Child Of Somebody

Child of Somebody is the new album from multi-award winning composer, producer and bass player Ross McHenry. Known for his work as bandleader of The Shaolin Afronauts as well as his 2013 First Word release 'Distant Oceans', Ross has been described as "The Future of Australian Jazz" (PBS FM)

The album was recorded at Red Bull Studios in New York in mid-2015 alongside regular collaborators Mark de Clive Lowe, Myele Manzanza and Dylan Marshall as well as seasoned NYC players Marcus Strickland, Corey King, Tivon Pennicott and Duane Eubanks. The resulting album represents the arrival of a unique antipodean voice in modern jazz; one that sits comfortably alongside artists like Kamasi Washington and The Robert Glasper Experiment at the vanguard of contemporary improvised music.

Child of Somebody is more than just a collection of compositions; it is an album in the truest sense. Thematically inspired by the world events that have dominated our headlines over the last 12 months this new body of work clearly represents an artistic and compositional progression since the release of Distant Oceans in 2013.

"I wanted to create an album that drew on sonically on the template of Distant Oceans but that was harmonically and melodically more ambitious. The album captures my thoughts and feelings at a time where our world is rapidly transitioning towards a future that we are unable to fully envisage but that we are a part of whether we like it or not. It's an album about the choices we make as individuals and as communities and the intensely personal way we experience the world around us. I feel that as artists we have a responsibility to reflect honestly on the way we see the world."

Having recently completed an Australian national tour that included supporting Robert Glasper at the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, Ross will be touring the world in the second half of 2016 in support of this album release – look out for dates in the coming weeks.