Feature photo: Matthew Fong and Thom Varey
JabFung is a Toronto-based jazz quintet whose name is an amalgamation of its co-leaders, bassist Julian Anderson-Bowes and drummer Anthony Fung. The band named after its rhythm section (Fleetwood Mac, anyone?) because it reflects the music the band is playing, with five compositions contributed by Fung and the remaining three coming from the pen of Anderson-Bowes. These guys put a couple of talented Cuban-Canadians up front with Luis Deniz (alto saxophone) and Rafael Zaldivar (piano).
In Real Life (June 5, 2026), comes only a year after their debut offering Epoch but the big story for the second album is the addition of a trumpet player, and not just any trumpet player. The highly acclaimed brass maestro from Brooklyn Adam O’Farrill — who is lately putting out some of the best albums in jazz today — adds a big horn presence to go alongside Deniz.
We’ve had the occasion to marvel at Fung’s advanced composing prowess on display for his 2022 release What Does It Mean To Be Free, and an Anderson-Bowes bowing in the video above provides the opportunity to hear what the bassist brings to the table.
“Respite Piano Smash” starts with the main motif stated as a simple, single-line piano figure as Anderson-Bowes’ counter melody is oppositionally dense and complex, nearly sounding like a bass solo. The Deniz/O’Farrill front gets things rolling when they join in on the theme. The bridge features Zaldivar casually riding on the taut groove produced by Anderson-Bowes, expertly using the spaces between the notes as part of his repertoire. Afterwards, O’Farrill and Deniz exchange remarks, both playing with command without the commandeering. Behind all this, Fung is polyrhythmically pacing the group through discreet variances in modulation.
Pre-order/order In Real Life from Bandcamp.
