high.low is the debut album by the newly formed trio of trumpeter Dan Rosenboom, bassist Tim Lefebvre, and drummer Caleb Dolister. Recorded live at The High Low in Los Angeles, CA, the record presents a series of interconnected themes recorded in sequential order, sonically traversing expansive cinematic spaces and mesmeric electronic textures, building in and out of powerful rhythmic grooves. Each member of this trio displays nonpareil improvisational skill throughout the entire work, connecting the dots for a seamless listening experience.

On high.low Rosenboom, Lefebvre, and Dolister present a hyper-modern approach to electro-acoustic improvisation, informed by Rosenboom’s penchant for contemporary music, Lefebvre’s extensive stylistic and sonic range, and Dolister’s effortless rhythmic flow. Tim Lefebvre — who has recorded and toured with artists like Mark Guiliana, NateSmith, Donny McCaslin, Michael Wollny, The Black Crowes, Melissa Etheridge, Tedeschi Trucks Band, and was the bassist on David Bowie’s legendary final album Blackstar — is a well-known innovator at the intersection of bass and electronics. Indeed, he’s been called a “first-call futurist” by Bass Magazine. His expertise at creating expansive sound worlds is on full display on high.low, as are his signature visceral, hypnotic grooves.

Caleb Dolister is a powerhouse drummer known for his hard-hitting and fluid rhythmic approach with jazz-rock groups like The Kandinsky Effect and DR. MiNT, as well as with a variety of rock and post-rock bands like Analog Dream and Twin Whales. Dolister and Rosenboom have collaborated on projects for nearly 20 years, including Rosenboom’s recent benchmark album Coordinates.

Trumpeter-composer-producer Dan Rosenboom has been an advocate for contemporary music at the epicenter of the Los Angeles music scene for two decades. Dubbed “a phenomenon” by the LA Times, he has been involved in an incredibly broad swath of music across the community from improvisational cross-genre projects to new music chamber ensembles and the LA film recording studios. He has collaborated individually with both Lefebvre and Dolister many times, but high.low marks the first meeting between the bassist and drummer.

In a world increasingly driven by algorithmic programming and artificial intelligence, Rosenboom, Lefebvre, and Dolister embrace a practice that is purely human. Indeed, a sense of humanistic futurism pervades high.low, characterized by spontaneity, unpredictability, abstract expression, and emotional creativity. The band’s rejection of convention and embrace of emergent form imbues their music with a wild heart, an openness to shifting streams of consciousness, and a willingness to commit to an unknown trajectory. It is precisely this exploratory point of view that distinguishes artist from algorithm.

At its core, high.low is raw extemporaneous expression and a meeting of masterful minds. Without any prior discussion or unifying concept, Dan Rosenboom, Tim Lefebvre, and Caleb Dolister manifest music that is powerful without pretense, experimental yet emotional, and undeniably fun to hear. This is music of the moment, with an eye to the future, and it’s an unapologetic celebration of the power inherent in spontaneous human creation.