Marking a pivotal artistic evolution for saxophonist John O'Gallagher, this session draws on his deep study of John Coltrane and recent personal transitions to unite guitarist Ben Monder with master drummers Andrew Cyrille and Billy Hart in a fluid program of mostly first-take performances that balance composed structures and open improvisation through an organic, system-aware approach to free jazz expression.
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Sample The Album:
John O'Gallagher-alto saxophone
Ben Monder-guitar
Andrew Cyrille-drums
Billy Hart-drums
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UPC: 5065014356715
Label: Whirlwind
Catalog ID: CD-WWR-4840
Squidco Product Code: 37041
Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2025
Country: UK
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold 3 Panels
Recorded at Sound on Sound, in Montclair, New Jersey, on January 10th, 2024.
"Ancestral marks a profound metamorphosis for master saxophonist John O'Gallagher. He cast off his old skin, fundamentally altering his studies, homeland, and life, thereby charting a new future.
Recorded at Sound on Sound Studios in Montclair, New Jersey, in January, 2024, 'Ancestral' was influenced, in part, by O'Gallagher's PhD studies into the music of John Coltrane, and reunites the versatile reeds player with guitarist Ben Monder while, notably, features the first-ever recorded collaboration between master drummers Andrew Cyrille and Billy Hart.
"Basically, my PhD (available on O'Gallagher's website) is an analysis where I transcribed all of Trane's solos, spelling out what he does on his late recordings 'Interstellar Space' and 'Stellar Regions'. And it shows that free music is not free, not the way people think it is. Trane was definitely thinking about organization in those records. This research definitely gave me ideas about how to be freer within the systems that I had developed, and how to perceive them in a more organic way."
O'Gallagher's latest recording marks a significant artistic evolution, following a period of considerable personal change. After leaving Brooklyn, New York, he and his wife relocated to the UK before ultimately settling in Lisbon, Portugal. This journey, coupled with dedicated study, profoundly shaped his new music.
In an album consisting largely of first takes, O'Gallagher's compositions vary from through-composed pieces to skeletal charts to full-blown group compositions/ improvisations."-Whirlwind
Also available as a Vinyl LP.Artist Biographies
• Show Bio for John O'Gallagher "John O'Gallagher is considered one of the most compelling alto saxophonists and composers at work today on the New York jazz scene. He is known for an innovative style which pushes the boundaries of jazz while rooted in it's tradition. "Mr. O'Gallagher is an exploratory alto saxophonist with a clear melodic streak" - The New York Times Born in Anaheim Califorina in 1964 he began playing alto saxophone in grade school after his family moved to Spokane, Washington. Upon graduating high school he studied briefly at Eastern Washington University before moving to Boston to attend Berklee College of Music. There he studied with legendary saxophone gurus Joe Viola, Jerry Bergonzi and George Garzone. During the past 25 years living in New York he has become known for his projects as a leader, and as a sought after sideman, working with artist such as Joe Henderson, Maria Schnieder, Kenny Wheeler, Billy Hart, Tony Malaby, Jeff Williams, Tom Rainey, Chris Cheek, Ralph Alessi, Rudresh Manhathappa, Mike Formanek, Ben Monder and numerous others." ^ Hide Bio for John O'Gallagher • Show Bio for Ben Monder "A musician in the New York City area for over 30 years, Ben Monder has performed with a wide variety of artists, including Jack McDuff, Marc Johnson, Lee Konitz, Billy Childs, Andrew Cyrille, George Garzone, Paul Motian, Maria Schneider, Louis Cole, Marshall Crenshaw and Jandek. He also contributed guitar parts to the last David Bowie album, "Blackstar". Ben conducts clinics and workshops around the world, and has served on the faculties of the New England Conservatory and the New School. He was the recipient of a Doris Duke Impact Award in 2014, and a Shifting Foundation grant in 2013. Ben continues to perform original music internationally in solo and trio settings, and in a long standing duo project with vocalist Theo Bleckmann. He has appeared on over 200 CDs as a sideman, and has released 7 as a leader: Day After Day (Sunnyside, 2019) Amorphae (ECM, 2015), Hydra (Sunnyside, 2013), Oceana (Sunnyside, 2005), Excavation (Arabesque, 2000), Dust (Arabesque, 1997), and Flux (Songlines,1995)." ^ Hide Bio for Ben Monder • Show Bio for Andrew Cyrille "Andrew Charles Cyrille (born November 10, 1939) is an American avant-garde jazz drummer. Throughout his career, he has performed both as a leader and a sideman in the bands of Walt Dickerson and Cecil Taylor, among others. Cyrille was born on November 10, 1939, in Brooklyn, New York into a Haitian family. He began studying science at St. John's University, but was already playing jazz in the evenings and switched his studies to the Juilliard School. His first drum teachers were fellow Brooklyn-based drummers Willie Jones and Lenny McBrowne; through them, Cyrille met Max Roach. Nonetheless, Cyrille became a disciple of Philly Joe Jones, who in some performances such as Time Waits used Cyrille's drum kit. His first professional engagement was as an accompanist of singer Nellie Lutcher, and he had an early recording session with Coleman Hawkins. Trumpeter Ted Curson introduced him to pianist Cecil Taylor when Cyrille was 18. He joined the Cecil Taylor unit in 1964, and stayed for about 10 years, eventually performing drum duos with Milford Graves. In addition to recording as a bandleader, he has recorded and/or performed with musicians such as David Murray, Irène Schweizer, Marilyn Crispell, Carla Bley, Butch Morris and Reggie Workman among others. Cyrille is currently a member of the group, Trio 3, with Oliver Lake and Reggie Workman." ^ Hide Bio for Andrew Cyrille • Show Bio for Billy Hart "William "Billy" Hart (born November 29, 1940 in Washington, D.C.) is a jazz drummer and educator who has performed with some of the most important jazz musicians in history. Early on Hart performed in Washington, D.C. with soul artists such as Otis Redding and Sam and Dave, and then later with Buck Hill and Shirley Horn, and was a sideman with the Montgomery Brothers (1961), Jimmy Smith (1964-1966), and Wes Montgomery (1966-1968). Hart moved to New York in 1968, where he recorded with McCoy Tyner, Wayne Shorter, and Joe Zawinul, and played with Eddie Harris, Pharoah Sanders, and Marian McPartland. Hart was a member of Herbie Hancock's sextet (1969-1973), and played with McCoy Tyner (1973-1974), Stan Getz (1974-1977), and Quest (1980s), in addition to extensive freelance playing (including recording with Miles Davis on 1972's On the Corner). Billy Hart works steadily and teaches widely. Since the early 1990s Hart spends considerable time at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and is adjunct faculty at the New England Conservatory of Music and Western Michigan University. He also conducts private lessons through The New School and New York University. Hart often contributes to the Stokes Forest Music Camp and the Dworp Summer Jazz Clinic in Belgium. He leads the Billy Hart Quartet with Mark Turner, Ethan Iverson, and Ben Street, which has released two albums on ECM Records. Hart resides in Montclair, New Jersey." ^ Hide Bio for Billy Hart
2/18/2026
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
2/18/2026
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
2/18/2026
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
2/18/2026
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
Track Listing:
1. Awakening 6:38
2. Under The Wire 6:20
3. Contact 5:36
4. Tug 5:34
5. Profess 4:37
6. Altar Of The Ancestors 6:15
7. Quixotica 4:40
8. Postscript 4:53
February 2026
Improvised Music
Jazz
Jazz & Improvisation Based on Compositions
NY Downtown & Metropolitan Jazz/Improv
Melodic and Lyrical Jazz
Quartet Recordings
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