In a quest for sanctuary, violinist Jason Anick and pianist Jason Yeager delve into the vast spectrum of what the concept can mean through their music in their second album as co-leaders, Sanctuary. The album, set to release on October 11, 2024, via Sunnyside Records, builds on their previous collaboration, United, from 2017.
Anick and Yeager’s friendship and musical collaboration began in their teens at a local jam session in Boston. Both have since established successful careers as composers, performers, and educators, currently serving on the faculty at Berklee College of Music.
Ahead of the album release, they will publish Yeager’s composition “Nublado” on July 26, 2024. The single, featuring trumpet titan Jason Palmer, will be available exclusively on digital streaming platforms.
While United showcased their distinct voices, Sanctuary represents a melding of the two, with over half of the tracks credited to both composers. The album features a core quintet with Anick, Yeager, trumpeter/flugelhorn player Billy Buss, bassist Greg Loughman, and drummer Mike Connors. Guest artists include trumpeter Jason Palmer, tenor saxophonist Edmar Colón, and cellist Naseem Alatrash.
The creation of Sanctuary was influenced by the personal evolution of Anick and Yeager and the global events around them. The project was delayed by the pandemic, allowing them to further develop the music. Headlines about refugee crises and immigration battles underscored the importance of the album’s central theme.
Anick explains, “We wanted to develop a cohesive music from our shared voices by composing together and reflect the things going on in the world around us. The central theme coalesced around sanctuary, because at the end of the day, it’s what we’re all trying to find.”
The album’s narrative explores time and memory. The opener “Futures Past” reflects on how imagined futures can change due to present events. Yeager’s “Nearness of Now” is inspired by a conversation with NEA Jazz Master Joanne Brackeen and echoes the standards played in Anick and Yeager’s early encounters. The elusiveness of the past is captured in “Ephemory,” a portmanteau of “ephemeral” and “memory,” featuring Buss’ flugelhorn. The title track features an impassioned performance by Palmer.
Themes of displacement are explored in “Persecution” and “Farewell,” featuring Palestinian cellist Alatrash. Yeager describes these pieces as reflections on the plight of people fleeing injustice, war, poverty, and violence.
Yeager contributes “AI Apocalypse,” a chaotic piece evoking a dystopian future, and Anick co-writes “Colorado” with guitarist Max O’Rourke, a folk-tinged meditation on nature’s rejuvenating power. The album includes arrangements of Chopin’s “Raindrop” Prelude and Wayne Shorter’s “Lost,” featuring a solo by Edmar Colón.
Anick is known for his imaginative improvisation, versatility, and insightful education. He has launched projects such as the Rhythm Future Quartet and the Acoustic Trio, and has performed with artists like John Jorgenson and Tommy Emmanuel. Yeager recently released Hand in Hand with his spouse Julie Benko and Unstuck in Time: The Kurt Vonnegut Suite. He has performed with Luciana Souza, Ran Blake, and others at venues like Carnegie Hall and Birdland Jazz Club.
