Saxophonist/composer Jason Robinson in New Haven Oct. 18

Press release

Saxophonist/flutist/composer Jason Robinson celebrates Ancestral Numbers I and II with Northeast tour

Wednesday, October 16 – Sunday, October 20, 2024

Two volumes of music reflecting on Robinson’s ancestry feature a superb quintet with trombonist Michael Dessen, pianist Joshua White, bassist Drew Gress & drummer Ches Smith

“Jason Robinson tends to weave his musical projects with multiple and overlapping narrative layers... [his] richly nuanced, storytelling compositions are full of freedom, flexibility, inventiveness and humor.” – Eyal Hareuveni, All About Jazz

“Jason Robinson is a sure-footed reedist, composer, bandleader and improviser... There is certainly jazz tradition here, but also a blissful sense of contemporary vitality.”
– Filipe Freitas, Jazz Trail

Acclaimed saxophonist, flutist, and composer Jason Robinson celebrates his 2024 recordings Ancestral Numbers I and II reflecting on his genealogy and ancestry with a Northeast album release tour featuring the stellar quintet from the album: Robinson, trombonist Michael Dessen, pianist Joshua White, bassist Drew Gress, and drummer Ches Smith. Playscape Recordings released the first volume in May and Ancestral Numbers II is out October 8, 2024.

Tour dates include:

∙ Wednesday, October 16 at IBeam, 168 7th St., Brooklyn, NY.
8 p.m. Tickets $20. Information at ibeambrooklyn.com.

∙ Thursday, October 17 at Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares, The Drake, 44 N. Pleasant St., Amherst, MA.
7:30 p.m. Tickets $15. Information at jazzshares.org.

∙ Friday, October 18 at Firehouse 12, 45 Crown St., New Haven, CT.
Sets at 8:30 and 10 p.m. Tickets $15-$20. Information at firehouse12.com.

∙ Saturday, October 19 at Theodore Parker Unitarian Universalist Church, 1859 Centre St., West Roxbury, MA.
8 p.m. Tickets $20, $15 advance, $10 students, under 18 free. Presented by Mandorla Music. mandorlamusic.net.

∙ Sunday, October 20 at Tonal Park Studios, 7014 Westmoreland Avenue, Tacoma Park, MD.
7 p.m. $25. Information at tonalpark.com. Presented by Transparent Music.

With his expansive albums Ancestral Numbers I (May 14, 2024, Playscape Recordings) and Ancestral Numbers II (due October 8, 2024), saxophonist, flutist and composer Robinson translates his own family history into evocative musical form. Both volumes feature a superb quintet distilled from Robinson’s larger Janus Ensemble, with trombonist Dessen, pianist White, bassist Gress and drummer Smith.

The inspiration for Ancestral Numbers was the final gift bestowed on Robinson by his maternal grandmother, Ruby Annette Kilbury, who passed away in 2022. Looking back through his lineage, Robinson discovered that he was the latest (and last) in a line of eldest children born when their mothers were just 17 years old. While hardships undoubtedly ensued from such young parenthood, he also realized that it offered the rare benefit of having known firsthand several generations of his forebears.

“My grandmother was 34 when I was born,” Robinson recalls. “Growing up it felt kind of odd to have a mom that was so young, just starting her adult life. But at this age I realize how special that was. My grandmother's passing was the instigator for turning my imaginative musical attention toward the idea of ancestry – to my ancestors in particular. The project isn’t really about interpreting the sounds of my ancestors. It's more about making music for them.”

Robinson writes intricate, challenging compositions that draw inspiration from heady ideas – Greek and Roman mythology, geography, oceanography, the connections between memory and community. “I'm fascinated by the way that we sonify stories in the jazz tradition,” Robinson says. “To paraphrase Charlie Parker: if you don't live an experience, it won't come out of your horn. So it felt like a natural turn to take all of the storytelling approaches that I've been working on over the years and think about ancestry through that lens. This project tries to reflect my ancestor’s lives back at them in unpredictable ways. It's really a love note to my family.”

Praise for Ancestral Numbers I

"Indispensable...a demanding album whose depth and beauty are revealed track by track... a significant artistic statement...deserves your full attention." – Thierry De Clemensat, Paris-Move

“‘A jazz album that feels like a deep, reflective conversation with history itself … Through its acoustic purity and emotive depth, this album invites listeners into a reflective adventure of where they come from and the music that moves them.” – Glenn Astarita, All About Jazz

“The more I listen to this disc, the more I marvel at the ingenuity that has gone into the playing and arranging.” – Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery

"It's so rare nowadays that you hear truly original music that makes sense even when it flaunts the rules."
– Lynn René Bayley, The Art Music Lounge

“Inspired and inspiring, Ancestral Numbers I draws the listener into its multifaceted soundscape, and is highly recommended.” – James Cox, Midwest Book Review

“Give yourself time and dive in. The journey is well worth it.” – Jim Hynes, Making A Scene