Composer and arranger Zhengtao Pan returns with Mirror Floating On The Water, an ambitious, emotionally resonant new album out November 14, 2025 on Outside In Music. Featuring special guests Nick Finzer, Itai Kriss, and Tomoko Omura, the recording blurs the boundaries between jazz and classical music to create a chamber-jazz soundscape that is both intimate and expansive.
Hailed by critics as “a bold and inspired statement” (UK Vibe) and “a symphony full of melodic grace and excitement” (The JW Vibe), Mirror Floating On The Water continues Pan’s evolution as one of the most promising young voices in contemporary composition. The album grew out of Pan’s award-winning piece of the same name, which premiered at the Ravinia Festival after earning him the David Baker Prize in the Bridges Composition Competition.
At the heart of the project is Pan’s fascination with strings — their ability to embody both delicacy and strength. Inspired by Ryuichi Sakamoto, Pan sought simplicity on the surface and profound emotion beneath, crafting melodies that are sparse yet deeply affecting. “I infused this concept into every piece,” he explains. “It’s pure, direct, and unadorned — like the reflection of a mirror on still water.”
Much of the album’s emotional core stems from a vivid personal memory: Pan’s first experience of snowfall in Shanghai. The composition “Snowy Days” (featuring Finzer and Omura) captures the bittersweet wonder of that moment — a metaphor for finding light within solitude. “That piece represents the idea of kǔ zhōng zuò lè — finding sweetness within bitterness,” Pan says. “It’s about discovering beauty even when you feel unseen.”
Pan’s creative vision resists categorization. “Jazz and classical aren’t separate,” he notes. “Ravel used jazz; Herbie used classical. There’s a space between them — the so-called ‘Third Stream’ — but I just write what resonates with me.” That philosophy shines through in “Page Two” (featuring flutist Itai Kriss), where elegant orchestration meets spontaneous improvisation, and throughout the album’s luminous, introspective pieces.
Only 22 years old, Pan has already made a global impact. Born in Shanghai and now pursuing his master’s degree at The Eastman School of Music, he has earned top honors from DownBeat Magazine, ASMAC, and the Jazz Education Network. His compositions have been performed by artists including Steven Feifke, Alexa Tarantino, and the Eastman New Jazz Ensemble, as well as orchestras across Europe and Asia. His debut, Scenery In My Story (2023), introduced his sweeping big-band voice; Mirror Floating On The Water reveals a new side — meditative, spacious, and emotionally transparent.
Pan’s collaborators on the album include Isamu McGregor (piano), Federico Gucciardo (drums), Maria Grig (violin/viola), and Natalia Nazarova (cello), among others. The result is a sonic tapestry where every note feels essential — a reflection of memory, identity, and artistic courage.
With Mirror Floating On The Water, Zhengtao Pan redefines what modern jazz composition can be: cinematic yet personal, technically brilliant yet deeply human.
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