Meridian Odyssey - Second Wave (CD)

Five brilliant and focused musicians who against odds imposed by history and impossibility, have risen to the occasion to create a recording that provides depth, joy and emotional outreach in times of isolation and hardship. Developing their musical voices on the Seattle jazz scene, bassist Ben Feldman and saxophonist Santosh Sharma moved to New York for school and opportunity, while drummer Xavier Lecouturier, pianist Dylan Hayes and guitarist Martin Budde became invaluable creatives in Northwest music circles. Sidelined from various tours in 2020, the five ended up gathering in Alaska, learning to fly planes, composing, playing, and discovering that as a quintet, the joy of music and creation was rekindled, the weight of the moment lifted. Setting up in an airplane hangar, the quintet live-streamed performances through the summer and with their new compositions in tow, self-recorded and produced "Second Wave." The commonality of language acquired through hours of musical conversation between this group of friends quickly rose to fruition, producing sublime results for the listener.