Jakob Dreyer’s Debut as a Leader, “Songs, Hymns, & Ballads Volume 1,” Out Now

Jakob Dreyer: Songs, Hymns, & Ballads Volume 1German-born and New York-based bassist Jakob Dreyer has released a new album called Songs, Hymns, & Ballads Volume 1, which marks his debut as a leader and showcases his talents as a composer.

“I have always written music whenever I had time,” Dreyer explains. “I am most inspired by Wayne Shorter, particularly the type of pieces that he wrote in the 1960s, and by the European music that I heard while growing up.”

The eight original songs were written between Europe, and the U.S. Dreyer recruited saxophonist Jason Rigby, pianist Jon Cowherd, and drummer Jimmy Macbride to realize his writing to great effect. The music comes off as “haunting and relaxed,” with creative interplay over original chord changes.

“In New York, I have met many musicians. I particularly love the playing of the great musicians who are on this recording. Each one has their own musical personality. They learned my songs very quickly and recorded all of the music for the two CDs in just two days.”

Songs, Hymns, & Ballads Volume 1 is available now.

Songs, Hymns, & Ballads Volume 1 Track List:

  1. Milchstrasse
  2. Gothamburg
  3. Legrand
  4. Epistemology
  5. J-Song
  6. Seneca Village
  7. Kaspar
  8. The Cure

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