Drummer Gregory Hutchinson to Release New Project “Kind of Now – The Pulse of Miles Davis” on April 3rd, 2026 | LISTEN!
GREGORY HUTCHINSON
KIND OF NOW – THE PULSE OF MILES DAVIS
Ambrose Akinmusire (trumpet), Ron Blake (tenor saxophone, bass clarinet), Jakob Bro (guitar), Gerald Clayton (piano), Emmanuel Michael (guitar), Joe Sanders (double bass), Gregory Hutchinson (drums)
April 3, 2026
CD, Vinyl, Digital (Warner Music)
“Time isn’t the main thing, it’s the only thing”, Miles Davis once said. Whether you take his quote musically or philosophically, it’s a perfect maxim for Kind of Now – The Pulse of Miles Davis. This all-new all-star tribute to Miles and his music was recorded under the expert leadership of Gregory Hutchinson. The album arrives just in time for the centenary of one of the most innovative, influential, iconic and acclaimed figures in the history of music. Its ten state-of-the-art interpretations of classic Milesiana range from the trumpeters Bebop origins in the 1950s all the way to the electric openness he spearheaded with Bitches Brew in 1970, while the three “Hutch” originals are as much grounded in these origins of everything we call Jazz today as they open a new chapter.
“This project is not about trying to recreate Miles”, Hutchinson says. “It’s about continuing that conversation he started.” Hutchinson, born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 16, 1970, just a few months after the release of Bitches Brew, knows what he is talking about, having played with a veritable Who’s Who of Jazz in the 35 years of his career. In planning and recording Kind of Now – The Pulse of Miles Davis, the highly distinctive drummer, always as precise as he is surprising and with a huge tone all his own, is also making sure to reference Miles’ drummers – from Kenny Clarke to Philly Joe Jones to Jimmy Cobb to Jack DeJohnette to Billy Hart to Al Foster.
“When I think about Miles Davis and the drummers that came through his bands,” Hutchinson says. “I’m really thinking about the evolution of the music itself. Each of those cats represented a different chapter of Miles’s story — and every one of them changed how we all hear and play this music.” As bassist and nine-time Grammy winner Christian McBride writes in the liner notes to the album: “There’s no shortage of Miles tribute records out there, but this one feels different. (…) Under Hutch’s leadership, the music swings hard when it needs to, and breathes with modern flexibility when the moment calls for it.”
The overall quality and density of Kind of Now – The Pulse of Miles Davis has everything to do with the musicians involved, a great group of young legends and lions carefully selected by the leader, just the way Miles used to do. Ambrose Akinmusire is one of the most original new voices on trumpet in this century, an award-winning musician and composer and the Downbeat Critic’s Choice on his instrument for eight years in a row – doing Miles justice by bringing his unique sound and sensibility. A member of quite a few of Akinmusire’s bands, Emmanuel Michael is an exceptional young guitar player from South Dakota who “represents that new generation Miles was always looking for — the next voice”, according to Hutchinson. On the same instrument, but with a different signature sound is Danish artist Jakob Bro, bringing “color and atmosphere”, according to the leader. “The way he (Jakob) uses space reminds me of In a Silent Way — beautiful, patient, open.”
Saxophonist Ron Blake is a Virgin Island native who has been a vital part of the New York scene for a long time and whose relationship with Hutch goes back all the way to their time spent in trumpeter Roy Hargrove’s groups, as evidenced on the album With The Tenors of our Time from 1994, which featured Ron Blake alongside titans such as Johnny Griffin, Joe Henderson, Stanley Turrentine, Branford Marsalis, and Joshua Redman. Gerald Clayton, in whose trio Hutchinson and bassist Joe Sanders play, is a Grammy nominated pianist, known for his innovative approach, blending tradition with modern expression, praised for his “huge, authoritative presence” by The New York Times. Sanders, last nut not least, “holds it down with that big, grounded sound,” as Hutch says, because “he’s got the kind of time that breathes — like Ron Carter — but with his own language.” As a unit, deep in their interplay and open in the way they listen to each other, these six players always explore their material in ways that implore us to listen in new ways.
Hutchinson’s Kind of Now – The Pulse of Miles Davis is a fascinating and highly rewarding album that breathes new life into some of the immortal classics from Miles Davis’ repertoire, such as Charlie Parker’s “Ah-Leu-Cha” or Miles’ own “Seven Steps to Heaven”, discounting the obvious while closing in on the deep cuts. The leader’s excellent drum interludes tie this hour-long program tightly together, adding a futuristic newness that’s all in Hutch’s time. Kind of Now.
Photo Credit: Red Rebel Agency
Gregory Hutchinson · Kind of Now – The Pulse of Miles Davis
Warner Music · Release Date: April 3, 2026
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