You’ve certainly heard of Kris Bowers by now. The young Juilliard graduate won the prestigious 2011 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition. He then went on to perform on Jay-Z and Kanye West’s Watch the Throne, before joining Concord Record’s NEXT Collective on the 2013 album Cover Art. In 2014, Bowers released his debut Heroes + Misfits, also on Concord, to critical acclaim. For this album, Bowers collaborated with vocalist Julia Easterlin on the track “Forget-Er”. Check out an extended set by the pair filmed last October at the Stockholm Jazz Festival featuring a set list ranging from Duke Ellington’s “Caravan” to Bjork’s “Unison” by way of The Pixies’ “Break My Body” and Laura Mvula’s “Sing to the Moon”. Video courtesy of Arte expires October 30th.
Sébastien Hélary co-founded Nextbop in 2009 with the objective of introducing modern jazz music to a younger generation of fans. Aside from music, his other main obsession is food, particularly ramen and other Japanese delicacies.
