Mike Prigodich - Stage Magic

Jazz

Mike Prigodich and the Art of 21st-Century Jazz Fusion

From the very first track of his new album, one thing becomes abundantly clear: this is not easy-listening jazz, nor a nostalgic pastiche of a bygone era. The tone is set with authority, and with it comes the promise of a contemporary jazz vision, ambitious, meticulously crafted, and unafraid of complexity. Pianist and composer Mike Prigodich, based in Oregon, charts a singular path that blends the pulsing rhythms of world jazz tinged with Latin flair and the intricate harmonic architecture of a thoroughly modern fusion. Listeners may be reminded at times of the raw energy of Weather Report or the melodic precision of Chick Corea, to whom Prigodich openly owes a creative debt.

Yet beyond these echoes lies a voice entirely his own, shaped as much by technical mastery as by personal adversity. Diagnosed with cancer in 2008, Prigodich turned to music not merely as an outlet, but as a form of survival. This second album, released more than a decade after Stitch in Time (2011), his critically acclaimed debut, feels like both a triumph and a declaration. There’s a controlled exhilaration at play here, an emotional force underscored by an immaculate compositional precision.

Nothing is left to chance. Each instrument, each melodic line, each rhythmic pivot follows a deliberate, almost architectural logic. And yet, despite the sophisticated frameworks, the music never loses its emotional immediacy. That is perhaps the album’s greatest strength: its ability to marry structural complexity with sonic clarity. Certain refrains, though harmonically intricate, linger in the listener’s memory with surprising ease. One is reminded of those exceptional records produced in the 1980s and early 2000s, where virtuosity served the music rather than overshadowed it. And yet, this is not a retro exercise, this album is firmly planted in the 21st century.

Critics and artists alike have taken note. The late Chick Corea praised Prigodich’s work as “wonderful, beautiful, really great.” George Whitty of the Brecker Brothers wrote, “This is one of those discs you want to hear again as soon as it’s finished.” Such accolades, which can be found on the artist’s official website, reflect a rare level of esteem in the often-insular world of modern jazz.

But this album is more than a solo feat, it is a testament to collective musical intelligence. Prigodich surrounds himself with extraordinary musicians whose individual contributions are unmistakable yet always in service to the greater whole. That delicate balance—between singular expression and ensemble unity, gives the album a depth and richness that verge on the orchestral.

Ultimately, this record stands as a benchmark, one that may well reshape how jazz fusion is approached in the 21st century. It will no doubt resonate with aficionados of complex compositions, but also with anyone who believes that music, at its core, is a human journey. For the next generation of jazz musicians, it offers something increasingly rare: a model of artistic integrity, unshaken by trend or compromise, rooted in conviction, and all the more powerful for it.

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, May 8th 2025

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