Aaron Bennett, tenor saxophone
Kyle Bruckmann, oboes and synth
Mark Clifford, vibraphone
Brett Carson, piano
Lisa Mezzacappa, acoustic bass
Jordan Glenn, drums
with special guest Fred Frith, guitar on tracks 3 & 6
credits
released February 20, 2026
Recorded by Jeff Kohlhede at 25th Street Recording, Oakland CA.
Mixed and mastered by Myles Boisen at Headless Buddha, Oakland, CA.
Additional engineering by Jason Levis.
This recording was made possible through support from InterMusic SF and the Live Music Revival Fund.
Thank you also to The Lab SF, The Stone NYC, Earthwise Productions, West Oakland Sound Series, and Bird & Beckett Books & Records for presenting this music, and to the Foundation for Contemporary Arts for supporting its NYC premiere.
Artwork by Dan Nelson. Band photo by Lenny Gonzalez.
PRESS
“Bassist and composer Lisa Mezzacappa leads her Bay Area 5(ish) ensemble through a meticulously structured yet explosively improvisational suite blending Braxtonian processional lines, chamber-textured atmospheres and surging free interplay into a dynamic, “tight-loose” exploration of contemporary creative jazz.”
“Mezzacappa, a Bay Area-based bassist and composer, has assembled a kind of dream group, which I had the pleasure of hearing last night in Palo Alto. It was one of the best sets of music I have heard in a long time. . . If you have the opportunity to hear them, do go.
. . . The music is jazz, sorta... a structured soundscape that leaves space for individual and collective improvisation. At first listen I thought of Patricia Brennan’s recent, fantastic album Breaking Stretch, but that album is more horn-heavy and rhythm-forward. Mezzacappa’s ensemble has, if anything, more percussion, with drums, vibes, and Carson a decidedly percussive pianist, but the compositions– and percussionists– go for texture. It gets interesting when the two percussionists join the bassist in bowing their (metal) instruments.
Everybody in the band is a first-rate musician, playing challenging music that shifts from composed unison lines to odd rhythmic counterpoint. Bruckmann’s rattles and chirps on the electronics fit right in, as did his oboe. Mark Clifford was a revelation, as was Jordan Glenn on the drums.
If I had one wish, it would be that the band devote a few more minutes of their set to swinging hard. As they showed in the evening’s waltzy finale, they are more than capable. But that’s a quibble.”