After more than four decades of recording, pianist, keyboardist, composer and producer Dan Siegel has reached a point where he is no longer interested in making everything perfect. On Resolution, his forthcoming nine-song contemporary jazz album, Siegel allows more of the original performances to remain intact, embracing the spontaneity and humanity that can sometimes disappear in the pursuit of perfection.
“I have a tendency to overwork things, to iron out all the little kinks,” Siegel explains. “That kind of leaves it without humanity — a little too perfect and polished. This is a little bit raw and rough around the edges in places.”
Due September 11, Resolution takes its title from the album’s opening track, a modal composition that gradually settles into a grand, satisfying conclusion. The music reflects Siegel’s increasingly relaxed approach to his craft: trusting the performances, allowing his collaborators room to contribute and resisting the urge to endlessly refine what is already working.
The album centers on Siegel with bassist Brian Bromberg and drummer/percussionist Jay Bellerose. Siegel initially envisioned the project as a more roots-oriented, Americana-influenced trio recording, but Bellerose’s distinctive approach quickly helped shape its direction.
“His style is really subtle, he came up with different grooves,” Siegel says. “I thought, wow, this guy could be really great for the music.” After sending Bellerose a collection of piano demos, Siegel knew the drummer understood what he was trying to accomplish.
Recorded between January 9 and April 19, 2026, at The Hideaway in Chatsworth and at EastWest Studios, Sunset Sound and Boulevard Recording in Hollywood, Resolution was produced by Siegel, recorded and mixed by Tom McCauley, and mastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering.
The album features an impressive group of additional musicians, including percussionist Lenny Castro, vibraphonist Craig Fundyga, guitarists Dean Parks, Allen Hinds and Matt Hornbeck, steel guitarist Greg Liesz, accordionist Patrick Warren, alto saxophonists Alex Hahn and Chris Sullivan, tenor saxophonists Tristan Cappel and Jacob Scesney, drummer Jimmy Branly and longtime collaborator Rogerio Jardim on vocals.
Much of Siegel’s piano playing comes directly from the original trio sessions. That was unusual for an artist accustomed to developing recordings through layers of overdubs and production. With Resolution, however, the musical identity was apparent almost immediately.
“On this project, you kind of knew what it was on that first day or two that we tracked,” Siegel says. “It was like that was what the music was going to be.”
When he returned to some of those performances, Siegel occasionally heard imperfections but also recognized something more important: the feeling of the original take.
“Well, it ain’t perfect, but it’s got a vibe,” he recalls thinking. Rather than attempting to recreate the performance, he sometimes simply decided to leave it alone.
That philosophy extends throughout Resolution. Siegel says he has become less concerned with trends, commercial expectations or deliberately trying to appeal to a particular audience. “The audience — you can go in search of an audience, or you’re gonna let the audience find you.”
The approach is especially striking given Siegel’s long history of creating meticulously crafted contemporary jazz. Over four decades, his music has been defined by melody, harmony, pacing and ensemble interaction. JAZZIZ previously called his 1995 album Hemispheres “one of the most original and intriguing discs of this or any other year,” while AllMusic praised his 2024 release Unity for its “creative vision” and “disciplined consistency.”
Siegel, however, sees himself first and foremost as a composer. “I’m a composer first and I perform piano second,” he says.
His musical journey began in Seattle and Eugene, Oregon, where he started piano lessons at eight. His first teacher, Francis Ragazzino, encouraged him to compose at an early age, introducing him to theory and harmonic analysis while having him fill manuscript books with musical ideas. By twelve, Siegel was already performing professionally at YMCA dances, and by fourteen he was teaching piano.
At eighteen, hearing records by Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock and Bill Evans changed his musical direction. It was the harmonic language that made the strongest impression. He went on to study music composition at the University of Oregon, later earning a master’s degree in jazz studies.
After spending years transcribing fusion recordings for bands he performed with, Siegel eventually decided it was time to concentrate on his own writing. That decision led to a series of early albums including Nite Ride, The Hot Shot, Oasis, Dan Siegel and Reflections. After relocating to Los Angeles, he continued expanding his musical vocabulary through albums including Another Time, Another Place, Hemispheres, Clairvoyance, Origins and Unity.
“I’ve learned how to trust my instincts a little bit more,” he says. “Experience is valuable.”
The songs on Resolution developed gradually over approximately eight months. Siegel originally planned ten compositions, but after nine, the ideas stopped coming.
“It was like somebody turned off the spigot,” he recalls. “I thought, okay, well, that’s it — that’s all I’m gonna get.”
The resulting nine songs proved to be enough.
Among them, “Factotum” takes its name from the Charles Bukowski novel and moves through several contrasting sections that somehow fit together. “Room to Move” carries echoes of Ramsey Lewis, with Dean Parks adding understated wah-inflected guitar. “In Search Of” leaves its destination deliberately undefined, while “Easy Does It” draws on New Orleans influences through Warren’s accordion and Bellerose’s groove.
“Quiet Place,” originally carrying the working title “Bayou,” grew from a chord progression that reminded Siegel of Linda Ronstadt’s “Blue Bayou.” On “Give or Take,” Siegel briefly experimented with singing a melodic overdub before deciding someone else should take over. Jardim ultimately supplied the wordless vocals that lift the latter portion of the track.
“Sometime Somewhere” reminded Siegel of West Side Story, while “Time of Need” closes the album with a church-inspired cadence that emerged during the mixing process.
“It was a good way to end the record,” Siegel says.
Resolution is dedicated to Siegel’s mother, Elizabeth Siegel (1929–2026), who played a crucial role in his musical life. She insisted that her son take piano lessons and encouraged his early composing, even while his father was skeptical about music as a career.
Before heading out for gigs, Siegel recalls leaving the house with his guitar and amplifier while his mother quietly gave him a supportive wink.
Even into her nineties, she continued asking about the progress of his new album. Her influence remains deeply connected to the music.
“She played a big part in my creative life,” Siegel says. “She was a lot of fun.”
In the end, Resolution represents more than another chapter in Siegel’s long recording career. It reflects an artist comfortable enough with his experience to step back and let the music breathe.
“I’ve gotten to a point where I just let the music be what it’s going to be,” Siegel says. “You don’t want to get in the way. Let it speak.”
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