvucci, All About Jazz, 2023-08-19)

Dany Noel — Electric Bass & Vocals
• Cuban-born, Madrid-based bassist/vocalist with deep roots in Afro‑Latin forms and a flexible modern time-feel.
• Singing bass tone and vocal presence add a song‑centered layer to the trio’s explorations (voice featured on selected tracks).
• Functions as both anchor and catalyst: locking tumbao, opening melodic counterlines, and coloring the texture with voice.
(“Noel was ripping through a fast solo while simultaneously vocalising it.” — Sebastian Scotney, London Jazz News, 2016-10-02)

Discography highlights

Beyond Borders — Alessandro Napolitano Confluence Trio (Soundiva)
• Availability: digital + physical from 2025-12-01.
• 10 tracks: 7 originals (O’Connell: “Alpha Alpha”, “Sitting Bull”; Noel: “Confluence”, “Despertar”, “Sullelgada”; Napolitano: “Mentality Disease”, bonus track “My Voice”) + 3 standards (“Bésame Mucho”, “Chan Chan”, “Summertime”).
• Produced in collaboration with Laboratori d’Arte (Soc. Coop.) with support from IMAIE (Bando Nuove Produzioni Discografiche 2024/2025).

Alessandro

  • 2000 — Berklee College of Music scholarship (as reported in multiple Italian press/bios).

  • 2012 — Curator/organizer of “Drum Day” events; documented as an active educator/scene catalyst in Southern Italy.

  • 2015 — Listed by Modern Drummer among “100 Best Drum Teachers in the World” (reported in Italian press/bios).

  • 2025 — Beyond Borders released with Soundiva (with Laboratori d’Arte) and supported by IMAIE’s “Nuove Produzioni Discografiche 2024/2025”.

Bill

  • Four-time recipient — SESAC “Jazz Writer of the Year” (award count stated in official bio and major press listings).

  • 2022 — GRAMMY nomination (Best Instrumental Arrangement) for a Latin-jazz retooling of “Chopsticks,” on Richard Baratta’s The Reel Deal.

  • 1977 — First major Latin-jazz break: joins Mongo Santamaría’s band (Latin-jazz/salsa NYC scene).

  • 1980s–2011 — Long-running role as musical director/keyboardist with Dave Valentín (recording + touring era documented in profile features).

Dany

  • 2004 — Co-founds ITALUBA with drummer Horacio “El Negro” Hernández (bassist, composer, arranger).

  • Mid-2000s — ITALUBA described in official/venue bios as GRAMMY-nominated for ITALUBA 1 (Best Latin Jazz Album).

  • 2006 — Debut solo album Mi Sentir (also as vocalist); presented at MIDEM (Cannes).

  • 2019 — ITALUBA Big Band project wins CubaDisco in the Jazz category (award listings for CubaDisco 2019).

  • 2020 — Laurus releases a custom “Dany Noel” signature bass model (endorsement milestone; reported in event listings/endorser pages).

  • Ongoing — Documented collaborations span Cuban roots and global jazz: Omara Portuondo, Celia Cruz, Roy Hargrove, Chucho Valdés, Bebo Valdés, Giovanni Hidalgo, Rubén Blades, Paquito D’Rivera, and others (multiple festival/venue bios).

BOOKING REQUEST
WHAT’S GOING ON

https://www.coralriff.biz/events/

3
Oct, 2025
Lage Lund 4tet ft. Danny Grisset, Orlando Le Fleming & Jeff Ballard | Modern Jazz / Post-bop (NO)

LAGE LUND 4tet ft. DANNY GRISSET, ORLANDO LE FLEMING & JEFF BALLARD | Modern Jazz / Post-bop (NO)

Lage Lund 4tet

ft. Danny Grisset, Orlando Le Fleming & Jeff Ballard
Modern Jazz / Post-bop (NO)

AVAILABILITY FOR EUROPE

2026 | Upon request (except March and May)

LageLund4tetEUlineup LAGE LUND 4tet ft. DANNY GRISSET, ORLANDO LE FLEMING & JEFF BALLARD | Modern Jazz / Post-bop (NO)
LageLund4tetEUlineup LAGE LUND 4tet ft. DANNY GRISSET, ORLANDO LE FLEMING & JEFF BALLARD | Modern Jazz / Post-bop (NO)
LageLund4tetEUlineup
previous arrow
next arrow

Line‑up

Lage Lund | Guitar
Wynton Marsalis, Ron Carter, Maria Schneider, David Sánchez, Mulgrew Miller, Seamus Blake, Bill Stewart, Eric Harland, Aaron Parks

Danny Grissett | Piano
Tom Harrell, Nicholas Payton, Benny Golson, Jackie McLean, Louis Hayes, Lenny White, Buster Williams, Russell Malone, Vincent Herring, Jeremy Pelt

Orlando Le Fleming | Bass
Branford Marsalis, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Antonio Sánchez, Ari Hoenig, Wayne Krantz, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Billy Cobham, Jimmy Cobb, Jane Monheit, Mark Turner

Jeff Ballard | Drums
Brad Mehldau, Pat Metheny, Chick Corea, Joshua Redman, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Ray Charles, Mark Turner, Larry Grenadier, Avishai Cohen, Danilo Pérez

Style

Lage Lund’s lucid tone and modern harmonic lens lead a quartet that favors lyrical clarity over rhetoric, while never shying from risk.
Grissett’s pianism streamlines advanced harmony into flowing narrative; Le Fleming sculpts supple, melodic bass lines with an elastic, contemporary pocket.
Ballard’s polyrhythmic imagination keeps the music airborne—grooves breathe, forms flex, and interplay remains the core engine.

Overall profile

The Lage Lund 4tet distills today’s post‑bop language into agile forms where melody, harmony and rhythm are negotiated in real time. Lund’s guitar—clean‑etched, occasionally shaded by subtle effects—threads singable motifs through harmonically saturated spaces. Pianist Danny Grissett balances chromatic voice‑leading with songful pacing, shaping progressions that invite contrapuntal dialogue. Orlando Le Fleming anchors with a springy, melodic time feel that can pivot from straight‑eighth textures to sinewy swing without breaking the line. On drums, Jeff Ballard ignites flexible grooves and conversational polyrhythms, teasing momentum rather than enforcing it.
The quartet’s signature lies in cantilena melodies over shifting harmonic planes, danceable pulse with micro‑metric elasticity, and a chamber‑like ear for space. Influences surface—Rosenwinkel/Metheny guitar lyricism, the interactive verve of contemporary NYC rhythm sections—yet the group’s voice is unmistakably its own: modern, lyrical, and designed for rooms where nuance matters as much as fire.

Member details

Lage Lund — Guitar. Lucid timbre, clean articulation and an ear for long‑line melody. Uses contemporary harmonic palettes—upper‑structure triads, modal shifts, oblique voice‑leading—without losing song form. Interplay‑driven phrasing; effects used as color, not crutch.
“Lund is a highly original guitarist… his subtle, distinctive voicings shimmer.” (Francois van de Linde, Jazz Journal, 2019‑07‑19)

Danny Grissett — Piano. Idiomatic post‑bop refined by European clarity; chordal economy and linear storytelling. Harmonic vocabulary is colorful yet unsaturated; rhythmic design evolves organically within forms.
“Melodies are well‑shaped, harmonies are colorful but never overcrowded… tunes play like miniature suites.” (Nolan DeBuke, The Jazz Word, 2025‑06‑11)

Orlando Le Fleming — Bass. Focused core sound, melodic counter‑lines and tensile groove. Alternates oak‑solid walking with lithe straight‑eighth ostinatos; fluent in odd‑meter subdivisions and funk inflections.
“Intelligent rhythmic grooves with imaginative, multi‑faceted compositions and arrangements.” (Ian Mann, The Jazz Mann, 2024‑12‑31)

Jeff Ballard — Drums. Orchestrates momentum with layered textures, brushcraft and dancing polyrhythms. Shapes forms dynamically—pushing, suspending, then releasing—while keeping the pocket elastic and breathable.
“A charged trio leader and ‘Album of the Year’ contender—Ballard’s rhythmic core makes the music compelling.” (Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz, 2014‑02‑05)

Discography highlights

Lage Lund — Most Peculiar (Criss Cross, 2023); Terrible Animals (Criss Cross, 2019); Idlewild (Criss Cross, 2015).
Danny Grissett — Travelogue (Savant, 2025); Remembrance (Savant, 2017); Form (Criss Cross, 2009).
Orlando Le Fleming — Romantic Funk: Wandering Talk (Whirlwind, 2024); Romantic Funk: The Unfamiliar (Whirlwind, 2020); Romantic Funk (OLF, 2017).
Jeff Ballard — Time’s Tales (Okeh, 2014); co‑leader Fly (ECM, various) and extensive sideman work with Brad Mehldau, Mark Turner.

Band DNA

Timbre/Articulation: guitar clarity with soft‑saturation hues; piano legato with crisp attacks; rounded, centered bass; cymbal‑led drum spectrum.
Technique/Idiomatic: contemporary jazz syntax; elastic time; subtle effects orchestration.
Harmonic Vocabulary: modal interchange, chromatic voice‑leading, extended tertian stacks; melody‑first resolution.
Rhythm/Groove: swing ↔ straight‑eighth continuum; polyrhythms (3‑over‑2, 5‑over‑4) inside a steady macro‑pulse.
Interplay/Roles: melody in the middle register (guitar/piano), bass as co‑melodist; drums shape form via density and register.
Influences/Schools: NYC post‑bop, chamber‑jazz interplay, Rosenwinkel/Metheny lineage, contemporary rhythm‑section craft.

Members Quotes

Lage Lund

  1. “This subtly inventive record is finely balanced between the driving force of Sorey and Brewer’s rhythm and the sensitivity of Lund’s guitar.” — James Read, UK Vibe, 2023‑10‑10.
    https://ukvibe.org/album_reviews/lage-lund-4/

  2. “A trio to behold… Hidden depths reveal themselves.” — Mike Gates, UK Vibe, 2023‑10‑07.
    https://ukvibe.org/album_reviews/lage-lund-3/

  3. “The provocative music is marked by a variety of musical and emotional contrasts.” — Philip Booth, JazzTimes, 2019‑05‑26 (updated 2024‑09‑03).
    https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/lage-lund-terrible-animals/

  4. “As a player of depth and melodic flair, he is already up there with the best.” — Cormac Larkin, The Irish Times, 2015‑04‑16.
    https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/lage-lund-idlewild-album-review-1.2178193

  5. “The track is slow and spacious, giving Lund plenty of opportunity to explore melody.” — Andrew Luhn, All About Jazz, 2015‑03‑14.
    https://www.allaboutjazz.com/idlewild-lage-lund-criss-cross-review-by-andrew-luhn

Mark Turner

  1. “The American saxophonist’s ace quartet rise to the challenge of his demanding compositions with real flair.” — Dave Gelly, The Guardian, 2022‑04‑09.
    https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/apr/09/mark-turner-return-from-the-stars-review-jason-palmer-joe-martin-jonathan-pinson

  2. “After eight years, Return from the Stars is—most resoundingly—a worthy successor to Lathe of Heaven.” — Graham Spry, UK Jazz News, 2022‑03‑21.
    https://ukjazznews.com/mark-turner-return-from-the-stars/

  3. “All eight tracks were written by Turner… the absence of a piano places the focus on his tenor and Palmer’s trumpet.” — Brian Payne, Jazz Journal, 2022‑05‑29.
    https://jazzjournal.co.uk/2022/05/29/mark-turner-return-from-the-stars/

  4. “He demonstrates versatility and depth as a writer.” — Christian Carey, Sequenza21, 2022‑05‑22.
    https://www.sequenza21.com/2022/05/mark-turner-return-from-the-stars-cd-review/

  5. “An exploratory, evocative journey… with spatial quality that puts the focus on interplay.” — Jim Hynes, Glide Magazine, 2022‑03‑24.
    https://glidemagazine.com/272368/saxophonist-mark-turner-leads-an-exploratory-evocative-journey-on-return-from-the-stars-album-review/

Matt Brewer

  1. “Widely respected for the technical wizardry and wide musical scope he has brought…” — Ted Panken, DownBeat, 2020‑08‑04.
    https://downbeat.com/news/detail/blindfold-test-matt-brewer

  2. “With Unspoken, Brewer re‑affirms his status as a noteworthy bandleader and composer.” — Andrew Luhn, All About Jazz, 2016‑10‑09.
    https://www.allaboutjazz.com/unspoken-matt-brewer-criss-cross-review-by-andrew-luhn

  3. “First‑call bassist Matt Brewer has a new outing… Ganymede.” — Filipe Freitas, JazzTrail, 2019‑04‑25.
    https://jazztrail.net/blog/matt-brewer-ganymede-album-review

  4. “Players stay in their roles, but when they emerge from the ensemble, they burn.” — Thomas Conrad, JazzTimes, 2015‑03‑06.
    https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/matt-brewer-mythology/

Kendrick Scott

  1. “It is still a delight when an album like Corridors comes along.” — Will Layman, PopMatters, 2023‑04‑04.
    https://www.popmatters.com/best-new-jazz-february-march-2023/3

  2. “The formidable Corridors… carries on that spirit of interplay and common alliance.” — Mike Jurkovic, All About Jazz, 2023‑03‑10.
    https://www.allaboutjazz.com/corridors-blue-note-records

  3. “Highly recommended… a nine‑part suite born during lockdown.” — Chris May, All About Jazz, 2023‑04‑08.
    https://www.allaboutjazz.com/corridors-kendrick-scott-blue-note-records

  4. “Music is for a message.” — Kendrick Scott (interview), WBGO, 2023‑03‑08.
    https://www.wbgo.org/music/2023-03-08/music-is-for-a-message-kendrick-scotts-lifelong-quest-to-be-of-service-to-others-and-himself

  5. “A rubato set that majors on mood… with swing, bop and funk surfacing.” — Derek Ansell, Jazz Journal, 2023‑03‑27.
    https://jazzjournal.co.uk/2023/03/27/kendrick-scott-corridors/

  6. “Blue Note Spotlight: Kendrick Scott.” — Blue Note, 2023‑03‑03.
    https://www.bluenote.com/spotlight/kendrick-scott/

  7. “Blue Note Announces New Albums…” — uDiscoverMusic, 2023‑01‑21.
    https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/blue-note-2023-albums-ethan-iverson-go-go-penguin/

Reviews & Articles

Lage Lund

Mark Turner

Matt Brewer

Kendrick Scott

2
Oct, 2025
Lage Lund 4tet ft. Mark Turner, Matt Brewer & Kendrick Scott | Modern Jazz / Post-bop (NO)

LAGE LUND 4tet ft. MARK TURNER, MATT BREWER & KENDRICK SCOTT | Modern Jazz / Post-bop (NO)

Lage Lund 4tet

ft. Mark Turner, Matt Brewer & Kendrick Scott
Modern Jazz / Post-bop (NO)

AVAILABILITY FOR EUROPE

2026 | MARCH and MAY

Line‑up

Lage Lund | Guitar
Wynton Marsalis, Ron Carter, Maria Schneider, David Sánchez, Mulgrew Miller, Seamus Blake, Bill Stewart, Eric Harland, Aaron Parks

Mark Turner | Saxophone
Kurt Rosenwinkel, Brad Mehldau, Billy Hart, Tom Harrell, Enrico Rava, Jeff Ballard, Larry Grenadier, Ethan Iverson, Avishai Cohen, Paul Motian

Matt Brewer | Bass
Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Lee Konitz, Steve Coleman, Vijay Iyer, Antonio Sánchez, Mark Turner, Tigran Hamasyan, Tyshawn Sorey, Terence Blanchard, David Sánchez

Kendrick Scott | Drums
Herbie Hancock, Terence Blanchard, Pat Metheny, Charles Lloyd, The Crusaders, Joe Lovano, Roy Hargrove, David Sanborn, Dianne Reeves, Robert Glasper, Kenny Garrett, Kurt Rosenwinkel

Style

A lucid, lyrical guitar voice shapes chord‑light architectures where melody and counterpoint do the harmonic lifting.
An elastic rhythm team—Brewer/Scott—keeps the floor buoyant, balancing flow, color and pulse.
Turner’s tensile lines thread through the textures, amplifying the band’s modern, quietly fearless poetry.

Overall profile

The Lage Lund 4tet distills contemporary jazz language into something lean, melodic and quietly daring. Lund’s guitar favors clarity of attack and long, vocal arcs; he often lets voice‑leading, not density, set the harmony. Around him, Matt Brewer’s resonant bass designs anchor and reframe the changes while Kendrick Scott’s dynamic cymbal language and micro‑metric phrasing give the music lift without weight. Mark Turner’s tenor extends the quartet’s contrapuntal logic—focused tone, long lines and subtle rhythmic displacements—so themes can bloom in negative space as much as in unison. Across the axes of timbre/articulation, harmonic vocabulary and interplay/roles, the vector skews toward lyric precision, advanced but song‑aware harmony, and chamber‑like balance. Weighted by the leader (0.5) and the distinct colors of the others (≈0.17 each), the project’s DNA foregrounds melodic narrative over sheer saturation: grooves breathe, forms invite spontaneous redesign, and the quartet’s sound lands where post‑bop lyricism, ECM‑tinged atmosphere and New‑York rhythmic acuity meet.

Member details

Lage Lund — Guitar. Clear, singing tone; phrasing that privileges melody, inner‑voice motion and dynamic nuance. On recent releases (e.g., Ashes, Most Peculiar), he blends trio transparency with elegant effects for textural lift. Interplay mindset: leaves air around motifs and lets rhythm color the harmony. (“This subtly inventive record is finely balanced between the driving force of Sorey and Brewer’s rhythm and the sensitivity of Lund’s guitar.” — James Read, UK Vibe, 2023‑10‑10)

Mark Turner — Tenor Saxophone. Dry‑focused timbre, long‑line architecture, and contrapuntal clarity; favors chord‑sparse settings where line equals harmony. Roles oscillate between shadow‑melody, canonic counterline and tensile solo flights; rhythmic feel: patient, metrically slippery. (“The American saxophonist’s ace quartet rise to the challenge of his demanding compositions with real flair.” — Dave Gelly, The Guardian, 2022‑04‑09)

Matt Brewer — Bass. Grounded, resonant sound with a composer’s sense of contour; sophisticated harmonic vocabulary and exact intonation. Works as anchor and co‑architect—pivoting the groove, setting knots of counterpoint, and opening form. (“Widely respected for the technical wizardry and wide musical scope he has brought to a panoply of sideman engagements.” — Ted Panken, DownBeat, 2020‑08‑04)

Kendrick Scott — Drums. A big dynamic window, shapely ride‑cymbal logic and orchestrated independence. In chord‑light formats (Corridors), he paints harmony with touch and register; groove ethos: elastic, song‑first, deeply interactive. (“It is still a delight when an album like Corridors comes along.” — Will Layman, PopMatters, 2023‑04‑04)

Discography highlights

Lage Lund — Ashes (JMI, 2023); Most Peculiar (Criss Cross, 2023); Terrible Animals (Criss Cross, 2019).
Mark Turner — Return from the Stars (ECM, 2022); Lathe of Heaven (ECM, 2014).
Matt Brewer — Ganymede (Criss Cross, 2019); Unspoken (Criss Cross, 2016); Mythology (Criss Cross, 2014).
Kendrick Scott — Corridors (Blue Note, 2023); A Wall Becomes a Bridge (Blue Note, 2019).

Members Quotes

Lage Lund

  1. “This subtly inventive record is finely balanced between the driving force of Sorey and Brewer’s rhythm and the sensitivity of Lund’s guitar.” — James Read, UK Vibe, 2023‑10‑10.
    https://ukvibe.org/album_reviews/lage-lund-4/

  2. “A trio to behold… Hidden depths reveal themselves.” — Mike Gates, UK Vibe, 2023‑10‑07.
    https://ukvibe.org/album_reviews/lage-lund-3/

  3. “The provocative music is marked by a variety of musical and emotional contrasts.” — Philip Booth, JazzTimes, 2019‑05‑26 (updated 2024‑09‑03).
    https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/lage-lund-terrible-animals/

  4. “As a player of depth and melodic flair, he is already up there with the best.” — Cormac Larkin, The Irish Times, 2015‑04‑16.
    https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/lage-lund-idlewild-album-review-1.2178193

  5. “The track is slow and spacious, giving Lund plenty of opportunity to explore melody.” — Andrew Luhn, All About Jazz, 2015‑03‑14.
    https://www.allaboutjazz.com/idlewild-lage-lund-criss-cross-review-by-andrew-luhn

Mark Turner

  1. “The American saxophonist’s ace quartet rise to the challenge of his demanding compositions with real flair.” — Dave Gelly, The Guardian, 2022‑04‑09.
    https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/apr/09/mark-turner-return-from-the-stars-review-jason-palmer-joe-martin-jonathan-pinson

  2. “After eight years, Return from the Stars is—most resoundingly—a worthy successor to Lathe of Heaven.” — Graham Spry, UK Jazz News, 2022‑03‑21.
    https://ukjazznews.com/mark-turner-return-from-the-stars/

  3. “All eight tracks were written by Turner… the absence of a piano places the focus on his tenor and Palmer’s trumpet.” — Brian Payne, Jazz Journal, 2022‑05‑29.
    https://jazzjournal.co.uk/2022/05/29/mark-turner-return-from-the-stars/

  4. “He demonstrates versatility and depth as a writer.” — Christian Carey, Sequenza21, 2022‑05‑22.
    https://www.sequenza21.com/2022/05/mark-turner-return-from-the-stars-cd-review/

  5. “An exploratory, evocative journey… with spatial quality that puts the focus on interplay.” — Jim Hynes, Glide Magazine, 2022‑03‑24.
    https://glidemagazine.com/272368/saxophonist-mark-turner-leads-an-exploratory-evocative-journey-on-return-from-the-stars-album-review/

Matt Brewer

  1. “Widely respected for the technical wizardry and wide musical scope he has brought…” — Ted Panken, DownBeat, 2020‑08‑04.
    https://downbeat.com/news/detail/blindfold-test-matt-brewer

  2. “With Unspoken, Brewer re‑affirms his status as a noteworthy bandleader and composer.” — Andrew Luhn, All About Jazz, 2016‑10‑09.
    https://www.allaboutjazz.com/unspoken-matt-brewer-criss-cross-review-by-andrew-luhn

  3. “First‑call bassist Matt Brewer has a new outing… Ganymede.” — Filipe Freitas, JazzTrail, 2019‑04‑25.
    https://jazztrail.net/blog/matt-brewer-ganymede-album-review

  4. “Players stay in their roles, but when they emerge from the ensemble, they burn.” — Thomas Conrad, JazzTimes, 2015‑03‑06.
    https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/matt-brewer-mythology/

Kendrick Scott

  1. “It is still a delight when an album like Corridors comes along.” — Will Layman, PopMatters, 2023‑04‑04.
    https://www.popmatters.com/best-new-jazz-february-march-2023/3

  2. “The formidable Corridors… carries on that spirit of interplay and common alliance.” — Mike Jurkovic, All About Jazz, 2023‑03‑10.
    https://www.allaboutjazz.com/corridors-blue-note-records

  3. “Highly recommended… a nine‑part suite born during lockdown.” — Chris May, All About Jazz, 2023‑04‑08.
    https://www.allaboutjazz.com/corridors-kendrick-scott-blue-note-records

  4. “Music is for a message.” — Kendrick Scott (interview), WBGO, 2023‑03‑08.
    https://www.wbgo.org/music/2023-03-08/music-is-for-a-message-kendrick-scotts-lifelong-quest-to-be-of-service-to-others-and-himself

  5. “A rubato set that majors on mood… with swing, bop and funk surfacing.” — Derek Ansell, Jazz Journal, 2023‑03‑27.
    https://jazzjournal.co.uk/2023/03/27/kendrick-scott-corridors/

  6. “Blue Note Spotlight: Kendrick Scott.” — Blue Note, 2023‑03‑03.
    https://www.bluenote.com/spotlight/kendrick-scott/

  7. “Blue Note Announces New Albums…” — uDiscoverMusic, 2023‑01‑21.
    https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/blue-note-2023-albums-ethan-iverson-go-go-penguin/

Reviews & Articles

Lage Lund

Mark Turner

Matt Brewer

Kendrick Scott

27
May, 2025
Bobby Sparks

BOBBY SPARKS II | Fusion Jazz (USA)

BOBBY SPARKS II

AVAILABILITY FOR EUROPE
2026 | OCTOBER 27th TO NOVEMBER 15th

2027 | MAY
ITALIAN EXCLUSIVE

Bobby1 BOBBY SPARKS II | Fusion Jazz (USA)
Bobby1 BOBBY SPARKS II | Fusion Jazz (USA)
Bobby1
previous arrow
next arrow

Bobby Sparks II | Jazz-Funk / Fusion | USA

Line-up

Bobby Sparks II | keys
Snarky Puppy, Prince, Herbie Hancock, Ray Charles, Nelly Furtado, Marcus Miller, Kirk Franklin, St. Vincent, Tower of Power, Lizz Wright

Jay McK / Justin “Jay Mack” McKinney | bass
Ghost-Note, Erykah Badu, Kirk Franklin, MonoNeon, Chaka Khan, Fred Hammond, Bobby Brown, Liv Warfield, Bobby Sparks II, GLOW

Keith Anderson | sax
Roy Hargrove, Marcus Miller, Les McCann, Erykah Badu, Kirk Franklin, Kanye West, Prince, Paul Jackson Jr., Bobby Sparks II, The RH Factor

Cam Lee | guitar
Nile Rodgers, Musiq Soulchild, Bobby Sparks II

DeAnthony McGee | EWI
Bobby Sparks II, Kirk Franklin, Michael McDonald, Joe Sample, Snarky Puppy

Adarian Roberts | drums
Bobby Sparks II, Tye Tribbett, Kirk Franklin, Anita Baker, The Crusaders, D’Angelo

Style

Vintage-key funk, gospel harmony and Texas jazz-fusion pressure, led from a fortress of organs, synths, Rhodes and Clavinet.

A rhythm section built for deep pocket, elastic backbeat and sudden gear-shifts, with bass and drums pushing the band toward body-level impact.

Sax, guitar and EWI expand the music into a high-voltage Black American continuum: blues, church, fusion, soul, hip-hop, funk opera.

Profile

Bobby Sparks II’s live project is not a keyboard showcase with accompaniment: it is a pressure system of groove, church harmony, jazz freedom and analog electricity. Sparks leads from the center, shaping Hammond, Rhodes, Clavinet, synths and sound-design into a dense orchestral field, while Jay McK and Adarian Roberts keep the music physical, flexible and dangerous. Keith Anderson brings the Roy Hargrove/RH Factor lineage into the front line, Cam Lee adds clipped funk guitar and R&B color, and DeAnthony McGee’s EWI opens a synthetic horn register that suits Sparks’ futuristic vocabulary. The result is a band that treats funk as architecture: heavy in the pocket, open in form, saturated in timbre, and built for improvisation without losing the body.

Details

Bobby Sparks II | keys. Leader, composer and producer, Sparks is the project’s harmonic and timbral engine. His language connects gospel voicings, Texas blues, jazz-funk, Prince-derived funk, analog synthesis and orchestral sound design. Verified work includes Snarky Puppy, Kirk Franklin, Roy Hargrove’s RH Factor, Marcus Miller, Herbie Hancock, Ray Charles, St. Vincent and Lizz Wright. In interview, he has described gospel as the source of his harmonic ear and Prince as a decisive inspiration.

Jay McK / Justin “Jay Mack” McKinney | bass. Low-end anchor and groove stabilizer, Jay McK gives the band the rounded, syncopated floor needed for Sparks’ dense keyboard architecture. Public sources identify him with Ghost-Note and list collaborations or credits connected to Erykah Badu, Kirk Franklin, MonoNeon, Chaka Khan, Fred Hammond, Bobby Brown and Liv Warfield. His role in this project is to keep the pocket wide while leaving space for Sparks’ rhythmic displacements and left-hand synth-bass gestures.

Keith Anderson | sax. Front-line saxophonist with a Dallas/RH Factor profile, Anderson brings a vocal, blues-rooted horn voice into Sparks’ high-density funk. Verified associations include Roy Hargrove, Marcus Miller, Les McCann, Erykah Badu, Kirk Franklin, Kanye West and Prince-related contexts, with credits on RH Factor recordings. In the band, he works as a melodic counterweight: gritty tenor/alto phrasing, call-and-response energy and direct links to the neo-soul/jazz-funk language Sparks helped shape.

Cam Lee | guitar. The current French ticketing material identifies the guitarist as Cam Lee, while management material lists “Cam” with Nile Rodgers and Musiq Soulchild. In this ensemble, the guitar chair is functional and coloristic: rhythmic chanks, R&B glue, blues-rock bite and tight comping around Sparks’ organ and Clavinet. Because public documentation is limited, no additional collaborations are added beyond those verified in current project materials.

DeAnthony McGee | EWI. McGee supplies the band’s most explicitly electronic wind color. Sources list him as EWI player in Bobby Sparks II’s live band and connect him with Kirk Franklin, Michael McDonald, Joe Sample and Snarky Puppy-related contexts. His role is not decorative: the EWI extends the horn section into synth-like bends, vocal phrasing, pitch manipulation and futuristic solo textures that match Sparks’ analog-electronic vocabulary.

Adarian Roberts | drums. Roberts is the live band’s young rhythmic engine, documented in Bobby Sparks II line-ups and reviewed live as a strikingly focused drummer. Management and venue materials connect him with Tye Tribbett, Kirk Franklin, Anita Baker, The Crusaders and D’Angelo. His function is to make the band move: deep pocket, gospel chops, responsive accents and enough propulsion to hold long-form funk-fusion structures together.

Discography

Bobby Sparks II: as leader, Schizophrenia: The Yang Project (2019) and Paranoia (2022). Verified associated recordings include Roy Hargrove/The RH Factor’s Hard Groove (2003), Strength (2004) and Distractions (2006), plus Snarky Puppy-related credits including Culcha Vulcha and Immigrance as reported in artist/booking biographies.

Jay McK / Justin “Jay Mack” McKinney: verified public credits include bass on Bobby Sparks II’s Paranoia material and Liv Warfield’s “Edge” (2023). Touring/live documentation also places him with Ghost-Note and Bobby Sparks II. No leader discography was verified from accessible public sources.

Keith Anderson: verified discographic credits include Les McCann’s Listen Up! (1995), The RH Factor’s Hard Groove (2003) and Distractions (2006), plus Bobby Sparks II’s Schizophrenia: The Yang Project and Paranoia contexts. Public artist biographies also list his own releases Diversity and Let’s Roll.

Cam Lee: no principal leader discography was verified from accessible public sources. Current live documentation verifies his guitar chair in Bobby Sparks II’s band and management material lists collaborations with Nile Rodgers and Musiq Soulchild.

DeAnthony McGee: no principal leader discography was verified from accessible public sources. Current live and ticketing documentation verifies him as EWI player in Bobby Sparks II’s band, with listed associations including Kirk Franklin, Michael McDonald, Joe Sample and Snarky Puppy.

Adarian Roberts: no principal leader discography was verified from accessible public sources. Current live documentation verifies him as drummer in Bobby Sparks II’s band, with public listings connecting him to Tye Tribbett, Kirk Franklin, Anita Baker, The Crusaders and D’Angelo.

Quotes

“Gospel music got me into harmony.” — Bobby Sparks II; interview by Charles Waring; Soul and Jazz and Funk; 2019-04-05; https://www.soulandjazzandfunk.com/interviews/all-aboard-the-battlespark-galactica-bobby-sparks-ii-talks-schizophrenia-chilli-sauce-and-prince/

“I’m a student of all music.” — Bobby Sparks II; interview by Charles Waring; Soul and Jazz and Funk; 2019-04-05; https://www.soulandjazzandfunk.com/interviews/all-aboard-the-battlespark-galactica-bobby-sparks-ii-talks-schizophrenia-chilli-sauce-and-prince/

“He’s my biggest inspiration.” — Bobby Sparks II on Prince; interview by Charles Waring; Soul and Jazz and Funk; 2019-04-05; https://www.soulandjazzandfunk.com/interviews/all-aboard-the-battlespark-galactica-bobby-sparks-ii-talks-schizophrenia-chilli-sauce-and-prince/

Reviews

CD REVIEW: Bobby Sparks II – Schizophrenia: The Yang Project — London Jazz News; Rob Mallows; 2019-03-04;
https://londonjazznews.com/2019/03/04/cd-review-bobby-sparks-ii-schizophrenia-the-yang-project/
The review frames Sparks’ debut as a powerful double album of funk, jazz and fusion, praising the quality of the playing and collaborators while noting that a tighter edit would have made the work stronger.

Bobby Sparks II: Schizophrenia: The Yang Project — All About Jazz; Roger Farbey; 2019-03-19;
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/schizophrenia-the-yang-project-bobby-sparks-ii-delta-review-by-roger-farbey
Farbey presents the album as an extraordinary, genre-wide debut, emphasizing Sparks’ gospel and jazz foundations, the breadth of the writing and the large-scale Black music vocabulary behind the record.

Bobby Sparks II ‘Paranoia’ 3LP/2CD (Leopard) 4/5 — UK Vibe; Imran Mirza; 2022-06-17;
https://ukvibe.org/album_reviews/bobby-sparks-ii/
The review treats Paranoia as a grand, all-encompassing funk-opera project, connecting it to Sparks’ Snarky Puppy and RH Factor background and highlighting its broad palette across soul, funk, jazz, gospel, blues, hip-hop and orchestral writing.

Bobby Sparks II – Paranoia — Jazz Views; George Cole; 2022-10-12;
https://jazzviews.net/bobby-sparks-ii-paranoia/
Cole describes Paranoia as an ambitious, wide-ranging album with superb musicianship, noting Sparks’ affinity for 1970s synth technology, high-energy jazz-fusion workouts and a huge cast of leading players.