Album Notes

Over the past several years, alto saxophonist Patrick Cornelius has emerged as an exciting and dynamic new voice in the New York jazz scene. An instrumental virtuoso who counts Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong, Wayne Shorter, Claude Debussy, and Peter Gabriel among his greatest influences, Patrick has made a name for himself as a burgeoning artist with seemingly limitless potential.

His solo recording debut, Lucid Dream, features the collaborative efforts of some of the most exciting talents on the New York jazz scene today: rising stars Aaron Parks (piano), Kendrick Scott (drums), Nick Vagenas (trombone), Gretchen Parlato (voice), and local veteran Sean Conly (bass.) Lucid Dream features 7 strikingly memorable original compositions from Cornelius’ current songbook, as well as spirited, unique arrangements of Charlie Parker’s Billie’s Bounce and Peter Gabriel’s classic pop anthem, Don’t Give Up.

"Contemporary mainstream jazz involves many factors, including composition, instrumentation, and environment...New York saxophonist Patrick Cornelius brings together all of these elements on his acoustic debut, Lucid Dreams, yielding progressive, melodic and aesthetically pleasing music...From beginning to end, this music is a satisfying mix of contemporary sounds."
-- Mark F. Turner, All About Jazz

“...Enjoyable, clever music, which does interesting things with what it inherits from the jazz tradition... Well-schooled music, but music played with feeling, commitment and imagination,”
-- Glyn Pursglove, MusicWeb international

“...In an impressive debut by one of the new young lions of jazz, Patrick Cornelius crafts a captivating and engaging recording... Lucid Dream is a disc worth more than a listen and sure to garnish critical acclaim.”
-- Ed Blanco, eJazzNews

“What a wonderful recording; a truly finished product. Keep on taking chances!!!”
-- David Liebman, Jazz Icon

"This fine effort from Patrick Cornelius and company is aptly titled, as the music is both lucid (accessible, musically logical) and dream-like (filled with fantasy and invention)... taking the listener on a fulfilling tour led by a multi-talented artist on a star-bright trajectory."
-- Andrea Canter, JazzPolice.com

"Throughout, Cornelius and company are utterly in sync, interacting and supporting each other to make sophisticated but powerful music."
-- Peter Hum, Ottawa Citizen