[Cover photo credit to Keith Major]

Pianist and composer Ethan Iverson has announced the January 19th, 2024 release of his second Blue Note album Technically Acceptable, a new project that finds Iverson at the helm of two different trios, with bass/drum teams Thomas Morgan/Kush Abadey and Simón Willson/Vinnie Sperrazza.

They perform a set of new originals plus new versions of Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly With His Song” and Thelonious Monk’s “‘Round Midnight,” the latter featuring Rob Schwimmer on theremin. The album concludes with the recorded premiere of Iverson’s Piano Sonata which is performed by Iverson himself.

The single and video of verson, Morgan, and Abadey performing lead track “Conundrum” is out now. It’s a song which Iverson posits as the theme song for an imaginary game show. The trio will be celebrating the album release at the Village Vanguard in New York City from Jan. 23-28 followed by European and U.S. tours.

Iverson says:

I’m interested in trying to wrangle these almost archaic forms in a modernist way. When I play a 12-bar blues with Thomas and Kush, it doesn’t sound like 1944 in the slightest. It sounds like 2023. But at the same time, it is a serious throwback. That’s where I connect to someone like Jaki Byard, who could play the most up-to-date creative music with Eric Dolphy or play behind a blues singer and be totally comfortable. And when he played solo or trio, it all came out at once.

For this album, Iverson works solely with younger musicians who find plenty of space for invention.

Regarding the album’s title Iverson explains:

If I’m taking the measure of my own work: I’m on a journey, but I don’t think it’s finished yet. My first album was called School Work; maybe in another ten years I’ll create the album Flawless Masterpiece. For now, I’m Technically Acceptable.

Ethan Iverson – Tour Dates:

Jan. 23-28 – Village Vanguard – New York, NY
Jan. 31 – Budapest Jazz Club – Budapest, Hungary
Feb. 1 – Porgy & Bess – Vienna, Austria
Feb. 2 – Jazzclub Unterfahrt – Munich, Germany
Feb. 5 – Victoria Eugenia Theatre – San Sebastian, Spain
Feb. 6 – L’Auditori – Barcelona, Spain
Feb. 21 – Paradox – Tilburg, Netherlands
Feb. 22 – LantarenVenster – Rotterdam, Netherlands
Feb. 23 – BIMHUIS – Amsterdam, Netherlands
Feb. 24 – La Spirale – Fribourg, Switzerland
Feb. 26th – Helsinki (SF), G Livelab
Feb 27th – Tampere (SF), G Livelab
Feb. 28 – Victoria – Oslo, Norway
Feb. 29 – Fasching – Stockholm, Sweden
March 1 – Jazz In Bess – Lugano, Switzerland
March 2 – Jazzclub – Ferrara, Italy
March 4 – Teatro Carambolage – Bolzano, Italy
March 28 – Dazzle – Denver, CO
March 29 – Outpost – Albuquerque, NM
March 30-31 – SFJAZZ – San Francisco, CA
April 1-2 – Earthwise @ The Mitch – Palo Alto, CA
April 3 – Jack London Revue – Portland, OR
April 4 – Kuumbwa – Santa Cruz, CA
April 5-6 – Sam First – Los Angeles, CA