Musina - Now, Not Yet (2026) [Hi-Res]

With Now, Not Yet, his fourth album as a leader, recorded in spring 2026, saxophonist and composer Musina Ebobissé opens a new chapter in his musical journey. While the album follows in the footsteps of its predecessors through its musical identity and focus on storytelling, it also marks a significant turning point. After three records made with an acoustic quintet featuring two saxophones, piano, double bass, and drums, Musina moves toward a more compact, electric sound. Built around tenor saxophone and real-time sound processing, the new lineup brings together Rob Clearfield on Rhodes and piano, Juan Villarroel on electric bass, and Gautier Garrigue on drums.
This new instrumentation is accompanied by an evolution in Musina’s writing. The compositions favor more stripped-down forms, powerful and hypnotic rhythmic cycles, and an in-depth exploration of sonic textures. Drawing as much from contemporary jazz as from rock, ambient, and electronic music, the music allows more space for atmospheres to unfold and for melodic material to transform gradually. Despite these changes, the lyricism of the saxophone and a deep commitment to collective interaction remain at the heart of the composer’s approach.
Now, Not Yet takes shape at a time marked by the intensification of capitalist, imperialist, and fascist forces. The album explores what connects us—the ability of art, encounters, and collective experiences to transform the way we exist. Sonic metaphors of struggle run throughout the music, asserting that the search for harmony necessarily involves confrontation and reflecting the conviction that music can speak beyond itself.
Now is the present tense of music: the instant of playing, listening, and improvising. The moment when individuals come together around a shared experience. It is also the historical present, shaped by crises and uncertainty, in which imagining a collective future has become increasingly difficult.
Not Yet is what does not yet exist, but whose possibility is beginning to emerge. It is the horizon toward which every act of creation, every collective endeavor, and every desire for transformation strives. In its own way, music contributes to our ability to imagine other narratives and other futures.

Musina Ebobissé — saxophone ténor, effects
Rob Clearfield — electric piano, guitar on #2
Juan Villarroel — bass
Gauthier Garrigue — drums
Compositions : Musina (Musina Ebobissé)