To record Dream Manifest (Dom Recs), Croker convened artists from his current and recent past ensembles, plus special guests.

“Billy was very friendly to me when I was young. One of my greatest inspirations,” said drummer Bill Goodwin about fellow drummer Billy Higgins.

“I’ve had no shortage of encounters and new relationships with people on the West Coast that have been super inspiring and amazing,” says Lehman of his move to Los Angeles.

“Branford’s playing has steadily improved,” says younger brother Wynton Marsalis. “He’s just gotten more and more serious.”

“What did I want more of when I was this age?” Sasha Berliner asks when she’s in her teaching mode.

“As much as I may want to get away from the legacy of The Meters, it’s such a fundamental part of my musical upbringing that I’ll always have that,” says George Porter Jr.

“We’re part of the British jazz scene, but we don’t play London jazz,” says Knats bassist Stan Woodward. “We play Newcastle jazz.”

“I am a musician born and raised in this country with the sound of the seas and landscapes that I carry with me,” says Giannouli of her Greek upbringing.

“It’s really nice to have some kind of vision and feel like it has come to life,” says Vasandani.

“At the end of the day, once you’ve run out of differences, we’re left with similarities,” Collier says. “Cultural differences are mitigated through 12 notes.”