PostGenre Review: Bob Schlesinger’s ‘Falling From Earth’
Seldom does an album deliver such stylistic and emotional diversity. The long wait for Schlesinger to release an album of his own was indeed worth it.
Seldom does an album deliver such stylistic and emotional diversity. The long wait for Schlesinger to release an album of his own was indeed worth it.
Mike Stern-powered debut albums, pastoral projects, and a J.J. Cale-tinged antidote to worry make up a playlist well worth your time.
It’s been seven long years since pianist Bob Schlesinger first began working on his long-anticipated debut as a leader, Falling From Earth.
But in early August, the toil paid off when this astonishing album, featuring an all-star lineup featuring legendary guitarist Mike Stern, former Bill Evans bassist Eddie Gomez, in-demand drummer Billy Drummond, as well as bassist Kevin Axt, drummer Steve Hass and others, was released to the public (though still not available on Spotify).
For those not in the know, pianist and composer Bob Schlesinger has just unveiled his highly anticipated debut album as a leader, Falling From Earth.
A project that began in 2018 and was nearly sidelined by the pandemic, the album now emerges as a fully realized statement featuring an all-star lineup: legendary guitarist Mike Stern, former Bill Evans bassist Eddie Gomez, in-demand drummer Billy Drummond, as well as bassist Kevin Axt, drummer Steve Hass, and others.
Early last month, pianist Bob Schlesinger released his debut album as a band leader, Falling From Earth. Spanning 11 tracks, the 79-minute record is a mostly successful first outing for Schlesinger and his fellow musicians. If any one thing can be noted to the negative about the album, it is that like far too many jazz (and instrumental albums) there is no real background on the inspiration behind the compositions. That is not enough to doom the album, though. Knowing this, the album’s production rounds out its most important elements. Each item noted plays its own important part to the whole of the presentation. All things considered they make Falling From Earth a record that modern jazz fans will find worth hearing at least once.
Bob Schlesinger joined KGNU’s Kooter Jones to discuss his new album Falling from Earth, a seven-year project featuring jazz greats Eddie Gomez and Mike Stern. Funded in part by a Pathways to Jazz grant, the recording took place in New York and Boulder, blending original compositions, reimagined covers, and innovative studio work, including the 13-minute track Easy Off Ramp, assembled in the spirit of Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew. The album is available on digital download, CD, and audiophile vinyl, with an official release concert set for Thursday, August 14th at Dazzle in Denver’s Performing Arts Complex.
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Arturo Gomez interviews Bob on his August 12, 2025 KUVO show Lunchtime!
For decades, renowned recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder captured one classic jazz album after another in his Englewood Cliffs, NJ studio. Perhaps because he did so many, he was extremely efficient. He was able to get an album on tape in a single day, sometimes in as little as three hours. Other recording artists have been known to take a bit longer. Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon (Capitol Records, 1973), for example, required about eight months of recording and production.
Colorado pianist/composer Bob Schlesinger took the latter approach with his newly released Falling From Earth (Bob Schlesinger, 2025). Work on the project began in 2018. Astute readers will note that there was the little matter of COVID-19 in the interim. But besides that, Schlesinger and producer John March spent considerable time reworking the original recordings, much like Teo Macero's and Miles Davis's post-recording work on Bitches Brew (Columbia, 1970).
Rating: Indespensible
Born in a time of isolation, brought to life by persistence and passion.
Conceived during the pandemic and finally seeing the light of day, Falling From Earth is far more than a standard jazz record, it’s a testament to perseverance, collaboration, and a deep love of craft. What begins as an album built on clever arrangements and engaging compositions quickly reveals itself as something greater: a gathering of remarkable musicians, each leaving their fingerprint on the music. And among them, one voice is instantly recognizable from the very first note of guitar: the luminous, elegant, unmistakable Mike Stern.