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Image of musician Jesse Fischer at the Fender Rhodes in a recording studio

about resilience

Fischer’s newest project Resilience, released August 2020, is a full-length album of original compositions exploring deeper connections between modern jazz, Jewish and African traditional music, and European classical music, and features special guests including Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Becca Stevens, Gregoire Marét, Sarah Elizabeth Charles, Mino Cinélu, and young lion Morgan Guerin, along with his working group of Obed Calvaire (drums), Godwin Louis (alto & soprano sax), Billy Buss (trumpet), David Cutler (bass), Jordan Peters (guitar), and Keita Ogawa (percussion). With seven instrumentals and two songs with lyrics penned by Fischer himself with co-writers Sarah Elizabeth Charles and May Cheung, the album is both deeply personal and necessarily political, responding to the wave of white nationalism, authoritarianism, and hate that has swept the globe in recent years. The compositions on Resilience emerged after a period of intense self-reflection, and range emotionally from despair to resistance to optimism to celebration.

playlists & radio

  • 80k Spotify streams to date
  • On the Corner* & Jazz Currents (Apple Music)
  • Brandee Younger’s The Jazz Takeover (Spotify)
  • Video of the Day (Jazzwise)
  • Jazz Album of the Week (SoulandJazz.com)
  • Weekly Discover Playlist (JAZZIZ)
  • New Music Friday Playlist (ASCAP)
  • Rhythm Planet Jukebox (Tom Schnabel, KCRW, Los Angeles)
  • Jazz — 2020 Future Classics Playlist (MusicIsMySanctuary.com)
  • New Jazz Releases Playlist (JazzinEurope.com)
  • NPO Soul & Jazz (Netherlands)
  • Saturday Night Jazz (CBC, Canada)
  • Jazz Happening Now (PRX)
  • The S.O.U.L. of Jazz (WCLK, Atlanta)
  • The Journey, Full Circle, & The Blueprint (Jazz FM, London)

press quotes

“Fischer displays an Ellingtonian ability to conjure emotions, ideas, and impressions out of harmony, blending vocals, horns, and keyboards into an evocative portrait of the modern world. One of the best jazz albums of the summer of 2020, a sophisticated, coherent work that speaks to meaningful topics.”
— Colin Stanhope, PostGenre

“Furthering his explorations in contemporary jazz fusion, the compositions on Resilience are introspective, yet playful and free, best reflected in the album’s title track, featuring the legendary trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Ajuah, ‘Play Date’ and the tune ‘The Wanderer,’ with Grégoire Maret on harmonica.”
— Music Is My Sanctuary

“Jesse Fischer is a musician who dreams out loud. Whether in performance or on record, the ideas that spring from his ensembles are joyful soundscapes for healing. It’s a party, but with a purpose — a necessity as we come into the ‘new normal’.”
— Greg Bryant, WBGO/WRTI/NPR Music

“Jesse Fischer’s music is a melting pot of musical styles, which makes it complex yet accessible. His unique blend of jazz, funk, and pop highlight his talents as a performer, composer, and producer. When patrons leave a Jesse Fischer concert after it ends, they have a better understanding of how jazz influences modern music.”
— Gabe Pollack, Bop Stop founder & director

“Resilience is unquestionably clever yet soulful. Music for the thinking being. Or if you need to zone out and be taken to a special place. Jesse’s collaborations here and across his catalogue are incredible. Full support.”
— Dan Stillit, Soho Radio

“Humility aside, Fischer dazzles, coaxing supportive, harmonic and surprising notes from his arsenal of keyboards and synths… a riveting, oft-breathtaking listen.”
— Glide Magazine

“A passionate and relevant voice in times where these voices are needed. Fischer has become adept at crafting deeply personal pieces of music rooted within a jazz-funk aesthetic.”
— Blue-in-Green:RADIO

“Jesse Fischer has not only envisioned and composed a beautiful album, he has brought together the right players for the right job. It is executed with power and precision and — dare I say — purity. Resilience does not lose its way once. It is focused and is a frontal assault at what life throws our way, and how we can overcome.”
— The Jazz Owl

“Touches all the bases: heartfelt melodies, danceable rhythms from the Caribbean and Africa, rich orchestration and piquant jazz solos… Immensely likeable.”
— John Chacona, let’s call this

“A post-bop amalgam with African and Middle Eastern roots… music to heal by.”
— Goldmine Mag

“A solid listening date throughout.”
— Midwest Record

“Resilience is a strong, beautiful, and solid album that our listeners love to request.”
— Erica Schultz, “Soul of the City” (WXNA 101.5 FM, Nashville, TN)