Jeff Lederer's Historic First Recording of Long-Buried Works by Eric Dolphy plus Ornette Coleman & Oliver Nelson
- Apr 2
- 2 min read
Jeff Lederer’s upcoming album, There’s a Yearnin’ (out May 2026 on Little (i) Music), is one of his most ambitious projects yet. It brings together jazz improvisation and written composition, shining a light on overlooked works by Eric Dolphy, Ornette Coleman, and Oliver Nelson. The album includes the first-ever recording of Dolphy’s woodwind sextet, a new version of Coleman’s rarely performed Forms and Sounds, and fresh arrangements of Nelson’s music for winds and voice. These pieces reveal a different side of each composer, showing how their written music connects to their improvisational style and establishing them as important voices in today’s concert music.
Vocalist Mary LaRose plays a central role in the project, bringing Nelson’s music to life with her expressive interpretations and helping to shape the pieces into a unified suite for voice and instruments. Lederer works with the Wildebeest Wind Quintet, a group skilled in both classical and improvisational styles, which keeps the music vibrant and fresh. The album was recorded in a Vermont studio surrounded by woods, and its sound reflects both the natural setting and the special character of the woodwind instruments. Lederer’s own piece, Cruxifiction, adds a modern and political layer, exploring themes of silenced voices and protest.
This project is built on collaboration across generations, with support and materials coming from people closely linked to the original composers, like Denardo Coleman and Oliver Nelson Jr. Lederer wants to do more than just preserve these works—he aims to bring them to life for today’s audiences. The album is set to premiere at Bang on a Can’s Long Play Festival, and the goal is for There’s a Yearnin’ to break through genre boundaries and be heard as vibrant, relevant music for winds and voice.
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