New Album: Outer Reach

Picasso once said, "The world today doesn't make sense, so why should I paint pictures that do?"

That spirit guided the making of "Outer Reach," my new trio album with Brother Ruckus and Gary Johnson.

The project draws deep inspiration from Sonny Rollins' East Broadway Run Down—recorded in 1966 during a time of social upheaval, it was his last album before stepping away from the industry for six years. Rollins explained the piano-less trio format simply: "a drummer for the rhythm and the bass player for the basic harmony, then I had the freedom to do what I wanted to do."

In his notebooks, Rollins writes about being awakened by sound—how we exist within a constant din, and out of that noise, one sound will suddenly strike out and supersede all others. When that happens, the body becomes charged, consciousness sharpens, and you're ready to act. That's what we were chasing in these sessions: three musicians swimming in the din together, listening for those moments of clarity to emerge.

I finalized the compositions shortly before recording. There were no rehearsals—we learned the music on the session day and captured it fresh. That immediacy was the point.

I first met Brother Ruckus when he came to one of my shows—a drummer friend had invited him. Gary was on bass that night. Rodney sat in on piano and ended up playing with us through the sets. We tried to find time to record after that, but schedules didn't align. Nearly a year later, I stumbled upon him at a jam session in Oakland and we reconnected immediately. I had him on a few gigs of mine, and eventually we found the time to get in the studio. He's an incredible musician—a beast on both piano and drums—and brings something completely unique to the table. I'm grateful our paths crossed.

Gary and I have been playing together for years now. We first connected through Barrio Manouche—he joined the band a little after me—and since then we've worked together on many projects and live events. Gary brings something unique: a sound and a pulse from the earth, a spirit from the skies.

Without the harmonic safety net of piano or guitar, every note carries more weight. You have to listen harder, take more risks, and trust your bandmates completely. With Rodney and Gary, that trust was already there.

We recorded at Bird & Egg Studios in Oakland with engineer Nino Moschella. Seven original compositions:

1. North Side Walk Up

2. Dotted

3. Praise

4. Orti

5. Long Boat

6. The Outer Reach

7. Small Leap

"Outer Reach" comes out December 20. First single "North Side Walk Up" drops December 5.