BY: DIGITAL WAX MEDIA STAFF

 

Instrumental piano-jazz trio Okonski are back with a brand new single ahead of the group’s upcoming second full-length album, Entrance Music.

 

The highly anticipated sophomore effort follows the 2023 album, Magnolia, which served as the official introduction of the sophisticated improvisational stylings of the group. Comprised of members Aaron Frazer, Michael Montgomery, and group leader/namesake Steve Okonski, the trio’s collaborative improvisations conjure a delicate, emotive atmosphere not dissimilar to the poignant efforts of artists such as Bill Evans and John Carrol Kirby.

 

A brand new single from the trio, “October” was released this month in promotion of the album, which is set to be released on February 28th, 2025, through Colemine Records. The single leans heavily on [Steve] Okonski’s proclivity for simple yet striking melodic passages. Sputtering right-hand piano flourishes accent the ongoing primary groove maintained by Frazer and Montgomery as the group weave in and out both hard stops and delicate pauses.

 

”October” certainly boasts the distinctive melodic sensibility that made Magnolia so memorable and emotionally impactful. But one can pick up on the sense of a renewed inspiration in the band’s latest single which finds them subtly pushing their established sound forward.

 

The song, as with all the tracks featured as part of Entrance Music, was laid to tape during a characteristically loose five-day session at producer Terry Cole’s studio space at the Portage Lounge in Loveland, Ohio. Cole’s role in the creation of the music was substantial according to Okonski himself.

 

”I can’t emphasize enough how much Terry feels like a fourth member [of the band] because of the space he’s curating, the energy he is bringing, and the production ideas,” said the bandleader. “It was a new setup, but with Terry behind the dials it was very familiar.”

 

The band is unique in that the material which emerges during recording sessions is generally not preplanned or coordinated by members of the group prior to the sessions. Rather, in the spirit of the improvisational jazz tradition, what ultimately becomes the material audiences hear on resulting studio albums typically has its origins in ideas conceived on the spot with band members in a room together.

 

Befitting of this distinct collaborative dynamic, Entrance Music is said to have developed organically as a contrast of sorts to the preceding Magnolia, which was on February 24, 2023.

 

“[Entrance Music] feels a little less ‘on the streets at 2.AM.’ And a little more nature-based… a little more ethereal,” Okonski says of the upcoming project. “It’s definitely age, environment, and family – all of that does come through in the music.”

 

The album artwork itself frames the project as, “nine original compositions for piano that explore the transitions between anticipation, contemplation, and calm.” The album is made up of nine brand new tunes, each credited to Frazier-Montgomery-Okonski.

 

Entrance Music is scheduled to see release on February 28, 2025, through Colemine Records. Lead single, “October” is currently available to stream and Entrance Music is available for pre-order.

 

The full track list for  Entrance Music is as follows:

 

Side One –

 

October – 3:39
Vista – 3:40
Lakebridge – 4:28
Wind Or Vertigo – 3:36

 

Side Two –

 

Passing Through – 4:09
Summer Storm – 4:06
Dahlia – 3:06
Dusk – 3:11
Penny 2:57