Hopium Dayna Stephens

• 1 Drive North to Find the Oranges Out West (feat. Aaron Parks, Ben Street & Greg Hutchinson) 06:19
• 2 Jump Start (feat. Aaron Parks, Ben Street & Greg Hutchinson) 04:57
• 3 Trust (feat. Aaron Parks, Ben Street & Greg Hutchinson) 05:13
• 4 Hopium (feat. Aaron Parks, Ben Street & Greg Hutchinson) 06:45
• 5 Occasionally Cynical (feat. Aaron Parks, Ben Street & Greg Hutchinson) 07:21
• 6 Hard-Boiled Wonderland (feat. Aaron Parks, Ben Street & Greg Hutchinson) 04:22
• 7 As Truth Rises Above Power (feat. Aaron Parks, Ben Street, Greg Hutchinson & Charles Altura) 06:56
• Total Runtime 41:53

Info for Hopium

Acclaimed saxophonist Dayna Stephens and his supergroup explore the overlapping lines of optimism and cynicism and their roles in the human experience with Hopium.

The human condition is a state rich with duality. One’s desires may walk hand in hand with one’s drive to succeed, while one’s doubts may run before those same desires, sabotaging the road to success at every turn. Lauded saxophonist Dayna Stephens saw this paradoxical duality play out before him regularly on both the individual and societal levels. His observations and ponderings led him to create Hopium, a musical exhibition that explores the interweaving threads of hope for a better future and cynicism of that future realistically happening that seems to be present within the hearts and minds of every person. Accompanied by the personnel of his critically acclaimed 2021 album, Right Now!, Stephens and his cohort musically examine the internal debate between optimism and disillusionment he finds within himself and sees within the world around him. Over the course of seven tracks, Stephens invites listeners to join him as he reflects on the moments of confusion and clarity that shape everyday life and considers the transformative power of truth pervasive through it all.

The album’s title, Hopium, is a succinct summary of the album’s central themes, neatly wrapped in a witty portmanteau combining the words “hope” and “opium”. The two words from which the title is derived signal the bandleader’s thoughts on the nature of humanity and the nature of hope, which so spurs humanity ever onwards. “Hope can be both empowering and deceptive,” Stephens says. “It can offer a sense of solace while occasionally blinding us to the harsh realities present.” In this way, hope may be both a driving force and a sweet, addictive demise that holds one captive, as the state of hoping for something is so often easier than the state of working towards that same hope.

The ensemble present at Hopium is something of a reunion. Comprising the star-studded cast of Aaron Parks (piano), Ben Street (bass), and Greg Hutchinson (drums), this is the same quartet who so phenomenally came together to create Stephens’s beloved 2021 live album, Right Now! Live at the Village Vanguard. The band’s familiarity with one another enabled an ease of musicianship and level of trust that catapulted this record beyond even the sum of their incredible parts into a work of art that is truly resounding in both musical maturity and artistic message.

Each of the seven tracks is an original composition, written entirely by Stephens except for track six, which was composed by Parks. The album opens with Drive North To Find The Oranges Out West. Ripe with metaphorical significance, this track was written to express how the path one must take in life is anything but straightforward. With analogous musical motifs, the track uses the idea of oranges to represent fulfillment while the drive and direction represent the overlap of freedom and uncertainty. “Road trips for me are often driven by a desire to escape and experience unfamiliar landscapes,” Stephens says. “This track brings to mind the vastness of the open road and wide horizons where each mile brings new possibilities.” The album continues with Jump Start, an homage to Herbie Hancock’s “A Jump Ahead.” Musically, this track is mesmerizing, reactive, and uncertain, as the entire band is on their toes following the bassist Ben Street’s real-time decisions. Every 32 bars, Street signals the top of the form, signaling that the band – and symbolically, the listener – is starting anew. At each new cycle of the form, Street leads the rest of the ensemble in a new harmonic direction as he sees fit. “It’s literally and metaphorically the sound of seizing the moment, breaking free and pushing forward with urgency and drive,” Stephens says.

The third track on the album is Trust. A pensive piece, “Trust” reflects on that central element around which all relationships of all natures revolve. “‘Trust’ reminds us of the vulnerability and strength in placing faith in others and in ourselves as we face unknown tomorrows and how fragile that trust can be when we do,” Stephens says. The fourth track, Hopium, is the album’s title track. Aptly placed in the center of the album, “Hopium” is the thematic cornerstone that holds the album’s message up. “There’s a sense of both euphoria and denial here as this piece explores the space between optimism and denial,” Stephens says. “The piece ends on an unresolved chord intentionally, which leaves the door wide open for cynicism to enter into the frame.” Occasionally Cynical musically navigates the moments in which doubt outweighs belief and the apparent harshness of reality pollutes the idealism of hope. Despite the morose weight of this theme, Stephens clarifies the clandestine brightness of it. “Even here, the cynicism is temporary,” he says. “It’s an almost predictable passing state in the ebb and flow of emotional tides.” Paralleling this ebb and flow is the pervasive push and pull of the harmonies that undergird the entirety of the track, signaling to audiences which part of the emotional state the composer is in at any given moment.

Hard-Boiled Wonderland is pianist Aaron Parks’s contribution to the album. Thematically, this piece draws on author Haruki Murakami’s ideas of alternate realities while musically Parks leans into the sounds of Sam River’s “Cyclic Episode” and Chick Corea’s “Humpty Dumpty.” Using the two songs akin to the dual worlds of Murakami’s novel, this piece examines the line between conscious and subconscious through escapism and introspection in the life of the individual. The album concludes with As Truth Rises Above Power and features guest guitarist Charles Altura to create an anthemic soundscape, underpinned by tones of defiance, resilience, and integrity. “This piece is a reminder that truth, no matter how suppressed, will eventually emerge victorious,” Stephens says. Akin to the title track, this piece, too, ends unresolved harmonically. However, where “Hopium” lacks the resolution to allow cynicism to enter metaphorically, this piece stands open-ended in a manner that calls audiences to go forth and do likewise in pursuit of truth.

Dayna Stephens has already established himself as a powerhouse in the contemporary scene, with landmark albums showcasing a mesmerizing command and virtuosity. Now, with Hopium, Stephens establishes himself as a poet-philosopher: a musician capable not only of mastering the art to its finest degree but of articulating the heart and soul of humankind with all the oscillating gentleness and fervor of humanity itself.

Dayna Stephens, tenor & alto saxophones
Aaron parks, piano
Charles Altura, guitar
Ben Street, bass
Greg Hutchinson, drums

Dayna Stephens
is globally recognized as a saxophonist, composer, arranger and educator. His new quartet with Emmanuel Michael, Kanoa Mendenhall and Jongkuk Kim have a new recording set to be released on Cellar Live in early 2024.

He was also the first place recipient of the 2019 DownBeat Critics Poll in the category Rising Star-Tenor Saxophone. His 10th album, Right Now! Live at the Village Vanguard, was released on October 3, 2020 and features Aaron Parks, Ben Street, and Greg Hutchinson. Earlier that year he released his 9th album Liberty to critical acclaim. It was his first trio recording that features Ben Street and Eric Harland. Both 2020 albums were produced by Matt Pierson and released on Dayna’s own label, Contagious Music. In collaboration with drummer Toronto native Anthony Fung the futuristic electronic band Pluto Juice was born and produced it’s self titled first release in July 2021.

NPR’s Kevin Whitehead had this to say about Liberty, “Dayna Stephens can cry and rip it up on tenor, but at heart, he’s a streamlined melodic player. His handsome down-the-middle tone is not too heavy or light, though he can lean either way. His sound is sleek, with very light vibrato. And the lines he improvises are uncluttered and well-organized. His horn sings”. J. Hunter of Nippertown says, “Stephens’ latest outing—recorded at Rudy Van Gelder’s history-filled studio—delivers an elegant, uncompromising look at how less can definitely be more.” In describing Liberty’s trio format Jay N. Miller from The Patriot Ledger applauds, “while the concept may seem esoteric, the triumph of Stephens’ latest work is how accessible and even intoxicating it is.”

Among Dayna’s latest endeavor is a collaborative group born in Toronto called Pluto Juice. Co-led with drummer Anthony Fung this futuristic electronic group features Dayna mostly on EWI and Keyboards along with Electric Bassist Rich Brown and Guitarist Andrew Marzotto band Pluto Juice was born and produced it’s self titled first release in July 2021.

Playing with pureness of intention, Dayna admits he’s always searching to find what’s “singable.” That search often results in live improvisations and written compositions that challenge traditional concepts of harmony, pushing

phrasing and sending beautiful and unintentional melodies in unlikely directions. Dayna’s soulful lines have resonated through the halls of such internationally renowned venues as the Village Vanguard, Blue Note Jazz Club, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Birdland, Yoshi’s, The Blue Whale, Marians Jazzroom in Switzerland, Blue Note Milano, Philharmonie de Paris, Le Duc des Lombards, Red Rocks and San Francisco Jazz Center.

Rhythmic dialogue excites the Brooklyn-born, Bay Area-raised artist, as both an improviser and a written composer. His creative expression leads him to uncover different rhythmic interpretations of harmonic ideas as part of a spontaneous interchange with other players. These evolving interpretations help serve Dayna’s commitment to the authenticity of the moment, whether he’s playing live or in the studio. And his rhythmic inquiry has earned him the attention and admiration of some of the music’s most beloved drummers—many of whom have collaborated with him on recordings, on the bandstand and on the road, including Al Foster, Idris Muhammad, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Billy Hart, Marcus Gilmore, Bill Stewart, Eric Harland, Johnathan Blake, Jaimeo Brown, Brian Blade, Victor Lewis, Lewis Nash, Jorge Rossy, Jeff Ballard and Justin Brown.

Dayna has traveled and recorded with a cross-section of such distinctive voices, including pianists Kenny Barron, Aaron Parks, Fred Hersch, Billy Childs, Geoffrey Keezer, Taylor Eigsti, Herbie Hancock, Muhal Richard Abrams, Brad Mehldau, and Gerald Clayton; trumpet players Roy Hargrove, Tom Harrell, Sean Jones, Terell Stafford, Philip Dizack, Ambrose Akinmusire, Michael Rodriguez, and Terence Blanchard; saxophone players Wayne Shorter, Walter Smith III, Mark Turner Jaleel Shaw, Ben Wendel, Chris Potter, and John Ellis; bass players Ben Street, Rufus Reid, Kiyoshi Kitagawa, Joe Sanders, Linda Oh, Doug Weiss, Larry Grenadier and Harish Raghavan; vocalists Cecile McLorin Savant, Alicia Olatuja, Gretchen Parlato, Becca Stevens and Sachal Vasandani; and guitar players Julian Lage, Charles Altura, Mike Moreno, Lage Lund, Pete Bernstein and John Scofield, and Carlos Santana.

To hear his music is to fall in love with whatever instrument Dayna uses to channel his ideas. Through a tendency toward experimenting with both tone and texture in a harmonic context, he embraces a range of instruments—and their varying degrees of warmth—including double bass. A master of tenor, alto, soprano and baritone saxophones and Nyle Steiner’s EWI (electric wind instrument), Dayna’s openness and sensitivity as an artist have allowed him to stretch as a composer and arranger. Through the years, he has created and interpreted pieces for San Francisco’s Peninsula Symphony Orchestra, Berklee College of Music and the Oakland East Bay Symphony—for the latter of which he wrote a wide-screen arrangement of Dave Brubeck’s “The Duke” and his own piece “Haden’s Largo” (for Charlie Haden) that premiered at Oakland’s Paramount Theatre for its 2013 Celebration of the Music of Dave Brubeck Concert.

A graduate of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, where he studied under artistic icons Terence Blanchard, Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock, Dayna began his formal studies with a full scholarship at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He currently teaches at Manhattan School of Music and William Paterson University in Wayne New Jersey. As an undergraduate, he was diagnosed with the rare kidney disease focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) which resulted in a six-year course of dialysis that began in 2009, grounding him in the New York area and preventing him from touring internationally until he received a kidney transplant in October 2015 from a donation chain facilitated by his aunt. Aside from his own projects Dayna’s label Contagious Music released “Yekum”, by pianist/ composer Eden Ladin’s which was his debut recording released in 2018 and Billy Mohler’s “Anatomy” released in June 2022, his 2nd recording as a leader which has received great recognition world wide. Billy 3rd release "Ultraviolet" is set for release in fall 2023.

This album contains no booklet.