Jesse Fischer is a Brooklyn-based pianist, composer, and producer. Known for his warm, soulful touch and emphasis on melody, groove, storytelling and emotion, his unique voice combines elements of his own Jewish heritage with music of the African diaspora, jazz, hip-hop, indie, and singer-songwriter genres. A two-time ASCAP Plus Award winner, Fischer has performed with many notables in the jazz, pop, and world music scenes, including Mino Cinélu, Sarah Elizabeth Charles, Becca Stevens, Grace Kelly, Lakecia Benjamin, Deva Mahal, and Takuya Kuroda. He has released several records as a leader, including Day Dreamer (Ropeadope, 2015) and his Herbie Hancock/Head Hunters tribute Vein Melter (Tru Thoughts, 2015), jointly created with producer/multi-instrumentalist Sly5thAve. He is also a core member of the groundbreaking Brooklyn Afro-pop/jazz fusion collective Ajoyo and producer & engineer of their sophomore release, War Chant.
Fischer’s newest project Resilience, released in August 2020, is a full-length album of original compositions exploring deeper connections between modern jazz, Jewish and African traditional music, and European classical music, and features special guests including Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Becca Stevens, Grégoire Maret, Sarah Elizabeth Charles, Mino Cinélu, and young lion Morgan Guerin, along with his working group of Obed Calvaire (drums), Godwin Louis (alto & soprano sax), Billy Buss (trumpet), David Cutler (bass), Jordan Peters (guitar), and Keita Ogawa (percussion). With seven instrumentals and two songs with lyrics penned by Fischer himself with co-writers Sarah Elizabeth Charles and May Cheung, the album is both deeply personal and necessarily political, responding to the wave of white nationalism, authoritarianism, and hate that has swept the globe in recent years. The compositions on Resilience emerged after a period of intense self-reflection, and range emotionally from despair to resistance to optimism to celebration.
“Fischer displays an Ellingtonian ability to conjure emotions, ideas, and impressions out of harmony, blending vocals, horns, and keyboards into an evocative portrait of the modern world. One of the best jazz albums of the summer of 2020, a sophisticated, coherent work that speaks to meaningful topics.”
— PostGenre
“Furthering his explorations in contemporary jazz fusion, the compositions on Resilience are introspective, yet playful and free, best reflected in the album’s title track, featuring the legendary trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Ajuah, ‘Play Date’ and the tune ‘The Wanderer,’ with Grégoire Maret on harmonica.”
— Music Is My Sanctuary
Morgan Guerin (tenor sax, EWI)
Jonathan Michel (bass)
Jerome Jennings (drums)