Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad

In the storied and woefully under-celebrated history of Los Angeles Jazz, community has remained the beating heart and driving force. In the 1960s, Horace Tapscott's Pan Afrikan People's Arkestra and Union of God Musicians Ascension Association connected local jazz musicians. More recently, Los Angeles' new Jazz Renaissance has flourished both on a local and global scale through steady collaboration and mentorship of the next generation. Take a close look at the current jazz landscape, and it soon becomes apparent that the Inglewood-based Katalyst Collective is the new torchbearer of this tradition.

Founded in 2014, Katalyst Collective has never been one for labels. Rather than strictly a live act, they've acted as an incubator for a fresh crop of local talent, helping hone the voices and talents of individual members, while collectively advancing like a phalanx. Each "Kat" writes their own solo material, and everyone contributes and works together on each project, feeding off the communal energy.

The group's LA bona fides are clear- between the nine members, there are affiliates and alumni of the aforementioned Pan Afrikan People's Arkestra, as well as USC, UCLA, and Cal State Northridge's music programs. You've heard them link with iconic Angelenos, such as MNDSGN, Anderson Paak, SiR, & Kendrick Lamar. You may have seen them backing jazz icons like Roy Ayers, Gary Bartz, and Lonnie Liston Smith. You’ve felt their impact on projects from superstars like Lupe Fiasco, Jay-Z & Solange.

With little public fanfare, their guest appearances and collaborations have quietly become highly sought after among the jazz and pop cognoscenti.

With its collaboration with Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad for Jazz Is Dead, the Katalyst Collective has poised itself as the next bunch of breakout stars of Los Angeles' rapidly expanding Jazz universe, a small army of creative firebrands, each burning more brightly together.

1) The Avenues
a. Musicians:
i. Greg Paul: Drums
ii. Marlon Spears: Electric bass guitar
iii. Brandon Cordoba: Acoustic piano
iv. Brian Hargrove: Fender Rhodes piano, monophonic synthesizer
v. David Otis: Alto saxophone
vi. Ahmad DuBose-Dawson: Lead Percussion
vii. Adrian Younge: Hammond B3 organ, electric guitar, electric sitar, vibraphone

2) Daybreak
a. Musicians:
i. Greg Paul: Drums
ii. Marlon Spears: Electric bass guitar
iii. Brandon Cordoba: Acoustic piano
iv. Brian Hargrove: Fender Rhodes piano
v. David Otis: Alto saxophone
vi. Ahmad DuBose-Dawson: Lead percussion

3) Corridors
a. Musicians:
i. Greg Paul: Drums
ii. Marlon Spears: Electric bass guitar
iii. Brandon Cordoba: Acoustic piano
iv. Brian Hargrove: Fender Rhodes piano
v. David Otis: Alto saxophone
vi. Jonah Levine: Trombone
vii. Ahmad DuBose-Dawson: Lead percussion
viii. Adrian Younge: Hammond B3 organ, monophonic synthesizers, electric guitars, percussion
ix. Loren Oden, Marcus Gray, Gabriela Luna Delgado, Jazmin Hicks: Additional percussion

4) Summer Solstice
a. Musicians:
i. Greg Paul: Drums
ii. Marlon Spears: Electric bass guitar
iii. Brian Hargrove: Acoustic piano
iv. Brandon Cordoba: Fender Rhodes piano
v. Jonah Levine: Trombone
vi. Emile Martinez: Trumpet
vii. Ahmad Dubose-Dawson: Lead percussion
viii. Adrian Younge: Electric guitars, monophonic synthesizer

5) Juneteenth
a. Musicians:
i. Greg Paul: Drums
ii. Marlon Spears: Electric bass guitar
iii. Brandon Cordoba: Fender Rhodes piano
iv. Jonah Levine: Trombone
v. David Otis: Alto saxophone
vi. Emile Martinez: Trumpet
vii. Ahmad Dubose-Dawson: Lead percussion
viii. Adrian Younge: Clavinet, electric guitars, percussion
ix. Loren Oden, Marcus Gray, Gabriela Luna Delgado, Jazmin Hicks: Additional percussion

6) Dogon Cypher
a. Musicians:
i. Greg Paul: Drums
ii. Marlon Spears: Electric bass guitar
iii. Brandon Cordoba: Fender Rhodes piano, clavinet, monophonic synthesizers
iv. Brian Hargrove: Acoustic piano
v. Jonah Levine: Trombone
vi. David Otis: Alto Saxophone
vii. Emile Martinez: Trumpet
viii. Corbin Jones: Baritone Saxophone
ix. Ali Shaheed Muhammad: Percussion
x. Adrian Younge: monophonic synthesizer, electric guitar, clavinet

7) Reflections
a. Musicians:
i. Greg Paul: Drums
ii. Marlon Spears: Electric bass guitar
iii. Brandon Cordoba: Acoustic piano
iv. Brian Hargrove: Fender Rhodes piano, clavinet
v. Jonah Levine: Trombone
vi. David Otis: Alto saxophone
vii. Emile Martinez: Trumpet
viii. Corbin Jones: Tuba, baritone saxophone
ix. Adrian Younge: Vibraphone, monophonic synthesizer, electric guitars, percussion
x. Jazmin Hicks: Additional percussion