Results for "Joe Syrian"

Joe Syrian

Born: April 22, 1952

Joe Syrian is a veteran jazz drummer, bandleader, arranger, and producer best known as the founder and leader of the Motor City Jazz Octet, a Detroit-rooted ensemble devoted to hard bop, soul-jazz, and large-ensemble jazz arranging. Drawing from both classic jazz repertoire and American popular song, Syrian has developed the Octet into a flexible “little big band” featuring musicians from Detroit, New York, and beyond.

The Motor City Jazz Octet’s recent recordings include 2024’s Secret Message and 2026’s A Blue Time. The group’s repertoire blends jazz standards with inventive treatments of material by artists including the Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Leon Russell, and Fleetwood Mac. Syrian has described the band’s approach as taking familiar songs and reshaping them through a modern jazz vocabulary while preserving strong melodies and groove.

A Blue Time

By Joe Syrian

Label: Circle 9 Records
Released: 2026
Track listing: Jordu; Agua De Beber; Teach Me Tonight; Norwegian Wood; Black Magic Woman; Charade; Blue Bossa; Nature Boy; Sway; A Blue Time.

Ali Ryerson, Joey Alexander, David Blake, Douye and more

by Benjamin Boddie
July 23, 2026

Today's Music--Right Now! Fantastic music by Ali Ryerson, Joey Alexander, David Blake, Douye, La Lucha, Antonio Adolfo, Bill Connors, Bria Skonberg, Mike DiRubbo, Ralph Alessi, Paul Carlon, Rik Wright's Fundamental Forces, Charles Tolliver, Nicole Zuraitis, Lisa Rich, Steve Swallow, Bruce Williams, Sylvia Brooks, John Clayton, Will Lyle, Lakecia Benjamin, Emmet Cohen, Bobby Sanabria Big Band, Eliane ...

Brad Goode, Michael Dease, Charles Chen, Sarah Sharp and more

by Benjamin Boddie
June 25, 2026

Streaming on demand with today's music by Brad Goode Quintet, Michael Dease Big Band, Charles Chen, Sarah Sharp, Reid Hoyson Project, Ben Patterson, Jun Iida, Suzanne Pittson, Bevan Manson, Leigh Pilzer, Mike Eckroth Mina's Messengers, David Penn, Nat Reeves, Emmet Cohen, Reggie Pryor & Jeremy Monteiro, Chick Corea, Royce Campbell & Tony Nalker, Joe Syrian Motor ...

Flea, Dave Douglas and Sonny Rollins (RIP)

by Jerome Wilson
June 17, 2026

This program pays belated tribute to the late Sonny Rollins. It also includes music from Dave Douglas, Olivia Murphy, and Flea.Playlist Henry Threadgill Sextett “I Can't Wait Till I Get Home" from The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry Threadgill & Air (Mosaic) 00:00 Roxy Coss “Ely, MN" from Disparate Parts (Outside In) ...

Joe Syrian Motor City Jazz Octet: A Blue Time

by Jack Bowers
June 10, 2026

Drummer Joe Syrian's spit-shined Motor City Jazz Octet keeps driving emphatically forward on its second recording, A Blue Time, using an impressive arsenal to scurry through a generally agreeable lineup of more or less familiar themes that have been given fresh coats of paint by seven astute and talented arrangers. Even with the various ...

New Music From Harry Skoler, Joe Syrian, Emie R Roussel, Ava Mendoza And More

by Bob Osborne
May 28, 2026

This selection offers a sophisticated journey through the contemporary jazz landscape, balancing melodic tradition with rigorous avant-garde exploration. The sequence moves seamlessly from the elegant, Goodman-inspired tones of Harry Skoler and the rhythmic drive of the Motor City Jazz Octet into the more abstract, adventurous territories of Ava Mendoza and Joel Futterman. Featuring a rich blend ...

Four New Jazz Releases from John Beasley, Mike Clement, Catherine Russell and Joe Syrian

by George Graham
May 12, 2026

George Graham presents four new jazz releases from John Beasley and the SWR Big Band, Guitarist Mike Clement, vocalist Catherine Russell and drummer Joe Syrian and the Motor City Octet. Playlist John Beasley and the SWR Big Band “Invisible Piano" from Invisible Piano (o-tone) 7:26 John Beasley and the SWR Big Band “Galaha" from ...

Catherine Russell, Nat Reeves, Bobby Broom & John Beasley

by Joe Dimino
May 10, 2026

We kick off Episode 957 of Neon Jazz with a true living legend--John Beasley--a masterful bridge between jazz's rich past and its ever-evolving present. Teaming up with the powerhouse SWR Big Band, he sets the tone with his stunning 2026 release Invisible Piano. From there, the journey rolls through a lineup of modern greats and enduring ...

Blue Moods, Bobby Broom, Billy Childs, Catherine Russell and more

by Benjamin Boddie
May 8, 2026

Today's Music--Right Now! Fantastic music by Blue Moods, Bobby Broom, Billy Childs, Catherine Russell, Erica Von Kleist, Mike Clement, Nat Reeves, Judith Owens, Taylor Roberts, Bobby Matos Heritage Ensemble, Bobby Sanabria Big Band, Joe Syrian Motor City Jazz Octet, Juan Carlos Quintero, Rebecca Rafla, Joe Gransden, Chick Corea, Audrey Ochoa, Andrea Miller, Steve Wilson, Ben Markley ...