Chris McCarthy

Hot House Jazz Magazine as described Chris McCarthy as "one of the most imaginative and impressive voices on the New York jazz scene." Since arriving in New York City in 2016, McCarthy has made a name for himself as one of the scene's most in demand young sidemen. He steps into the foreground as a bandleader with the release of his April 2020 Ropeadope debut, Still Time To Quit. The album features the New York super group of Takuya Kuroda on trumpet, Michael Blake on sax, Sam Minaie on bass and JK Kim on drums. The album has been praised as a "big step forward for McCarthy, an auspicious label debut that bodes well for the future" by Glide Magazine and was prominently featured on Spotify's Jazz X-Press Editorial Playlist.

Originally from the Seattle area, McCarthy was introduced to jazz through Roosevelt High School's music program. He followed his passion to New England Conservatory, where he graduated with honors in 2016. While in Boston, McCarthy was a regular member of both Jerry Bergonzi and Jason Palmer's working bands. In 2017 he released his debut album Sonder, which All About Jazz described as "a very promising release, and hopefully the first of many for this broad-minded and adventurous keyboardist." That same year saw the release of Jason Palmer's acclaimed live album At Wally's Vol. 1, featuring McCarthy on keyboard.

Other recent projects include Sasha Berliner's celebrated album Azalea (2019), trumpeter Tony Glausi's EP My Favorite Tunes (2020), and a new commission with vocalist Clotilde Rullaud from the French American Jazz Exchange. The international jazz scene will continue to hear from McCarthy for years to come.

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