Where Rivers Meet

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 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. FFO – Floating Points and Pharoah Saunders – Promises, Shabaka, Yussef Dayes, Nubya Garcia