| Jazz |
Born in a time of isolation, brought to life by persistence and passion.
Conceived during the pandemic and finally seeing the light of day, Falling From Earth is far more than a standard jazz record, it’s a testament to perseverance, collaboration, and a deep love of craft. What begins as an album built on clever arrangements and engaging compositions quickly reveals itself as something greater: a gathering of remarkable musicians, each leaving their fingerprint on the music. And among them, one voice is instantly recognizable from the very first note of guitar: the luminous, elegant, unmistakable Mike Stern.
At the center of it all is pianist and composer Bob Schlesinger, whose journey toward this recording was anything but straightforward. “I must have tried at least five times over ten years to make a serious trio album,” Schlesinger recalls. “Twice I hauled my Baldwin concert grand piano into a studio just to have free recording time. I did live recordings in a piano store. But for one reason or another, things never came together.”
The roots of this project trace back to 2009, when Schlesinger met bassist Eddie Gomez during a tribute concert for one of Schlesinger’s former teachers. The two struck up a conversation about recording together. Nothing happened right away. In fact, it would take another decade, ten years of waiting, planning, and dreaming, before things began to move. In 2018, the nonprofit Pathways to Jazz, an organization devoted to funding recording projects, awarded Schlesinger a grant to record a trio album with Gomez.
As plans took shape, Schlesinger felt something was missing. “I decided to add a guitar,” he explains. He had met Mike Stern in New York on multiple occasions and seized the moment to invite him to join the trio. Stern accepted.
In September 2018, Schlesinger, Gomez, Stern, and drummer Billy Drummond gathered at the legendary Sear Sound studio in New York City to begin recording. Later that same year, Stern flew to Boulder, Colorado, to lay down additional tracks with Schlesinger. The sessions—split between these two locations—would ultimately become Falling From Earth, an album born out of patience, persistence, and shared musical obsession.
And obsession is exactly what you hear in every note. The record doesn’t just showcase Schlesinger’s abilities as a pianist; it illuminates his strengths as a composer and arranger. His writing feels poetic in the truest sense: rich in color, balanced between freedom and form, brimming with emotion but never indulgent.
Stern, ever the intuitive guitarist, seems to immediately understand where the music is headed, weaving in lines that highlight its finest moments with effortless grace. His touch is light yet searing, always melodic, and it’s a reminder of why his playing remains so revered.
It’s no coincidence that all the musicians involved sound completely invested in these pieces. There’s an intimacy here, a sense of shared purpose, that speaks to the passion fueling the project. And Schlesinger himself has been preparing for this moment for decades.
His musical journey began with rock bands in high school, but it was at the University of Colorado that his horizons expanded. Surrounded by fellow students with wildly eclectic tastes and guided by the mentorship of jazz luminary Ted Alexander, Schlesinger discovered the space where improvisation and composition intersect. That crossroad became his creative home and the foundation of his career.
Which brings us to Falling From Earth: a work that feels both meticulously constructed and alive with spontaneity. It’s an album of carefully honed craft and raw spirit, equal parts design and discovery.
One can only hope Schlesinger doesn’t wait another twenty years before offering a follow-up. Jazz fans are unlikely to wait that long to fall under the spell of this record.
Thierry De Clemensat
Member at Jazz Journalists Association
USA correspondent for Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief – Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, August 7th 2025
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Musicians:
Bob Schlesinger: Piano/Keyboards
Mike Stern: Guitar (5-11)
Eddie Gomez: Bass (5- 11)
Billy Drummond: Drums (5 -11)
Kevin Axt: Bass (1-4)
Steve Hass: Drums (1, 3)
Dean Oldencott: Drums (2)
Karl Latham: Drums (4)
Tracklist:
Bait Tone Blues
Common Ground
Easy Offramp
Wing and a Prayer
Left Field
It’s Alright, Ma
Brush Stroke
Quien Es
A Child is Born
But What Do You Want To Play
Suspone