For those unaware, Ritual (due out April 10th, 2026 via Chill Tone Records), Caleb Wheeler Curtis’ sixth album as a leader, showcases the multi-instrumentalist’s compositions and unique vision for an expanded ensemble that, along with his stritch, features flute, guitar, and piano. The group is composed of fantastic interpreters and virtuosos, together for the first time under Caleb’s direction.

The sonic landscape for the songs travels from the serene to the transformational and celebrates the ritual and practice of communal music making. With Ritual, the follow-up to the critically acclaimed albums HEATMAP, and The True Story of Bears and the Invention of the Battery, Caleb leaves no doubt that he is one of the most interesting and compelling saxophonists of the 2020s.

1. Fantasmas
2. Bleakout
3. Florence
4. Black Box Extraction
5. You Can’t Just Keep The Music>br> 6. Pond
7. Tenastic
8. The End Of Power
9. Ritual

A man/musician who it has been said of “lives at the junction of rigorous preparation and willingness to explore,” opens his new recording on the flowingly luxuriant Fantasmas and then we get gifted the uplifting notes and tones of Bleakout, the dulcetly hushed Florence and the warmly enriched, gently funky vibe of Black Box Extraction.

Along next is the sheer elegance of You Can’t Just Keep The Music which is in turn backed by the veritably shimmering Pond, the organic, upbeat and playful jam feel to Tenastic, the new set rounding out on the low slung ambiance of The End Of Power, coming to a close on the all-embracing title track Ritual.

Musicians / Instruments:
Caleb Wheeler Curtis – stritch, trumpet (9), soprano saxophone (8), sopranino saxophone (9)
Hery Paz – tenor saxophone (2, 3, 4, 9), flute (6, 7)
Emmanuel Michael – guitar
Orrin Evans – piano (3, 4, 5, 6)
Vicente Archer – double bass
Michael Sarin – drums

www.calebcurtis.com

Official Purchase Page

Caleb Wheeler Curtis @ Instagram