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Release Date: 14 November 2025
Label: Red Records
Packaging Type: Digipak
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 8054154650965
Genres: Jazz Contemporary
Description
There is something surprisingly natural, almost necessary, about the way pianist Jordan Williams presents himself to the world with this debut album. The title 'Playing by Ear' is much more than an aesthetic statement: it is a stance on spontaneity, deep listening, and reliance on emotion even before structures.
Featuring jazz standards such as Herbie Hancock's 'One Finger Snap', Horace Silver's 'Peace', Kenny Garrett's 'Ms. Baja', Mal Waldron's 'Left Alone', Kenny Kirkland's 'Steepian Faith', and buster William's 'Tayamisha', plus two original by the trio's bassist Nat Reeves, this is an auspicious debut with Wilson accompanied by seasoned musicians, including drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts and trumpeter Wallace Rooney Jr.
"Playing by Ear is a mature, courageous, vital debut. A record that knows how to look to the future without severing its roots. Jordan Williams plays with the soul and with the awareness of one who knows that before him the African-American idiom has already been shaped by change and revolution. And that is what makes this first step so promising. Because from here there's only room to grow." - Nicola Gaeta (from the liner notes)
Jordan Williams: piano
Nat Reeves: bass
Jeff "Tain" Watts: drums
Wallace Rooney Jr: trumpet (guest on tracks 1, 2, 3, & 4)
Recorded by Tom Tedesco, Paramus, New Jersey, April 2025.
Tracklisting
Art Pepper
Gato Barbieri
Gato Barbieri
Johnny Dyani
Joe Henderson
Gerry Mulligan
Nexus
Cedar Walton Trio
Howl Quartet
Fred Hersch Trio
Kerry Politzer
Vincent Courtois Trio
Mike Westbrook Orchestra
Harper Trio
Jordan Williams
Lafayette Harris Jr.
