Gary Bartz and new London ensemble Your Brother‘s Keeper collaborate on
Where Rivers Meet, a deeply intuitive new studio album capturing a rare
meeting between generations of jazz musicians. Released on June 19, 2026
via Brownswood Recordings, as the label celebrates its 20th
anniversary, the record brings together Bartz’s jazz lineage and a new
collective emerging from London’s vibrant jazz scene. The result is
music that unfolds with openness and intensity, guided by deep listening
and collective improvisation.
At the centre of the project is Bartz, one of the most influential
voices in modern jazz. A saxophonist whose career spans more than five
decades, Bartz emerged performing with Charles Mingus, Max Roach and Art
Blakey before joining Miles Davis during the trumpeter’s electrifying
early-1970s period. He soon became a defining figure of the spiritual
jazz movement through his celebrated NTU Troop recordings, creating a
body of work that continues to resonate across generations of musicians
and listeners alike. His playing - lyrical, searching and unmistakably
soulful - remains one of the most distinctive voices in jazz.
The album also marks the arrival of Your Brother‘s Keeper, a new collective assembled by drummer and producer Jake
Long (Maisha) and rooted and shared in musical dialogue and
improvisation. Featuring Ali MacSween (piano, synthesizers and modular
FX), Axel Kaner-Lidstrom (trumpet), Twm Dylan (double bass), Tim Doyle
(percussion) and Chelsea Carmichael (tenor saxophone), alongside Long on
drums, the group reflects a scene that has reshaped the sound of
contemporary jazz over the past decade.
Tracklist:
1. Cauldron
2. Ground Loop
3. Eclipse
4. Solar Flare
5. Locris
6. Petrichor
7. Mantra
