Introducing Ardeshir

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Introducing Ardeshir is the 2026 debut album by Vancouver‑based saxophonist and composer Ardeshir Pourkeramati, released on Cellar Live as a straight‑ahead jazz set rooted firmly i n the hard bop tradition. Across ten tracks, he leads a quintet of fellow Vancouver “young lions”—trumpeter Julian Borkowski, pianist Winston Matsushita, bassist David Caballero, and drummer Graham Villette—with percussionist Juan Encinales and guest saxophonists Steve Kaldestad and Cory Weeds appearing on selected tunes. The program mixes Pourkeramati originals such as Sketches of Cedar, Silver Tones, Bu’s Message, All About, and Midnight Paradox with hard‑bop classics East of the Village (Hank Mobley), Eternal Triangle (Sonny Stitt), Blues Up and Down (Gene Ammons/Sonny Stitt), plus standards Darn That Dream and Just One of Those Things, framing him as a player and writer deeply conversant with the language of ’50s and ’60s jazz.Each of the original pieces explicitly tips its hat to a major influence: Sketches of Cedar channels Cedar Walton through a catchy melody and shifting rhythms, Silver Tones is “pure Horace Silver” with horns stating a bluesy theme and a soulful piano solo, and Bu’s Message rides Villette’s strong drumming in tribute to Art Blakey. All About shifts into bossa nova, featuring Ardeshir on flute and adding Encinales’ percussion, while Midnight Paradox builds on a Herbie Hancock‑style vamp. On the covers, the band leans fully into hard bop’s hallmarks—driving solos, tight arrangements, trading fours, strong blues grooves—especially on East of the Village, Eternal Triangle (with Kaldestad), and Blues Up and Down (with Weeds), while Darn That Dream becomes a showcase for Pourkeramati’s tender ballad playing and Just One of Those Things displays his agile bebop chops. Critics describe Introducing Ardeshir as a polished, straight‑ahead session that both introduces a technically assured “new kid on the tenor block” and acts as an affectionate love letter to the hard bop canon; for listeners craving that classic feel, it’s a modern recording that consciously “goes back to the source” while adding the energy of a contemporary West Coast band. Show more