Michael Sarian’s NYC-based trumpeter returns with a second volume of his quartet from a serendipitous night of road-tested music in 2023 at Detroit’s premier jazz club.
Trumpeter and composer Michael Sarian returns with his fifth quartet release, Live at Cliff Bell’s Vol. II, a compelling follow-up and second volume to 2024’s Live at Cliff Bell’s. Recorded unexpectedly during the ensemble’s spring 2023 tour, the album offers another unfiltered snapshot of a band deep in conversation, weaving fearless improvisation, richly varied compositional voices, and the kind of interplay that can only be forged through years of performing together. Sarian is joined by longtime collaborators Santiago Leibson (piano), Marty Kenney (bass), and Nathan Ellman-Bell (drums), whose dynamic rapport anchors the music’s wide-ranging scope—from meditative free improvisations to gritty swing, folkloric Armenian colors to hard-driving second-line grooves in asymmetrical meter.
Praised for his “unique compositional and instrumental voice” (All About Jazz) and “endlessly renewable strain of lyric improvisation” (DownBeat), trumpeter and composer Michael Sarian has forged an international career marked by versatility and depth. Born in Toronto and raised in Buenos Aires, he has performed on stages from the Montreux Jazz Festival and Kennedy Center to London’s O2 Arena and Buenos Aires’ Teatro Colón, as well as NYC landmarks like the Blue Note and Jazz at Lincoln Center. His projects range from his long-standing acoustic quartet to the electro-acoustic ESQUINA which recently released their debut on Dave Douglas’ Greenleaf Music label. Beyond his own ensembles, Sarian has toured globally with artists including Bette Smith and The NYChillharmonic, and in 2023 joined the Jonas Brothers’ world tour. Recent residencies at Art Omi, Millay Arts, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts further reflect his continually evolving artistry.
The session itself came together at the last minute, when engineer Jon Georgievski suggested capturing the group’s set at Detroit’s storied Cliff Bell’s. The resulting performance draws on Sarian’s earlier albums, new original works, and repertoire by Tomasz Stańko and Komitas, each refracted through the quartet’s distinct lens. The first volume from this performance was named one of 2024’s Best Live Albums by The NYC Jazz Record. Critic Philip Freeman praised the group as “a band that’s developed the kind of telepathy only the road can build… there’s a late ’70s–early ’80s feel to the music throughout, more akin to the ‘stadium jazz’ of V.S.O.P. or Milestone-era McCoy Tyner.”
The concert opens with Tomasz Stańko’s “First Song.” Originally the opener of the pioneering Polish trumpeter’s 1975 ECM album “Balladyna,” the piece was described in the liner notes as “no-holds-barred… jumping into action with that hard swing that can only come from Dave Holland.” On this night, Marty Kenney’s formidable statement of the iconic bass line made for a worthy tribute—one that would no doubt make Holland proud.
Sarian shifts the atmosphere without losing intensity on “Dle Yaman.” This arrangement of the traditional Armenian piece by monk, composer, and musicologist Komitas first appeared on Sarian’s 2020 album New Aurora” (ears&eyes Records). Originally a love song, the piece later came to embody loss and longing in the wake of the Armenian Genocide, and today is considered a true representation of the Armenian soul. Sarian begins alone, then reintroduces the theme with his rhythm section, seamlessly setting the stage for his original composition “Portrait of a Postman.” Inspired by the Paul Motian Trio, this meditative work features delicate group interplay and a dreamy piano solo from Santiago Leibson.
As the piece dissolves, Sarian bridges into a dynamic, exploratory unaccompanied solo, serving as an interlude that leads into the previously unreleased “Floating Sharks.” Driven by a gritty, up-tempo swing and built on a climbing melodic figure, the tune recalls the spirit of Wayne Shorter in the 1960s while nodding to Brooklyn’s Bar LunÁtico, home to the shark sculpture that inspired its title. The quartet’s deep rapport shines as melody and rhythm alternately mesh and unravel. Leibson launches a fiery solo, followed by Sarian, before the band intentionally breaks down to spotlight Nathan Ellman-Bell, who closes the piece with a commanding drum feature.
Originally released on Sarian’s 2022 album Living at the End of the World (ears&eyes Records), the contemplative Regarding Kobe compels the audience to lean in with quiet intimacy. Composed in early 2020 after the passing of Kobe Bryant—an event that stirred complex emotions—the piece conveys grief, unease, and ultimately a sense of calm and comfort. The quartet listens with rare sensitivity, shaping a dynamic arc around Sarian’s poignant flugelhorn and Leibson’s understated piano solo before returning to the elegiac theme.
The evening closes with “Picklepuss Romp,” also from Living at the End of the World. Written for Sarian’s brother’s dog, Pickle, the piece features a second-line groove in 7 and playful melodic twists that radiate the band’s onstage camaraderie. Even two years after this recording, the joy these musicians share comes through clearly. After solos from Kenney and Leibson, Sarian’s trumpet sparks aggressive collective interplay before Ellman-Bell seizes the spotlight, commanding the stage with clarity and authority. The quartet reenters briefly to restate the theme before setting up a vamp for Ellman-Bell to drive the music to a rousing close, met by a thunderous ovation from the Detroit audience.
Live at Cliff Bell’s Vol. II stands as both a continuation and an expansion of Michael Sarian Quartet’s road-forged chemistry, capturing the spontaneity, depth, and joy that define their live performances. Drawn from the same unforgettable night that produced the acclaimed first volume, this second installment highlights the remarkable breadth of material generated in a single set, affirming the quartet’s ability to honor tradition while pushing boldly forward. Together, these recordings offer listeners an unfiltered document of a band at the height of its creative powers.