Performers include NEC faculty members Ran Blake, Jason Moran, Jason Palmer, Earl McIntyre, Ted Reichman, NEC Black Student Union Ensemble, The NEC Wind Ensemble, NEC Jazz Orchestra and students from the Jazz Department
[ January the 20th release on Freedom Road Records: John Bailey – Can You Imagine?]
release date: 20.01.2020
“…[a] fun and intriguing concept album…a musical tribute to the late Diz [that] invites listeners to imagine what might have happened if lessons about empathy and human decency had been embraced…. joyful and upbeat…” – Tom Henry, Toledo Blade
“Simply the best post bop album since the days of King Dizzy…. Bailey can soar like Dizzy did and blow lyrical too along with a band that totally follows the party line and is just about as close to what Dizzy would have if he were alive today.” – Lance Liddle, bebop spoken here
“John Bailey is a great improviser. Since we met as teenagers I’ve been taken with how natural a musician he is and how deeply his roots go into the tradition of jazz music. He’s a joy to listen to!” – Donny McCaslin, saxophonist
“Bailey’s playing is full of passion and fire, and he brings that energy to several musical styles.” – Jerome Wilson, All About Jazz