To the Surface Lawrence Fields

• 1Parachute07:28
• 2New Season Blues06:39
• 3Moving On08:59
• 4L.B.F.03:10
• 5To the Surface07:32
• 6Yasorey02:41
• 7Vision06:38
• 8I Fall in Love Too Easily08:06
• 9Sketches01:40
• 10The Lookout06:53
• Total Runtime59:46

Info for To the Surface

Celebrated pianist-composer Lawrence Fields makes his long-awaited, formal introduction with To The Surface, his poignant debut album to be released on February 2, 2024 via Rhythm ‘N’ Flow Records. A native of St. Louis, the New York-based pianist has made his indelible mark on the jazz scene over the past decade alongside Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah, Branford Marsalis, Terri Lyne Carrington, and especially Joe Lovano, as a member of the saxophonist’s Classic Quartet, Sax Supreme Quartet with Chris Potter, and Sound Prints, with Dave Douglas. Fields’ soulful sound and thoughtful approach has shaped the harmonic ethos of dozens of hallmark recordings over the past decade. Now, Fields’ new trio combines a musical grasp of the past and the present and operates with a fluid, spontaneous approach to interplay on his first bandleader recording, To The Surface, alongside bassist Yasushi Nakamura and drummer Corey Fonville.

Seldom in the jazz idiom does an artist come along with a winning trifecta of thoughtful nuance, individuality, and a balance of tradition and innovation. It is these qualities that have cemented Fields’ stature and prominence in the field, and has led to the pianist being named as a Rising Star by DownBeat Magazine for the last five consecutive years. To The Surface proves what many audiences across the world already hold to be true — Lawrence Fields holds a unique voice on the piano, he is a true artist whose passion shines through with every note played. Fields’ goal with his debut album was to create “honest music”. Fields indicates that to him, honest music is playing that communicates directly with the listeners and prioritizes passion over perfection. He remarks, “It’s this sort of music that has had the biggest influence on me throughout my life, and I want to share a distinct, personal sound that faithfully reflects who I am.”

“The album’s title, To the Surface, represents the literal bringing to the surface of ideas, sounds, and compositions that have been building up for years. It also represents a particularly meaningful phase of my life, where I accumulate things that I’ve shared through the music of others to date, and transition into bringing my own vision more to the forefront.”

Fields comes out of the gate with a blistering melodic intensity right at the start of the album’s very first track, “Parachute”, as if to say ‘now is my time, and I have much to say.’ The piece captures joyful and bittersweet feelings which Fields remarks are “hard to express in words, yet simple to communicate through notes”. “New Season Blues” is born from the excitement, anticipation, and sense of the unknown that accompanies the changing of seasons. The composition features an extended solo piano section which seems to exemplify the vulnerability of change, which climaxes as Nakamura and Fonville enter. Nakamura offers a masterful solo, before the group descends back into the tune’s repeated harmonic refrain, featuring stellar rhythmic invention from Fonville.

“Moving On” is inspired by the passing of someone close to Fields, the piece encompasses both the celebration of their gifts and the wistful feelings of loss. This masterful trio takes the listener on a journey of pain and recovery, grief and acceptance – the three players reach a synergy here rarely heard in ensembles of modern day. Fields writes, “this music represents the value of friendship. I couldn’t have asked for better companions than Corey [Fonville] and Yasushi [Nakamura], and their combination of warmth, love, energy and mastery gives life to each moment of the record. The song “Yasorey” is named for both of them, and it showcases the magic that happens when their flavorful and eloquent styles of playing combine.”

The album’s title track “To The Surface” is a masterwork of harmonic expression. The track, and the album as a whole, portrays perfectly the agony and ecstasy of creation – the vulnerability and confidence inherent in sharing yourself with others, and ultimately, the release that is felt after expressing one’s self.

The bandleader shares, “I’ve been waiting to express so many things, and this album is just the beginning of that process. It’s something that excites me greatly. At this moment in my life, the timing feels right, and I’m thrilled to be bringing all of this “To the Surface” to share with all of you.

Lawrence Fields, piano
Yasushi Nakamura, bass
Corey Fonville, drums

Lawrence Fields
born and bred in St. Louis, has earned a spot at the forefront of young jazz pianists, thanks to his blending of vintage ideals with a contemporary mindset. For the last five years, in 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019, Downbeat Magazine has placed him close to the top of the keyboardist category in their “Rising Stars” critics poll. Veteran saxophone icon Joe Lovano – with his unerring ear for youthful talent – has become one of the pianist’s biggest fans. Fields is a member of several bands led or co-led by Lovano: his Classic Quartet (originally featuring Lewis Nash and George Mraz in the rhythm section); the Sax Supreme Quartet (with Chris Potter); and his Sound Prints quintet with trumpeter Dave Douglas. The Wall Street Journal praised Fields’ “elegant, probing” solos with Sound Prints, while The New York Times noted that he is “integral to the band’s plunging, changeable style.” A modern-minded bandleader from the younger generation also relies on Fields, as he mans the piano and keyboards for the Christian Scott Group. Referencing his role on acoustic and electric pianos in the trumpeter’s band, NextBop said: “Fields remains a constant lyrical presence on the keys – innovative, expressive, supportive, able to soar like a bird in his solos. He never fails to impress.”

Fields showcases his own dynamic blend of composition and playing in his trio and quartet, and his group has been featured in WBGO’s The Checkout series. His newly-recorded debut album featuring his trio and solo playing, “To the Surface”, is set to be released on February 2, 2024.

On record, Fields has collaborated with Christian Scott on several albums — including co-writing and co-producing 3 songs on the Grammy-nominated The Emancipation Procrastination (Ropeadope, 2017), as part of his work on Christian’s Centennial Trilogy with releases Diaspora and Ruler Rebel. He features prominently in the piano and keyboard chairs on Christian’s Grammy-nominated live recording Axiom (2020), as well as the Grammy-nominated Ancestral Recall (2019), and the Stretch Music (Ropeadope, 2015) and Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah (Concord, 2012) albums.

With Lovano and Douglas, the pianist features on Sound Prints’ two critically-acclaimed studio releases: Other Worlds (2021), and Scandal (2018, Greanleaf) — selected by The Guardian as their #1 jazz album of 2018, as well as one of Rolling Stone’s top 20 jazz albums of the year. Fields also plays on the live album Sound Prints: Live at Monterey Jazz Festival (Blue Note, 2015), which featured two brand-new compositions written for the ensemble by the legendary Wayne Shorter. He appears on the album Marsalis Music Honors Alvin Batiste (2007) alongside Branford Marsalis, Herlin Riley and Russell Malone, as well as on drummer Terri Lyne Carrington’s More to Say (a 2009 disc for which he served as a pianist, keyboardist, and composer-producer). Fields also appears on releases by drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts, bassist Yasushi Nakamura, vibraphonist Warren Wolf, and saxophonists Jaleel Shaw and Steve Slagle. The pianist has been a member of the Watts band, as well as that of trumpeter Nicholas Payton. In addition to performing onstage with the likes of Payton, Watts, Marsalis and Carrington, Fields has appeared with star bassist Christian McBride, drummer Nate Smith, trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis, trumpeter Takuya Kuroda, and bassist Robert Hurst, among others.

Lawrence's playing is also featured on Christopher North's score for the new Sam Pollard documentary "Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes", which premiered in October 2023 on PBS' American Masters television series.

This album contains no booklet.