Drummer Eric Harland has been an integral component to many of the most heralded working jazz ensembles. Since bursting on the scene in 2000, Harland has performed with Betty Carter, Charles Lloyd, Dave Holland, Chris Potter, and the SF Jazz Collective, among many others. His new CD, Voyager, is his first recording as a leader and shows a side of his rarely seen: Harland as composer. He leads a fantastic young ensemble, featuring saxophonist Walter Smith III, pianist Taylor Eigsti, guitarist Julian Lage and bassist Harish Raghavan, through an impressive program of progressive and percussive original compositions.

In August of 2021, Eric Harland, Matt Brewer and I got together for an impromptu recording session. We didn’t rehearse, or talk much about the music, or listen back after takes; after such a long period of pandemic isolation and remote music-making, it felt restorative to just play in real time without any agenda. The three of us have been friends for over twenty years now and have a deep history both on and off the bandstand, and I think that you can hear that sense of fellowship in the music. There’s something playful and imperfect and joyous and raw in these recordings, and we hope they bring some measure of happiness to you as you listen.

Peace, Aaron