Michael Sarian’s Live at Cliff Bell’s Vol. II Out November 21 on Shifting Paradigm

When trumpeter and composer Michael Sarian and his quartet walked onstage at Detroit’s storied Cliff Bell’s in spring 2023, no one—including the band—expected the performance to be recorded. By the end of the night, though, engineer Jon Georgievski had captured something remarkable: a group at the height of its creative powers, shaping music with intensity, empathy, and spontaneity.

That serendipitous session became Live at Cliff Bell’s (2024), an album praised by critics and named one of the best live recordings of the year by The NYC Jazz Record. Now, from that same unforgettable night, Sarian returns with a second installment: Live at Cliff Bell’s Vol. II, out November 21, 2025, on Shifting Paradigm.

The album features Sarian with his long-standing collaborators—pianist Santiago Leibson, bassist Marty Kenney, and drummer Nathan Ellman-Bell. Over years of touring, this lineup has developed a kind of musical telepathy, the ability to stretch and contract time, push each other into new territories, and respond to each shift with fluidity.

The repertoire on Vol. II highlights the quartet’s range: from the restless swing of Tomasz Stańko’s “First Song” to the meditative stillness of Sarian’s “Portrait of a Postman”; from the folkloric weight of Komitas’ “Dle Yaman” to the playful rhythmic twists of “Picklepuss Romp.” Each piece feels less like a performance and more like an unfolding conversation—sometimes tender, sometimes fiery, always alive.

Praised by All About Jazz for his “unique compositional and instrumental voice” and by DownBeat for his “endlessly renewable strain of lyric improvisation,” Sarian has built an international career defined by versatility.

Born in Toronto and raised in Buenos Aires, he grew up at the crossroads of cultures, a background that continues to shape his artistry. Now based in New York City, Sarian has appeared everywhere from Montreux and Kennedy Center to the Blue Note and Lincoln Center. His projects range from the intimate acoustic quartet heard here to the electro-acoustic group ESQUINA, which released its debut on Dave Douglas’ Greenleaf Music. He has toured globally not only with his own music but also alongside artists as varied as Bette Smith, The NYChillharmonic, and the Jonas Brothers.

Residencies at Art Omi, Millay Arts, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts have given him time to refine his compositional voice, but it’s onstage, in the charged space of live performance, that his music finds its truest expression.

The album’s opening track, Stańko’s “First Song,” pays homage to the Polish trumpet legend. Kenney’s commanding bass sets the stage, while the quartet honors Stańko’s fiery spirit with their own restless energy.

The mood shifts with Komitas’ “Dle Yaman,” an Armenian love song turned lament after the genocide. Sarian’s elegiac trumpet captures its sense of longing before the band flows seamlessly into “Portrait of a Postman,” a delicate, dreamlike piece inspired by Paul Motian’s trio aesthetic.

Elsewhere, the band flexes its adventurous side: the gritty swing of “Floating Sharks” channels Wayne Shorter, while “Regarding Kobe” offers a moment of intimacy and reflection, written in 2020 to honor Kobe Bryant’s passing. The set closes with “Picklepuss Romp,” a buoyant piece in 7/4 dedicated to Sarian’s brother’s dog, complete with second-line groove and playful exchanges that bring the audience to its feet.

Releasing two albums from the same night might seem unusual, but it speaks to the depth of material and energy this band brings to the stage. Vol. I offered a snapshot of a group in full stride; Vol. II widens the frame, revealing just how much ground they covered in a single set.

For Sarian, the recording stands as both a celebration of his quartet’s journey and a document of live jazz at its most vital: unpredictable, deeply personal, and grounded in the joy of shared creation.

Track Listing

1. First Song (7:55)

2. Dle Yaman (2:31)

3. Portrait of a Postman (6:33)

4. Trumpet Interlude (1:11)

5. Floating Sharks (9:13)

6. Regarding Kobe (7:10)

7. Picklepuss Romp (8:25)

Live at Cliff Bell’s Vol. II is not just a sequel—it’s an expansion, a second window into a night when everything clicked. With it, Michael Sarian and his quartet affirm their place among today’s most compelling voices in jazz, carrying forward tradition while carving out new paths of their own.