Kiefer has announced Memory Bomb, his solo debut for Blue Note Records. The album’s first single, “NewLevels NewDevils,” is out now ahead of its September 25th release.
The Los Angeles-based pianist produced the record with his longtime collaborators Shibo and CARRTOONS. Memory Bomb will feature a stacked list of special guests, including Tony Stone, Erick The Architect, Nate Smith, Walter Smith III, Cisco Swank, Relyae, Rae Khalil, Amber Navran of Moonchild, Planet Giza, and more.
Kiefer signed to Blue Note in June. The announcement arrived alongside the news that he would be curating a new festival, Over The Breaks, which will take place at the Lodge Room in Los Angeles on September 18-19th. Its lineup includes GENA (Karriem Riggins + Liv.e), CARRTOONS, Luke Titus, Shibo, and more. ‘Over The Breaks’ is the name Kiefer has given to his distinctive musical style, which pulls from jazz, hip-hop, and more.
On his signing to Blue Note, Kiefer shared: “When I was four years old, my dad used to play recordings of great jazz musicians and make me recite their names: John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Clark. The catalog he used to educate me was Blue Note. Blue Note is the most iconic jazz label of all time. As someone who loves jazz, to be on the Blue Note roster is a huge honor. As someone who was raised on the Blue Note catalog, it is deeply sentimental and life-affirming.”
Kiefer recently announced a Fall North American tour that will kick off on October 1st, following the inaugural Over The Breaks festival. The tour will open in Boston and travel to major American and Canadian cities before closing on October 17th in Portland, OR.
