George Grydkovets - Spirit In You (2026)

Ukraine-born and NYC resident George Grydkovets brings his guitar and composing skills on this recent album with his team of John Raymond/tp, Ari Hoenig/dr, Ben Tiberio/b and Eden Landen/key. Produced by fellow six stringer Gilad Hekelsman, the album brings fresh and yet accessibly traditional ideas in a post modern vein combining fresh harmonies with wonderfully clever solos.

Grydkovets mixes and matches his core team with a collection of guests in order to make the palate more colorful, with Dylan Correia/frhn, Yuma Uesaka/bcl, Nathan Nakadegawa Lee/cl Andy Clausen/tb and Chenzi Pan/voc forming palpable textures on the velvety and ethereal two parted “Golden Gate” where time seems to stand still. The regular team creates a hymnlike atmosphere around the leader’s tender strings on “Voices From The Mountains” while Grydkovets’ strings vie around Hoenig’s softly coaxing cymbals on a reflective and midnight mooded “Morning Star”. Raymond’s horn is a perfect foil in the band, softly sighing on”Rays” and rippling with the leader on the rubato’d “Grateful”.

There’s a tranquility emanating from Grydkovets throughout the album, graceful on the post bopping “Make Great Things Happen (Within)” and delicate around the brass on the lyrical title tune. Grydokovets delivers hints of Eastern Orthodox monasticism with modern jazz sensibilities. The local monk delivering musical icons in swing time. Dostoevsky digs in.~ By George W. Harris