There is poetry in bearing witness to the pursuit and realization of an artist’s dreams. Guitarist Ari Joshua continues to impress with a heady stream of impressive collaborations.
This young lion’s run of acclaimed independent releases continues to bring together some of the jam, rock, and jazz scenes’ greatest contemporaries. Each release marks a critical note in his unique journey as an innovative and progressive contributing artist on the scene today.
What constitutes “impressive?” Artists like Robert Glasper, Reggie Watts, Ray Paczkowski and Russ Lawton (TAB, Soule Monde), members of Medeski, Martin & Wood, his jam rock vehicle Space Owl, KJ Sawka, Joe Doria, Delvon Lamarr, Skerik, John Kimock, and more.
Here is a countdown of Ari Joshua’s Top 10 new releases coming in early 2023 courtesy of Music Factory Records and Color Red Records. Ari shared his thoughts on this wave of releases:
“Great art is an expression of the soul and a reflection of one’s life experience. Being a musician is also like being an ambassador of goodwill. I think great players can sense that, and it becomes a compass of making great art together. I get a lot of joy from sharing these recordings and performing, it’s transformative. Just wanna keep doing this.”
1) February 9 – “Meeting of the Minds” – featuring John Medeski, Billy Martin, Ari Joshua, Jason Fraticelli
JamBase will be premiering Ari Joshua’s track called “Meeting of The Minds” this February. “MOTM” features Billy Martin on drums, John Medeski on keyboards, Ari Joshua on guitar, and bassist for Cyro Baptista and Matisyahu – Jason Fraticelli. The record was tracked in Woodstock, New York. “MOTM” is just a small window into the unique body of work recorded on this session. Artwork by visionary artist Burgundy Viscosi.
“You gotta let those doves fly, in Woodstock, there are doves painted on everything and that was the theme of the week. It was a really beautiful experience to record with John and Billy. ‘Meeting of The Minds’ is the raw first notes we played, we just let the birds fly. They were really generous with letting me into their worlds. I had a moment while grabbing coffee after all was wrapped, Burgandy who did the artwork has a mural at COSM and I got an invite from her to visit with Alex Grey at his house out there, it was pretty mind-blowing. Everything was lining up, I sent a text to my friend and mentor Michael Shrieve who played at Woodstock, it was really special. I am excited to let these doves fly.”
2) January 17 – “The Clinic” – featuring Ray Paczkowski and Russ Lawton
Ari Joshua’s adventurous and recognizable guitar tone is a unique compliment to Soule Monde and Trey Anastasio Band keyboardist Ray Paczkowski and drummer Russ Lawton. In this song, Russ’s therapeutically soulful beat pulses right out of the kit and into your heart, intertwining with Ray and Ari’s salacious melodies and grooves. This trio consistently delivers the goods this being their 11th release. “The Clinic” is a reference to when the song was recorded, a few weeks after the legendary “Beacon Jams” fundraiser. Artwork by Rimbaraw.
“The pandemic provided obstacles but it also created opportunities. It was a lemons-to-lemonade moment for sure. Ray and Russ have a deep vibe. At times I thought, I never heard them play exactly like this before. It shows you how incredible they are as players. They are just all in when it comes to making art together. They could read my mind a little, they are really sweet people. I gotta thank Trey for playing a role in creating a protocol, it really saved me, I quarantined, walked into the clinic, waited for results, and then boom, straight to the studio. Ben Collette was also very helpful in making this music, his studio has that reclaimed barn thing going on, Vermont is a real hang.”
3) January 7 – “The Prodigy” – featuring Ray Paczkowski and Russ Lawton
“The Prodigy” was written in Burlington, Vermont just a few weeks after “The Beacon Jams.” On many of these releases, as you parse his inflections and tones, Phisheads will note that they are at times reminiscent of big red himself. This is part of the shape-shifting tapestry that is revealed as you unpeel the layers of Ari Joshua’s musical influences. This song was written as a tribute, and an etude and Ray and Russ did a beautiful job interpreting the good. To dedicate one’s life to music, one must cast a wide net. The sheet music for all new releases is available on his website in the merch tab, maybe so, or, maybe not.
“The architecture in Burlington, the old churches, the lake, it all made for a magical carousel journey in my mind. I imagined what I would write if I was there at that time, and it just flowed off the page. ”
4) January 2 – “Why Does Love Always Break Your Heart” – featuring Space Owl
This song’s mysterious intro will capture your attention from deep within the musical abyss as Ari’s guitar breathes beautiful melodies and rhythms. John Ewings’ drums crisp and concise compliment Bob Lovelace’s bass tones of delight. Together they come on strong, enthusiasm builds as David Applebaum’s masterful keys chime in. For the jammier of fans the Space Owl stuff is worth a listen, “Why Does Love Always Break Your Heart” is the latest vaulted release from Ari’s jam rock vehicle Space Owl.
5) January 26 – “Eye Just Called, To Soul, I Love You” – featuring John Morgan Kimock, Andy Hess and Eden Ladin
Recorded at Bunker Studio’s in Brooklyn, New York, “Eye Just Called to Soul, I Love You” features bassist Andy Hess (Black Crowes, John Scofield, Gov’t Mule), drummer John Morgan Kimock (Mike Gordon, Oteil & Friends), piano wizard Eden Ladin and Ari Joshua. The track is the debut release from this memorable all-star session, another taste to start of the new year. Art by Blaze.
6) February 24 – “Fresh” – featuring Skerik, Delvon Lamarr, Ari Joshua, Grant Schroff
Skerik, Delvon, Grant, and Ari. You can look forward to three releases on Color Red from this lineup in 2023. Organist Delvon Lamarr (DLO3) and guitarist Ari Joshua have been playing music together going back to the late 1990s, everyone at JamBase is familiar with Skerik, and rounding out the band behind the kit is Seattle’s Grant Schroff, most known from his work with The Polyrhythmics. Art by Chris Ball.
“There is a certain telepathy in jazz vocabulary, the music was slamming from start to finish on this recording, great players, great tunes, mostly one or two takes on every song, so excited to share.”
7) Winter/Spring 2023 – “Lights Out” – featuring John Morgan Kimock, Andy Hess and Eden Ladin
8) Winter/Spring 2023 – “Let’s Do It Right Now” – featuring John Medeski, Billy Martin and Jason Fraticelli
9) Winter/Spring 2023 – “The $1000 Question” – featuring Ray Paczkowski and Russ Lawton
10) Out Now – “Circular Data” – From The Vault – featuring Reggie Watts, Marc Fendel, Joe Doria and more!
2023 is gonna be an exciting year of releases! Visit www.arijoshua.com for more information. Click here to stream on your chosen platform here for all 2022 and 2023.
[Sponsored Content: Ari Joshua is a JamBase partner.]
