Young jazz prodigy releases second album titled "Mountains"Since his debut at The Jazz Gallery (New York) in 2017, young piano and composition prodigy Micah Thomas has used the gallery's stage to try out new projects and explore new directions. A recipient of the TJG 2022-2023 residency at the gallery, Micah Thomas presents the many resulting pieces on his new album 'Mountains', to be released on September 13, 2024, on Artwork Records.The album was recorded with a septet of peers: renowned saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, Kweku Sumbry (drums), Kanoa Mendenhall (bass), Nicole Glover (saxophone), Adam O'Farrill (trumpet), and Caleb Smith (trombone)."On Mountains, I tried to create a contrast between order and freedom. The album features pieces I painstakingly wrote, and others where I let certain musicians or the ensemble improvise freely. Then there's everything in between—sections of free improvisation where I give artists guidelines. It's a challenging piece to perform, as you have to exercise all your faculties, both in terms of improvisation and reading and interpreting existing material." - Micah Thomas