For Your Consideration – Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Best Jazz Performance – Jason Charos’s “Opening Statement”

Rising trumpeter and composer Jason Charos makes a striking debut with Opening Statement, an assured collection of eight original compositions that showcase his musical depth and contemporary vision. The 25-year- old artist, who currently tours internationally with and arranges for Grammy-winning vocalist Samara Joy, presents his core sextet featuring alto saxophonist David Mason, tenor saxophonist Kendric McCallister, pianist Connor Rohrer, bassist Carlo De Rosa, and drummer Ludwig Afonso. Produced by his former mentor Brian Lynch and featuring special guests Lynch and MacArthur- winning drummer-composer Dafnis Prieto, along with tenor saxophonist Melvin Butler, the album explores diverse musical landscapes from Latin jazz and hard
bop to lyrical balladry. Charos’ compositions reveal both technical sophistication and emotional range, drawing inspiration from his Greek heritage on “Athens By Night,” paying homage to mentors on “BL’s Bag,” and channeling influences like Wayne Shorter and Lee Morgan on the probing ballad “Love and Loss.” The album captures the tight-knit ensemble cohesion and rhythmic vocabulary that has made Charos’ group such an integral part of Samara Joy’s acclaimed touring band, establishing him as a compelling new voice in contemporary jazz.

ACCLAIM FOR JASON CHAROS’S DEBUT ALBUM “OPENING STATEMENT”

https://www.thetimes.com/culture/music/article/best-jazz-albums-2025-new-music-reviewed-jgsgpbmjv

The best jazz albums of 2025 so far

Our critic’s pick of the latest releases: the five-star debut album from Samara Joy’s backing band

The best album to listen to this week – ★★★★★

“Here’s what Samara Joy’s backing band get up to when she’s not around….Listening to this band blaze away on the clockwork-cool Pacing or the racetrack-tempo George’s Place, one gets a hint of what it must have been like to be there for the start of bebop in the 1940s — it’s that exciting… Charos and co are refitting classic jazz for the 21st century. Their vocalist boss would approve.” 

CHRIS PEARSON, The Times Of London (August 26, 2025)

https://lance-bebopspokenhere.blogspot.com/2025/08/album-review-jason-charos-opening.html

“Although this is Charos’ debut album his, and some of the band’s names looked familiar and I furrowed my brow. Then it clicked! Charos, Mason, McCallister and Rohrer were part of Samara Joy’s backing band on her recent Prom concert, broadcast live from the Royal Albert Hall last month. I was impressed by the support they gave Samara and equally so by their solos.

Needless to say, even before I knew all this, I was reeling from the get-go. It isn’t every day I get an album to review that ticks all the boxes but Opening Statement does that and maybe adds a couple of boxes more … Charos and co. have built upon (the) classic era and are well on the way to creating a new classic era of their own….Impossible to single out any one track – with four swingers and four emotional ballads it’s all down to the mood one’s in….Love it!”

LANCE LIDDLE, Bebop Spoken Here (UK)

https://jazzviews.net/jason-charos-opening-statement/

“When Grammy-winning trumpeter Brian Lynch releases an album on his own Hollistic MusicWorks label, it’s worth attention. When that album is the debut of his former University of Miami student Jason Charos, and Lynch himself guests on one track, it suggests real confidence in the younger player. That confidence proves justified—Charos plays at a level that puts him in the same league as his mentor.

Charos has assembled an impressive supporting cast, largely drawn from his work with Grammy-winning vocalist Samara Joy….Charos composed all eight tracks, crafting songs with catchy melodies and chord progressions that go where you might not expect them…If this is just his opening statement, it’ll be fun to hear how the rest of the story unfolds.”

TIM LARSEN, Jazz Views

https://www.paris-move.com/reviews/jason-charos-opening-statement/

RATING: A MUST / INDISPENSABLE “Rooted in the purest jazz traditions, the album at times channels the spirit of bebop, but with a modern edge. There’s an almost rock-like intent in Charos’s trumpet attack, a distinctive voice matched by the strength of his writing and arranging. He imposes a personal style without overshadowing his bandmates; each musician is given room to shine….Elegant, unpretentious, and deeply pleasurable, Opening Statement is the kind of album you return to again and again. What more could one ask for?”

Thierry De Clemensat, Paris-Move