On March 11, trumpeter and composer Ambrose Akinmusire will return with the release of “the imagined savior is far easier to paint”, an impressive and expansive new album that broadens the palette of his quintet with the addition of guitarist Charles Altura, the OSSO String Quartet, and vocalists Becca Stevens, Theo Bleckmann, and Cold Specks. Akinmusire’s quintet features saxophonist Walter Smith III, pianist Sam Harris, bassist Harish Raghavan, and drummer Justin Brown—a close-knit group of longtime friends and frequent collaborators that breathes a remarkable collective identity. Ambrose has revealed the album cover featuring a photo by acclaimed photographer Autumn de Wilde.
NPR Music recently featured “the imagined savior is far easier to paint” in their “Under-The-Radar Albums Preview For 2014” including a track premiere of “Our Basement (ed)” featuring Becca Stevens on vocals. Critic Ann Powers wrote that Ambrose “wowed jazz fans with the focused intelligence of his 2011 Blue Note Records debut. For this new effort, he goes wide, expanding his ensemble to include vocalists, a string quartet, and the adventurous guitarist Charles Altura. This music is not for chickens — it’s heady, intense, and demanding. But it’s also accessible in the most important ways, making room the listener to get lost in its byways.”
Ambrose has also announced extensive tour dates throughout the U.S. and Europe behind the album’s release, including a 4-night engagement at The Jazz Standard in New York City from March 13-16, as well as shows in Chicago (March 7) and Boston (March 12). Ambrose will return to the U.S. for further touring in June. See below for a full list of dates.
AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE – TOUR DATES:
March 07: Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, Chicago, IL
March 12: Regatta Bar, Cambridge, MA
March 13: The Jazz Standard, New York, NY
March 14: The Jazz Standard, New York, NY
March 15: The Jazz Standard, New York, NY
March 16: The Jazz Standard, New York, NY
March 23: Albright Knox Museum, Buffalo, NY
April 10: Jazz Nad Ordra, Wroclaw, POLAND
April 11: Festival Jazz de Mars, Vernouillet, FRANCE
April 12: Blue Note Poznan, Poznan, POLAND
April 13: A-Trane, Berlin, GERMANY
April 14: Duc des Lombards, Paris, FRANCE
April 15: Duc des Lombards, Paris, FRANCE
April 16: Duc des Lombards, Paris, FRANCE
April 17: Le Grand T, Nantes, FRANCE
April 18: Bimhuis, Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
April 19: Jazz Club Minden, Minden, GERMANY
April 20: Bird, Rotterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
April 21: Alte Feuerwache, Mannheim, GERMANY
April 22: Moods, Zurich, SWITZERLAND
April 24: Singen Jazz Club, Singen, GERMANY
April 25: Nasjonal Jazz Scene Victoria, Oslo, NORWAY
April 26: Espoo Jazz Festival, Espoo, FINLAND
May 04: Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Cheltenham, UK
May 08: LIke a Jazz Machine Festival, Dudelange, LUXEMBOURG
May 10: Avantgarde Jazz Festival, Rovinj, CROATIA
May 14: The Auditorium Parco della Musica, Rome, ITALY
May 15: VII Ciclo 1906 de Jazz Jimmy Glas, Valencia, SPAIN
May 16: VII Ciclo 1906 Club Jamboree, Barcelona, SPAIN
May 17: VII Ciclo 1906 Clavicembalo, Lugo, SPAIN
June 21: Dazzle, Denver, CO
June 22: Dazzle, Denver, CO
June 23: Kuumbwa, Santa Cruz, CA
June 24: Yoshis, Oakland, CA
June 25: JImmy Mak’s, Portland, OR
June 26: Seattle Museum of Art, Seattle, WA
June 27: Vancouver Jazz Festival, Vancouver, CANADA
June 30: Montreal Jazz Festival, Montreal, CANADA
the imagined savior is far easier to paint is now streaming in its entirety as part of the NPR Music First Listen series!
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