Riley
“über hip, modern yet timeless…one of the best debut records to come out in a long, long time.”
— DownBeat Magazine
Trumpeter Riley Mulherkar releases long-awaited debut album, Riley, with producers Rafiq Bhatia (Son Lux) and Chris Pattishall, using the studio as instrument to present a pristine audio framework for the emotional core of Riley’s sound.
Trumpeter Riley Mulherkar is best known as a founding member of The Westerlies, a New York-based brass quartet of (as the name implies) West Coast expats who play a mix of jazz, modern classical and folk compositions, high on tunefulness. This deep admiration for the American songbook can also be heard all over Riley, the solo debut by the 32 year-old Mulherkar. But love of song is only half of the album’s primary pull. The other is the sonically modern setting for Mulherkar’s vulnerable, melodious interpretation of this rich tradition, a sound design shaped by producers Rafiq Bhatia and Chris Pattishall. Enveloping Mulherkar within a series of textured, intricately-crafted spaces, Bhatia and Pattishall train a cinematographer’s lens on the continuum of great old songs, as well as new Mulherkar pieces which fit right in. It’s a radically bold audio framework for the emotional pronouncements of Riley’s horn.
"It’s only March, but [Ride or Die] is my favorite jazz single of the year so far. And it’s got staying power." — DownBeat Magazine
"a beguiling mix of old and new, tech-savvy and organic, mixing soulful live playing and studio manipulation" — Boston Globe (The 20 best albums of 2024 (so far))
"dreamy, collage-like…Mulherkar has carved out a distinctive niche on the musical landscape, one that combines a studied, song-based lyricism with a more avant-garde exploration of the sonic limits of the trumpet." — AllMusic
“a strong and forward-thinking album" — Big Takeover
“an adventurous tapestry pretty much unlike anything you've heard before.” — textura
Credits:
Riley Mulherkar — trumpet
Chris Pattishall — piano, programming, sound design
Rafiq Bhatia – additional programming and sound design
Russell Hall – bass
Kyle Poole – drums
Vuyo Sotashe – vocals
Mixed by Rafiq Bhatia
Mastered by Steve Fallone & Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound NJ
Recording engineers: Chris Allen (Sear Sound) and Todd Carder (Bunker Studio)
Executive Produced by Bryan Gallace of Posthumous Prodigy Production. Made possible through the generosity of SPACE on Ryder Farm.
Booking: contact@rileymulherkar.com
Press Requests: Fully Altered Media / matt@fullyaltered.com