Jacob Wutzke - You Better Bet (2025)

For my 2nd full-length album, I wanted to pay tribute to some of my musical influences while also showcasing my original voice as a composer. I’ve always been a fanatic of drummer and composer Tony Williams, and I wanted to take a deep dive into his material. In early 2022, I had the opportunity to work closely with legendary bass player Ira Coleman, who famously was a member of Tony Williams’ Quintet in the 1980’s and 90’s. Ira had just relocated to Montréal, and I decided to approach him to see if he would be interested in working with me to play and revive some of Tony Williams’ compositions from this period. To my surprise and delight, Ira still had physical copies of Tony’s handwritten charts for most all of his compositions. The two of us met with a quintet every week for a period of months to play through Tony Williams’ music and discuss how he led his band, and Ira left me with invaluable knowledge every step of the way.

Through these meetings, we ended up developing a beautiful group sound of our own. I wanted to document this period of my life, so I penned a series of new compositions specifically to compliment Tony Williams’ material that we had been playing. The finished product is a full-length album that features 5 of my own compositions and 5 compositions by Tony Williams. It’s a beautiful musical snapshot that showcases my quintet in full force, inspired by the past while also pushing forward to new creative heights. The music is hard-hitting and rooted in the Blue Note sound of the 1950s and 60s, but with a modern edge.

For my quintet, I put together a real supergroup that I’m extremely proud of. In addition to the great Ira Coleman on upright bass, I was able to recruit pianist Bryn Roberts, who elevated the project with his beautiful touch, sense of harmony, and relaxed time feel. You'll also hear trumpeter Rachel Therrien, who splits her time between NYC and Montréal when she’s not on the road with her own groups or with some of the world’s top latin jazz ensembles. Finally, tenor saxophonist Lucas Dubovik — one of my greatest friends and most long-time musical collaborators — brought his signature introspective sound and exceptional technique to the recording. It's been nothing short of a thrill for me to lead this band from the drum chair, and I sincerely hope you enjoy the recording.

Jacob Wutzke — drums, composition
Rachel Therrien — trumpet, flugelhorn (tracks 1-3 & 5-10)
Lucas Dubovik — tenor saxophone (tracks 1-3 & 5-10)
Bryn Roberts — piano
Ira Coleman — upright bass

Tracklist:
1 Sister Cheryl
2 Take Flight
3 Like A Bird
4 Pee Wee
5 Ancient Eyes
6 Hop On Down
7 Arboretum
8 Warriors
9 Qwaltz
10 You Better Bet