Premiere: Fabian Almazan Offers Up ‘Benjamin,’ a Cut From ‘This Land Abounds With Life’

  I  

A bandleader, composer and member of Terence Blanchard’s E-Collective, pianist Fabian Almazan synthesizes a lifetime’s worth of experiences on This Land Abounds With Life, a disc that includes contributions from bassist Linda May Han Oh and drummer Henry Cole.

The new trio recording, out June 14 on Almazan’s Biophilia imprint, is, in part, a reflection of the pianist’s first trip back to Cuba since leaving there as child. Some snippets of field recordings find their way onto a couple tracks, “Songs Of The Forgotten” boasting a bit of birdsong. Below is the debut of “Benjamin,” the first track on This Land, a tune that references a character in George Orwell’s Animal Farm.

“The novella was banned in all the communist countries, including Cuba,” Almazan says about the Orwell book in a press release. “I’m seeing a lot of things happening in the U.S. right now that are reminiscent of what happens right before a dictatorship. I just want to remind myself and others not to forget the past.”

For more information about Almazan’s upcoming album, as well as a spate of trio tour dates, visit his website. DB



  • Bela_Fleck_on_CNN_with_Fredricka_Whitfield_2026.jpg

    Belá Fleck during an interview with Fredrika Whitfield on CNN.

  • KP2_Print_copy.jpg

    ​Peplowski first came to prominence in legacy swing bands, including the final iteration of the Benny Goodman Orchestra, before beginning a solo career in the late 1980s.

  • 2707_Pressphoto2_copy_2.jpg

    The success of Oregon’s first album, 1971’s Music Of Another Present Era, allowed Towner to establish a solo career.

  • DAddario_RSWAB-LG_oninstrument1hi-res_copy.jpg

    Rico’s Anti-Microbial Instrument Swab

  • Richie_Beirach_neu.jpg

    Richie Beirach was particularly renowned for his approach to chromatic harmony, which he used to improvise reharmonizations of originals and standards.


On Sale Now
March 2026
Maria Schneider
Look Inside
Subscribe
Print | Digital | iPad