Fresh Cut Orchestra Live At World Cafe Live In Philly

Philadelphia houses one of today’s most dynamic yet under-appreciated jazz scenes. Luckily the Fresh Cut Orchestra offers a remedy: For an introduction to the next generation of talent in a city that produced figures like John Coltrane and Christian McBride and the Eubanks family, tune into this burgeoning large ensemble. It’s led by three improvisers and composers on the rise—trumpeter Josh Lawrence, bassist Jason Fraticelli and drummer Anwar Marshall—and all of its 10 members are local leaders. The Fresh Cut Orchestra’s debut release, From the Vine, features all original music, and it has a far-reaching, panoptic quality. The album dips into various soundscapes and grooves, deftly migrating from ephemeral to slicing, which bespeaks the bandleaders’ range of experiences: Lawrence has performed with Erykah Badu, Boyz II Men and Orrin Evans; Fraticelli with Matisyahu, Taylor McFerrin and Mark Guiliana; and Marshall with Evans, Kurt Rosenwinkel and Dave Douglas.