Latin Jazz – "Winter Fire"

"Winter Fire" WINNER: 2026 YYCMA "Jazz Recording of the Year"! December 13 – 3pm Winter Fire is the name I chose for this album, borne from the opening piece that gives it life. The music of Winter Fire is a symbol of the hope that never fades–a flame that persists, tireless and eternal, against an endless landscape of uncertainty, fear, and cold. That hope is the warm light of love, the embrace of home. Its’ pulse, carried by a hypnotic rhythm in 11/8, weaves tension like a thread of fire through the first, before erupting into clarity in the B section, where improvisation finds its voice. Each piece in this collection is a chapter of my own journey, telling stories that are intimate and unguarded. Fear, solitude, nostalgia, loss, love, the bit of winter, the glow of warmth, and the fragility of uncertainty–all of them are the protagonists that shape the emotional fabric of this album. To give these feelings sound, I chose the quintet as the vessel for my vision, and I am deeply grateful to the musicians who walk this path with me. Jeff Gammon, a bassist of precision and intuition; Jon May, a drummer both explosive and refined; André Wickenheiser, a trumpet voice both luminous and forceful; and Mark DeJong, a saxophonist full of emotion and daring spirit. Together, we built his soundscape, weaving our voices into one. Creating Winter Fire has been like leaving footprints in the sand–fragile yet eternal, fleeting yet unforgettable. –Esteban Herrera