Jazz Passengers

In 1987 Roy Nathanson and trombonist Curtis Fowlkes launched the Jazz Passengers with the explicit goal of restoring lively humor and entertainment to modern jazz. The group’s name playfully echoes Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and underscores the notion that its members are simply passengers on an unpredictable ride. Its lineup also features percussionist E.J. Rodriguez, bassist Brad Jones—who had worked with both Elvin Jones and Muhal Richard Abrams—Steely Dan touring vibist Bill Ware, and guitarist Marc Ribot, whose résumé includes sessions for singer-songwriters Elvis Costello and Tom Waits. Nathanson and Fowlkes first met while working in the pit band of the Big Apple Circus, where they could perform the Charles Mingus repertoire they admired while earning a steady income. After a brief stint together in John Lurie's Lounge Lizards, the pair left to cut a duet album; they gradually incorporated additional studio players until the Jazz Passengers fully materialized.

Blending Mingus-influenced post-bop with dance rhythms and original material that carried lyrics or spoken narratives, the ensemble quickly gained recognition within New York City’s Knitting Factory-centered avant-garde community. Following five releases on independent labels, the group issued its major-label debut, Jazz Passengers in Love. Rock singer Deborah Harry began touring and recording with the band in 1994, joining Elvis Costello on the 1996 album Individually Twisted. Although studio activity diminished over the subsequent decade, the musicians maintained an active touring schedule and resurfaced in 2010 with the full-length Reunited, once again spotlighting Harry and Costello. Their thirteenth album, Still Life with Trouble, arrived in 2017 and reunited core members Fowlkes, Nathanson, Rodriguez, Jones, and Ware while also featuring Ribot alongside newer additions violinist Sam Bardfeld and second drummer Ben Perowsky.