feature photo: Frederik Bengtsson
Born in Ghana, based out of Rotterdam and soaking in influences from all over the world, Peter Somuah is a heady trumpet player who is in well in tune with the history of jazz as well as with the currents of music flowing today. Walking Distance (March 13 2026, ACT Music) is his third release for ACT and his fourth overall, continuing a productive run of recordings over the last four years.
Originally self-taught while growing up in his native Accra, Ghana, Somuah has cited Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard and Roy Hargrove as influences and his trumpet style incorporates facets of all three of these trumpet titans. He was raised on the Ghanan highlife music and he undoubtedly got his sense of groove from that. his style of jazz also takes into account his adult life touring all over Europe, living in China and currently residing in the Netherlands (after studying at the Rotterdam Conservatorium). This guy has a pulse on music from almost every corner of the Earth.
Accordingly, he’s put together an international band with Anton de Bruin on keyboards, Jens Meijer on drums, Marijn van de Ven on bass and Danny Rombout handling percussion. Along with their leader, they lend an organic feel to the music because in spite of the contemporary vibes, it’s all handmade. Somuah — like Japan’s ace fusion trumpeter Takuya Kuroda — knows how to push jazz forward to present-day vibes without losing any of jazz’s vintage vitality, and he does it his own way.
“Crossroad” begins with the crisp exuberance of post-bop and ends with the RnB chill of funk-fusion with a hip-hop strut. “Voyage” is more of that hard-bop energy alternating with a mellow interlude. It ends with a furious backbeat where Somuah shows chops in a controlled manner that reveals a very mature technique.
“300 Meters” centers on van de Ven’s medium-high register bass line, and Somuah gets harmonizing help from flautist Heleen Vellekoop. The appearance of a cello (Nia Ralinova) is a left-field choice, one that works to give the song a little harmonic heft at precise points.
Middle Eastern flavors are present on “Around The Corner” and Somuah plays them like someone whose spent time in Morocco or Tunisia. But his presentation is a crossover one, easily blending Western grooves into it naturally.
Somuah shows off more adventurous playing for “Intersection” and an interesting blend of decades: 60s acoustic bass with 70s Fender Rhodes and 90s drum ‘n’ bass. “The Quiet Storm comes out for “A Turn”, a Rhodes-colored track that hearkens back to 70s George Duke. Somuah wisely just lets the song come to him, not overplaying it.
An inviting Latin rhythm propels “Chef Groove,” and Meijer’s muscular, circular rhythm frames “Roundabout” while Somuah easily floats over the busy rhythm section.
Peter Somuah is a newcomer with a fresh approach to jazz that is remindful of what made it popular in the past and how it can be popular today with some worldly tweaks that don’t sacrifice the integrity of this great art form. He’s a trumpet player who should be getting more attention and with Walking Distance, he’s earned it.
Order Walking Distance from Bandcamp.
- Peter Somuah – ‘Walking Distance’ (2026) - March 13, 2026
- Soft Machine – ‘Thirteen’ (2026) - March 4, 2026
- Devin Gray – ‘Hz Of Gold‘ (2026) - March 2, 2026
