Dayna Stephens - Hopium (2025)

It's no surprise that the band on saxophonist Dayna Stephens's Hopium sounds so locked in. The same quartet—Stephens, pianist Aaron Parks, bassist Ben Street, and drummer Gregory Hutchinson—has a history: they appeared together on Stephens's Right Now! Live at the Village Vanguard, a striking 2020 release that received critical praise.

The slow-tempo "Drive North to Find the Oranges Out West" finds Stephens giving voice to a finely crafted melody with his warm and pure-toned tenor. Alert, ever-morphing drums, sudden bass runs, and fluid piano are just some of the elements that make up the track's sound world.

The vibe changes on the hard-charging "Jump Start," which nods to Herbie Hancock's "A Jump Ahead," a piece from the pianist's 1964 release, Inventions and Dimensions. Sax lines dart over a fired-up rhythm section, and Parks's solo brings to mind the excitement and sophistication of Hancock's work.

The title of the Parks-penned "Hard-Boiled Wonderland" refers to the Haruki Murakami novel, Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. The cut features a fetching head and incorporates a sense of cool modernist swing. Generally untroubled, the music occasionally flashes edgy details that energize it.

Stephens has remarked that Hopium's title track "explores the space between optimism and denial." With its touches of tango, one can see it as a dance—or struggle—between opposing forces. Stephens's soprano sax deftly renders the contours of the melody, implying shifts implicit in the neologism.

"As Truth Rises Above Power" shines. Stephens, Parks, and guest guitarist Charles Altura all bring a nice touch to the rhythmically steady theme. Altura's solo is an expansive yet low-key tour de force. Later, Stephens plays another fine tenor solo on an album full of them. © Fred Cisterna/Qobuz

Dayna Stephens (alto/tenor sax);
Aaron Parks (piano);
Ben Street (bass);
Greg Hutchinson (drums)