Coby Lefkowitz

Tenor saxophonist and bandleader returns with his most ambitious project to date, 17+ musicians from 17+ countries of origin!! Add to the wonderment of this recording–each musician recorded their part(s) in isolation during the pandemic, then mixed and mastered to perfection by Dave Darlington under Chad’s supervision. Some of the featured soloists include Arturo Sandoval, Randy Brecker, Lionel Loueke, Bria Skonberg, Melissa Aldana, and others. Nine brilliant adaptations of very well-known songs.

In late 2016, I sang at a couple's wedding. It was one of the most beautiful weddings, simply because I could feel the love in the room - between the couple, their friends, their families. Sometimes there is just magic. The glowing bride was also pregnant. In December of that year, I received a message from the father of the groom (who is the one who originally found me and asked me to sing at the wedding), to let me know that their child, his grandson, was stillborn. Also to let me know that my own music was providing a comforting soundtrack during this difficult and heartbreaking time.

A new (even the newest) wave of Russian jazz, the future of Russian jazz - none of these high-profile definitions will seem like empty hype after meeting with saxophonist Makar Kashitsyn’s album Jazz Animals. The creativity of the composer's decisions and the level of performing skills of the young alt-saxophonist in this debut work speak for themselves. And he is only nineteen years old!