In introducing this lively video above, most people are also being introduced to a fresh new talent. Twenty-four-year-old Chris Mondak is just a few years removed graduating from the New England Conservatory and the bassist is wasting little time flexing his skills as a bassist, composer and bandleader.
For Glass Spheres (Summit Records) he assembles a quintet comprised of old Conservatory classmates – plus an alum from the equally prestigious University of North Texas – and made a record that applies youthful exuberance to jazz traditions. As a bassist, Mondak’s presence is felt even if you’re not consciously aware of it, elevating his bandmates and not dominating over them.
As a leader, Mondak accurately sees ‘tradition’ not as a monolithic style but a number of historical sub-genres that are diverse and are truly representative of jazz only collectively. He obviously knows this because Glass Spheres is a menagerie of jazz’s different shades, from bop to avant-garde, with everything in-between. But he saves the most festive slice of jazz for last, the subject for this video.
“Hats Off” is that riotously fun New Orleans second line jaunt that dares you to keep your body from swaying to it. Everyone gets in on the action: saxophonist Hunter Smith, then keyboard man Gabe Feldman, followed by guitarist Lindon McCarty get their spicy licks in before Chris Mondak and drummer Chris Broomhead dig deep into that Mardi Gras groove.
Glass Spheres is going to release globally on April 15, 2022.
- Joel Frahm Trio, “Vesper Flights” from ‘Lumination’ (2024): Video premiere - September 27, 2024
- Jupiter – ‘Jupiter’ (2024) - September 26, 2024
- Satoko Fujii Quartet – ‘Dog Days of Summer’ (2024) - September 19, 2024
