Spencer Zahn will release Sunday Painter, his new album, on Cascine.

In contrast to Zahn’s previous albums, 2018’s People of the Dawn and 2019’s When We Were Brand New, on Double Denim Records, Zahn opted for something more organic and cooperative, relying on intuition and interplay.

After sketching out the form of an album in Massachusetts, Zahn decided to make the release a full-band affair, leaning into some of his favorite players to fill in the emergent album’s contours. He explains: “I wanted to put together a group of people that I knew would be sensitive to playing together in a room and using the room as the extra member of the band.”

The album is inspired by the music of Keith Jarrett and the catalog of legendary jazz label ECM, as well as Miles Davis’ In a Silent Way, but it features Dave Harrington, who plays guitar and electronics, plus Spencer Ludwig (trumpet), Mauro Refosco (percussion), Kenny Wollesen (drums), Andy Highmore (piano/Rhodes/organ), Jacob Bergson (piano/Rhodes), and Mike McGarril (soprano saxophone).

Cascine, in New York, describes the release as a “showcase for Zahn’s community of musicians,” and “a masterclass in interplay,” adding that the features contribute to the album’s “ebbing layers and radiant sheen.”

We can expect a “lush collection of instrumental songs that undulate along waves of electronic, jazz, ambient pop, Americana, and neo-classical,” while “pulling from Zahn’s established musical background and collaborative ethos.”

Born in Massachusetts, Zahn started playing the bass at age 12. Since moving to New York in the mid-2000s, he has worked as a touring musician, performing live with a range of acts across the genre spectrum. His career as a solo artist began around the same time he started playing with like-minded guitarist Dave Harrington, in 2015. His music is marked by openness: spacious sonic landscapes, rich with contributions from his creative community.

Tracklisting

01. Key Biscayne
02. The Mist
03. Empathy Duet
04. Roya
05. Sunday Painter
06. Ten To One
07. Promises
08. To The One You Love
09. At High Tide

Sunday Painter LP is out on September 18. You can pre-order here, and stream “Key Biscayne” below.