"one of the most important young artists in jazz" (Los Angeles Times)

Jazz for the “here and now” is the best way to describe vibraphonist, composer and bandleader Stefon Harris' new disc, Urbanus, his 7th CD as a leader. Urbanus picks up where 2004's Evolution (Blue Note) left off in that it features Blackout, his scintillating ensemble that's as versed in modern jazz as it is with rhythms, melodies and soundscapes associated with R&B, pop, hip-hop and funk. Blackout displays a deeper group rapport as well as a more expansive sonic palette as Marc Cary complements the acoustic piano with Fender Rhodes and alto saxophonist Casey Benjamin lends his captivating vocoder work to the proceeding. Harris' brilliance at broadening textures and colors comes to play with his sensational woodwind and string arrangements on a few of the compositions as well.

“When you have the opportunity to work with people for several years and you're all on the same page, what comes out is something that you could not predict,” Harris says of Blackout's artistic growth since Evolution. “It's what keeps us together as an ensemble. I think we really inspire one another.”

“Music is about authenticity, telling your story and sharing real-life stories that are from the ‘here and now,' not just about the past,” he says of the Blackout's group philosophy. He goes on to explain that the title: Urbanus is Latin for “urban,” however he wanted that word to convey the origins of the band members and jazz itself. “We all come from urban environments. And there's a bit of an urban story told throughout all of the music. Also the origins of [jazz] have always been from urban centers for the most part. I think that has to do with the fact that you have a confluence of cultures which synthesize in urban environments.”

That said, Harris doesn't completely do away with the jazz tradition. As evidenced by the inclusion of “Gone,” an ingenious variation on George Gershwin's “Gone, Gone, Gone” from Porgy & Bess, and Jackie McLean's hard bop classic, “Minor March” (arranged by Cary), Harris exhibits tremendous reverence and understanding of jazz history. “We have a very broad definition of jazz, but at the same time, we are careful not to exclude that which is perceived as tradition,” he says.

Recorded just a few days before the historic presidential inauguration of Barack Obama, Urbanus sparkles with optimism, ingenuity and emotional immediacy. “How could it not?” Harris says when asked if the anticipating for the inauguration had an impact on the sessions. “Being in the studio, knowing that we were getting ready for the inauguration of the first African-American president – how could that not change my life? I was extremely inspired and that created a great feeling of audacity and some fantastic energy.”