Pianist Joe Elefante emerges from personal hardship to craft a thinking‐man’s jazz statement on Return of the Light, assembling his quintet of trumpeter Freddie Hendrix, alto saxophonist Erena Terakubo, bassist Sameer Shankar and drummer Dave Heilman. Together, they navigate a terrain of original compositions and stirring arrangements grounded in Buddhist reflection and post-bop clarity. Elefante’s […]
Pianist Joe Elefante emerges from personal hardship to craft a thinking‐man’s jazz statement on Return of the Light, assembling his quintet of trumpeter Freddie Hendrix, alto saxophonist Erena Terakubo, bassist Sameer Shankar and drummer Dave Heilman. Together, they navigate a terrain of original compositions and stirring arrangements grounded in Buddhist reflection and post-bop clarity. Elefante’s writing, nine of the eleven pieces, with subtle nods to the classic canon, offers spacious grooves, dramatic interplay, and a sonic arc that balances grief, resilience, and transcendence. Hendrix and Terakubo shine in solos, while Shankar and Heilman hold the rhythmic floor. The result is not simply an album of skilled playing, but a journey that takes the listener from darkness into light with compositional ambition and ensemble cohesion.
