Pianist Jordan Williams to Release New Project “Playing By Ear” on January 16th, 2026 | LISTEN!
Jordan Williams Channels the “Sound of Philly” on His Debut Solo Release Playing by Ear ft. Jeff “Tain” Watts, Nat Reeves, and Wallace Roney Jr. for a Cross-Generational Collaboration
The 29-Year-Old Pianist’s First Album as a Leader on Milan’s Red Records Fuses Stride, Post-Bop, and Spiritual Improvisation Steeped in History Yet Grounded in the Immediacy of Now
Available January 16, 2026
Pianist Jordan Williams makes a striking first statement with Playing by Ear, his debut as a bandleader for the storied Milan-based label Red Records. The album captures the essence of past and present through both intuition and form as Williams has recruited a rare trio of collaborators: Jeff “Tain” Watts on drums, Nat Reeves on bass, and Wallace Roney Jr. on trumpet. The record is available on January 16, 2026 with the lead single “Tayamisha” available now.
A child of Philadelphia’s jazz lineage, Williams began picking out standards by ear at six, long before he could name the chords. Those early instincts have stayed with him, guiding a sound that blends the searching lyricism of Herbie Hancock with the grounded swing of Mulgrew Miller, yet filtered through his own sense of touch and timing with distinctly modern phrasing that values space and story as much as speed and precision.
Across eight tracks, Williams leads with patience and clarity. The opener, “Peace” (Horace Silver), sets the tone with a measured, reverent unfolding that lets each note breathe. His comping behind Roney Jr.’s trumpet is conversational, shaped by restraint and empathy. In “Ms. Baja” (Kenny Garrett), the band stretches into a more kinetic pulse. Tain’s rhythmic bursts pushing against Williams’ left-hand architecture, producing the kind of creative tension that never feels forced.
On “Tayamisha” (Buster Williams), Williams nods to the stride lineage of Fats Waller and James P. Johnson—roots that still anchor his right-hand flourishes. “Tayamisha is dedicated to my late Pop Pop and Mom mom (grandparents), Ralph and Dorris Williams,” says Williams, “They were fans of records Buster Williams was on and they owned a chicken store in the 60s called Wings n Things in Camden NJ, which was Buster’s hometown.”
Reeves contributes two original compositions, “Waltz for Ellis” and “Blue Ridge” that ground the record in unhurried elegance with his bass lines serving as both an anchor and invitation.
The chemistry among these four musicians is quietly electric. Reeves, a veteran of Jackie McLean’s late ensembles, provides ballast and calm. Tain injects asymmetry with little bursts of fire and punctuation that force everyone to listen differently.Roney Jr. adds balancing legacy and curiosity playing with a tone that feels both searching and sure-footed.
For Williams, Playing by Ear arrives as both culmination and beginning. A recent graduate of The George Washington University, he has already shared stages with Branford Marsalis, Jazzmeia Horn, Camille Thurman, and Curtis Lundy. His compositions and interpretations carry that lived apprenticeship forward, finding grace in tension and swing in stillness.
“Playing by ear is how I learned to listen — not just to music, but to life,” Williams says. “You start to realize that silence, memory, and mistake all play a role in what comes next.”
Photo Credit: David Kaufman
DISCO