Two very personal albums from me early this year. It’s been nice to see so many of you out there as we play them.

Four Freedoms is about our freedom together as musicians and our freedoms as citizens of the world.

Transcend is a reflection on Ellington’s spiritual outpouring in his sacred concerts, with keys to the scriptures from visual artist Jack Whitten.

It means a lot to me to bring these albums into the world right now, and I’m grateful to the awesome people at Greenleaf Music for working so hard to ensure they’re exactly as they should be. Kudos to the team. Thank them when you get a minute.

Four Freedoms Quartet spent two weeks in Europe, playing Spain, France, England, Germany, and Belgium. The tour was with Marta Warelis on piano, Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten on bass, a first great meeting for me, and Rudy Royston on drums. Every gig was a highlight, ending with a beautiful night in Heist-op-den-Berg, Belgium (I know, I had never heard of it either!). Hnita Jazz Club has been housed there since 1955, and is run by the son of the original founder. What a trip! With old friends and new friends along the way, this band discovered new ways of playing the tunes every night.

Gifts Quintet with James Brandon Lewis, Tomeka Reid, Rafiq Bhatia and Ian Chang played our first release show at Big Ears in Knoxville, Tennessee. What a high! Thanks to everyone who was at the Bijou for creating such a special atmosphere, and thanks to Ashley Capps for shaping this massive festival that should be happening in every town in the country.

Transcend and the Gifts Quintet play the Village Vanguard from May 12 to May 17. Book your tickets now. This is the band’s first time in the legendary basement, and all four of these giants are playing the room for the first time (of what I’m sure will be many times). Come join us!

This wouldn’t be a newsletter without some updates about what I’m working on. I’ve written a song cycle with words by author David Hajdu and will be creating and recording it over the next few months. I’m also hard at work on my book – a memoir and philosophy of music that will be released by Equinox Publishing. Stay tuned.

Thanks for listening.
Dave