German-born, New York-based bassist and composer Jakob Dreyer unveils a vibrant new chapter in his musical evolution with Roots and Things, his third album as a leader and his most personal statement to date. Out November 14, 2025, via Fresh Sound Records (Barcelona, Spain), the album will be available in CD and digital formats worldwide.
Featuring an inspired quartet — Tivon Pennicott (tenor saxophone), Sasha Berliner (vibraphone), and Kenn Salters (drums) — Dreyer delivers a program of 15 originals and one reimagined standard that balance urgency, lyricism, and groove. The result is a record that swings hard while pushing harmonically and texturally into new territory.
“After my previous two albums, which featured piano, I felt I wanted the next one to sound different,” Dreyer explains. “I thought about various instruments before settling on vibraphone. It just shapes the music so much — and Dave Holland’s use of vibes on several of his records was definitely an influence.”
That shift in instrumentation gives Roots and Things a glowing, modern sonic character. The interplay between Berliner’s shimmering mallets, Pennicott’s muscular tenor lines, and Dreyer’s resonant bass creates a sound that’s at once grounded and ethereal, contemporary yet rooted in the jazz tradition. Salters’ crisp, dynamic drumming propels the quartet with precision and soul.
The album opens with the hypnotic “The Fifth Floor,” setting the tone for a set that moves seamlessly from hard-swinging numbers like “Constellation” and “Fight or Flight” to introspective pieces such as “June Tune” and “Downtime.” Dreyer also sprinkles in short, rhythmic interludes — “Land of 1,000 Blues,” “MTA,” and “Invisible” — serving as musical palate cleansers that keep the album’s pacing both surprising and cohesive.
The lone cover, a modernist 5/4 reworking of Rodgers and Hart’s “With a Song in My Heart,” pays homage to the lineage of jazz improvisation while showing Dreyer’s flair for inventive arranging. The title track, “Roots and Things,” encapsulates the record’s essence — a deep groove and melodic storytelling anchored by the bassist’s instinct for connection. “I thought the title had several meanings,” Dreyer says, “but for me it’s all about the bass, because that’s what I mostly do — play the root.”
Recorded with clarity and warmth, Roots and Things captures a quartet in perfect balance — cerebral yet deeply swinging, elegant yet alive with spontaneity.
About Jakob Dreyer and the Band
A classically trained musician turned first-call jazz bassist, Jakob Dreyer has become a fixture on the New York jazz scene since moving from Germany in 2014. He’s performed with an array of artists including Steve Wilson, Jochen Rueckert, Marta Sánchez, and Manuel Valera, and counts Paul Chambers, Dave Holland, George Mraz, and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen among his bass inspirations.
Joining him on Roots and Things are three of the most exciting voices in modern jazz:
-
Tivon Pennicott, a GRAMMY-winning saxophonist and longtime collaborator of Gregory Porter, known for his soulful tone and command of groove.
-
Sasha Berliner, a San Francisco–born vibraphonist and composer, named #1 Rising Star Vibraphonist in the 2020 DownBeat Critics Poll and celebrated for her forward-thinking approach to the instrument.
-
Kenn Salters, an agile and expressive drummer whose résumé spans jazz, R&B, and beyond, bringing both power and subtlety to every performance.
With Roots and Things, Dreyer channels a lifetime of influences — from the Blue Note swing of Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock to the lyricism of Bill Evans — into a cohesive, deeply expressive statement. It’s a record that reaffirms his place among the most imaginative bassists and composers of his generation.
No comments:
Post a Comment