THE SOUND ORCHESTRA Debut Album by Mathis Picard to Arrive via La Reserve

Internationally acclaimed pianist, composer and producer Mathis Picard announced The Sound Orchestra, the debut album from his genre-bending large ensemble of the same name. Releasing on November 6 via La Reserve Records, the project is rooted in the jazz tradition, but driven by rhythms from Madagascar, Afro-Cuban music, 1970s funk, UK garage, and beyond. The album announcement comes with the single 'Portrait of Lizzy,' a celebration of Picard's wife through a reimagining of the American standard 'Portrait of Jennie.'

'Portrait of Lizzy' arrives on the couple's third wedding anniversary -- Mathis and Lizzy were married at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Dizzy's Club, an institution with a deep connection to Picard's career and his time at The Juilliard School. Picard also performed with The Sound Orchestra at Dizzy's legendary dance parties, including a night celebrating the music of Earth, Wind & Fire, whose energy has been a major inspiration for the project. Continuing to develop his relationship with the Lincoln Center organization, Mathis will perform solo on October 9 at Lincoln Center's Kenneth C. Griffin Sidewalk Studio to honor the San Juan Hill musical legacy.

'This is not your traditional Big Band record,' Picard explains. 'The goal of the band was always for it to make people dance. Whether it be swing music, house, dubstep, waltz, or even a ballad, I wanted to connect with the audience through dance. Dance for me is this wonderful way to express our bodies, and for us to be together in community.'

The Sound Orchestra is the latest chapter in a career that has seen Picard emerge as one of the most distinctive young voices in contemporary jazz. Born in France to a French father and Malagasy mother, Picard began playing piano at age four and pursued a rigorous musical education across the United States, France, and the UK. Now based in New York City, he is a Juilliard School alumnus, an ASCAP Next Generation of Songwriters recipient and a member of the Montreux Jazz Foundation. He has performed with such artists as Ron Carter, Lillias White, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride, and more on stages around the world, including appearances at Umbria Jazz Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival and The Jazz Cruise.

The roots of The Sound Orchestra began when Picard was 13 years old, when he led a similar ensemble while studying at Chetham's School Of Music in England. The first iteration of Picard's US-based Sound Orchestra then began as a three-horn ensemble performing Picard's original music, featuring Giveton Gelin and Ruben Fox. The project continued to expand over the years into a full-scale ensemble featuring a saxophone section, electric bass and an expansive percussion section providing the rhythmic foundation for Picard's compositions. Across The Sound Orchestra, Picard draws on the musical worlds that have shaped him: rhythms from his mother's native Madagascar meet Afro-Cuban music, 1970s funk like Earth, Wind & Fire, and the work of jazz giants including Duke Ellington and Fats Waller.

With The Sound Orchestra, Picard brings all of these influences together into his most expansive project yet -- a record where jazz tradition meets global rhythm, orchestral ambition meets improvisation, and the ultimate measure of success is whether the music gets people out of their seats.

Tracklist

1. FearLess

2. A Bigger Picture Pt. I (Truth)

3. A Bigger Picture Pt. II (Hope)

4. JitterBug Waltz

5. Portrait of Lizzy

6. InnerChild

7. SunRise

8. Ho Azy

9. RoundPoint

Tour Dates

August 28 - Music at Gretna - Gretna, PA (Solo Piano - Wellness Workshop)

August 29 - Music at Gretna - Gretna, PA (w/ Parker McAllister, bass)

October 9 - Kenneth C. Griffin Sidewalk Studio at Lincoln Center - New York, NY (solo)

October 10 - Middlebury Town Hall Theatre - Middlebury, VT (w/ Parker McAllister, bass)

October 15 - SFJAZZ Joe Henderson Lounge - San Francisco, CA (w/ Parker McAllister, bass)

October 16 - Meyhouse Jazz - Palo Alto, CA (Mathis Picard Trio)

Photo Credit: Anoush Abrar for the Montreux Jazz Festival (

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