Greg Osby Releases First Album On His New Label

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Greg Osby released 9 Levels (Inner Circle Music) on August 2, his first album in three years. Osby’s ensemble features vocalist Sara Serpa, guitarist Nir Felder, pianist Adam Birnbaum, bassist Joseph Lepore and drummer Hamir Atwal. The album title refers to “The 9 Levels of Humanity,” a principle of Zen Buddhism.  

9 Levels contains original songs plus two tracks, “Less Tension Please” and “Two of One.” Osby explained: “Part of the initial concept for this project and my new direction in general, was to seek out work from other artists that offered choices that I would never think of or allow myself to make. I wanted to complete the project with a utilization of alternative colors (in composition) and aesthetic perspectives that would take me out of the realm of familiarity. At this stage in my career, it is of the utmost importance that I do that as often and as deliberately as possible.”

More info: innercirclemusic.net



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