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| Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Chris Potter, Larry Grenadier and Eric Harland's 'First Meeting: Live at Dizzy’s Club' is out July 11, 2025 (5Passion) 5Passion Records proudly announces the July 11, 2025 release of First Meeting: Live at Dizzy's Club by GRAMMY-winning pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, GRAMMY-winning saxophonist Chris Potter, stalwart bassist Larry Grenadier and renowned drummer Eric Harland. Rubalcaba's 17th release on 5 Passion, Live at Dizzy's Club documents an extraordinary engagement at Dizzy's Club from August 25 to August 28, 2022, performed by a 21st century jazz supergroup that embodies the spirit of collective improvisation. The backstory dates to March 1995, when Jason Olaine – now Vice President of Programming at Jazz at Lincoln Center; then the recently-appointed Artistic Director at Yoshi's Jazz Club in Oakland, California – booked Rubalcaba and his Cuban quartet for four nights. At the last-minute, the U.S. State Department blocked his bandmates' visas, placing Olaine in a quandary. Thinking quickly, Olaine swiftly arranged an impromptu duet with saxophonist Joe Lovano. Their dynamic musical chemistry became a defining moment for both the pianist and the eager audience. "I appreciated that Jason didn't give up and instead offered an alternative, " Rubalcaba recalls. "Joe said, 'Should we play some standards?' I said, 'I don't know any of them.' I had no idea. Then he brought out a chart of 'Body and Soul'." Rubalcaba's breathtaking interpretation left a lasting impression on Olaine. "Gonzalo just destroyed it, beautifully and elegantly, " Olaine remembers. "I'm looking at Joe's face – he was mesmerized. It was the most gorgeous introduction I could have to Gonzalo's music and artistry." Their connection ultimately led to the celebrated 1997 album Flying Colors on Blue Note and cemented Olaine's commitment to Rubalcaba's artistry. Over the years, Olaine continued supporting Rubalcaba's career, booking him at Yoshi's in various configurations, including a trio with bassist Brian Bromberg and drum legend Tony Williams, and later with a band featuring Dave Holland, Chris Potter, and Eric Harland at the Monterey and Newport Jazz Festivals. Despite their remarkable performances, the Monterey Quartet's recording received limited attention—a missed opportunity that Olaine was eager to revisit. Fast forward to 2022, Olaine proposed assembling Rubalcaba, Potter, Grenadier, and Harland for a special engagement at Dizzy's. "I felt this was a chance to rekindle something incredible, " Olaine explains. "I found an opening in the schedule, and they all jumped at the opportunity. Everyone was paid the same—this was purely about making great music." Billed as "First Meeting, " the band convened for a brief rehearsal on August 21 to reach consensus on the repertoire, which comprises an original piece by each member, along with "500 Miles High" by Chick Corea and "Con Alma" by Dizzy Gillespie. The latter held personal significance for Rubalcaba, as he had recorded it with Gillespie in Havana in 1985. "I wanted to hear how we sounded together and see how we'd share the space, " Rubalcaba says. "Our communication was easy and fluid. I've been playing music for a long time, and I've never been sure about myself when I've had to face an experiment with something new or revisiting something from the past. The rehearsal made me confident that this would work. Nobody requested that we play a piece the way it was recorded years before or go in a particular direction. What you hear on the album is how we played it together in the here and now." From the reflective solo piano introduction to "500 Miles High" to the stately, bata-refracted, descrescendo vamp that concludes Rubalcaba's "Santo Canto", the musical flow embodies the mutually intuitive, connected quality that Rubalcaba describes. "Each person in this band can create fireworks at any moment if they want, but that wasn't the goal, " Potter says. "The goal was to make some serious music together, where the jazz language is now. Gonzalo, Larry and Eric are amazing musicians at the top of their game. It was almost daunting to come to work, like, 'This is at such a high level; I don't want to mess it up.' It was a very focused, intense conversation throughout, with everyone listening deeply. It's like a high-wire act. Everything is perfectly balanced, and you want everything to continue being that way, but you also can't play it safe for a second." "We approached the music differently every night, getting to know each other organically, " Harland adds. "The beauty of the band is that everybody brought themselves, and no one was pushed away. Everybody gave what they had available for that moment." "I was there for every set, every moment of those shows, " Olaine says. "If we'd had the budget, we would have recorded every night. This project documents the final set on the Saturday night, but there were many incredible, jaw-dropping moments throughout the week. I'm grateful that they all wanted to do it and brought such passion and sensitivity. It feels like a family, frankly. We were sad to see the week end." Three years since recording and on the cusp of the album release, the group remains eager to reunite. They are set to do so this year, as they embark on a multi-city tour throughout Europe in May, with more shows scheduled throughout the year and in 2026. What started as a singular meeting is now a masterful ongoing musical event. Tracklist: 500 Miles High (16:44) Chick Corea State of the Union (13:55) Larry Grenadier Eminence (15:55) Eric Harland Con Alma (18:33) Dizzy Gillespie Oba (13:16) Chris Potter Santo Canto (14:33) Gonzalo Rubalcaba Tour Dates: 24 May 2025 - Vicenza, Italy - Teatro Comunale 26 May 2025 - Cagliari, Italy - Teatro Massimo 27 May 2025 - Utrecht, The Netherlands - TivoliVredenburg 28 May 2025 - Saint-Gaudens, France - Festival Jazz en Comminges 29 May 2025 - Coutances, France - Festival Jazz sous les Pommiers 31 May 2025 - London, UK - Ronnie Scott's write your comments about the article :: © 2025 Jazz News :: home page |