Pianist Jordan Williams makes a compelling entrance as a bandleader with Playing by Ear, his debut for the legendary Milan-based Red Records. Arriving January 16, 2026, the album blends intuition, memory and formal precision, brought to life by an exceptional quartet featuring Jeff “Tain” Watts on drums, Nat Reeves on bass, and Wallace Roney Jr. on trumpet. The lead single, “Tayamisha,” is available now.
A product of Philadelphia’s deep jazz lineage, Williams began playing standards by ear at six years old—long before he could explain the harmonies he instinctively understood. That early ear remains the grounding force in a sound shaped by the lyricism of Herbie Hancock and the grounded swing of Mulgrew Miller, all filtered through Williams’ distinctly modern phrasing. He favors space, story, and intention over flash, creating a voice rooted in tradition yet unmistakably his own.
Across eight tracks, Playing by Ear prioritizes patience and clarity. The opener, Horace Silver’s “Peace,” sets the tone with a reverent, slow bloom in which every note feels earned. Williams’ comping beneath Roney Jr.’s trumpet is intimate and conversational. On Kenny Garrett’s “Ms. Baja,” the band leans into a more propulsive energy, with Tain’s rhythmic sparks pressing against Williams’ left-hand shapes to create tension that feels alive but never forced.
“Tayamisha,” a Buster Williams composition, lets Jordan Williams channel stride lineage through right-hand flares anchored by deeply rooted swing. The tune is a personal tribute: “Tayamisha is dedicated to my late Pop Pop and Mom Mom, Ralph and Dorris Williams,” he says. “They loved records Buster Williams played on, and they owned a chicken store—Wings n Things—in the ’60s in Camden, Buster’s hometown.”
Reeves contributes two originals, “Waltz for Ellis” and “Blue Ridge,” each marked by quiet poise and melodic ease. His bass lines serve as both anchor and atmosphere, inviting the ensemble into deeper lyricism. The chemistry among these four musicians is quietly electric—Reeves steady and grounded, Tain disruptive in all the right ways with asymmetrical sparks, and Roney Jr. balancing legacy with curiosity through a tone that feels both searching and assured.
For Williams, Playing by Ear stands as both culmination and beginning. A recent graduate of The George Washington University, he has already performed with Branford Marsalis, Jazzmeia Horn, Camille Thurman, and Curtis Lundy. His playing reflects a lived apprenticeship—one that values nuance, patience, and emotional honesty.
“Playing by ear is how I learned to listen — not just to music, but to life,” Williams reflects. “Silence, memory, and mistake all shape what comes next.”
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Williams began classical and jazz studies at seven and was performing publicly by eleven. A Presidential Scholar for the Arts and Betty Carter Jazz Ahead alumnus, he has studied with Cyrus Chestnut, Jason Moran and Orrin Evans. Now based in New York, he has quickly become an in-demand pianist known for intuitive touch, compositional depth and a grounded connection to tradition.
Playing by Ear marks the arrival of a pianist who understands both structure and spirit—a musician whose story unfolds one intentional note at a time.
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