NEW ALBUM THE OFFERING SET FOR RELEASE

MAY 24 VIA ENTERTAINMENT ONE                                                        

STREAM THE SONG HERE

Toronto, ON – March 1, 2019 – Celebrated Toronto artist, Thompson Egbo-Egbo, shares his new single, It’s Not That Serious, today. The track is Thompson’s first sonic delivery of 2019, and will appear on Thompson’s forthcoming album, The Offering, set for release on May 24 via Entertainment One. Listen to the song here.

“It’s Not That Serious is this year’s mantra,” Thompson says of the track’s inspiration. “It’s not about getting caught up with ourselves and the things that won’t matter a year from today. How do we get out of our own way and move forward ‘cause ‘it’s not that serious.’ 

The Offering follows Thompson’s previous album, A New Standard, released on January 19, 2018 via Entertainment One Music. The record was Thompson’s debut on the label, and sought to redefine the concept of the jazz standard, and included original takes on Radiohead, Bob Dylan and Laura Mvula tunes. It was recorded in a trio format, with Randall Hall on bass, and Jeff Halischuk on drums, marking a departure from the solo playing for which Thompson had become known. Buy and stream the album here.

A New Standard was received to critical acclaim, while Thompson was highlighted in The Whole Note as their April 2018 cover feature. He made his media rounds with an interview at CP24 Breakfast, CBC Radio One’s Fresh Air, Girth Radio’s Creative Imbalance podcast, and an in-depth feature with PRODUCT Toronto. In an exclusive interview and performance for CBC Radio’s The Sunday Edition, Thompson delved into his career and philanthropy work with host, Michael Enright. Canadian Beats called it “a brilliant display of creativity, keen diversity and expert arranging.”

The album’s release was the beginning of a busy year of touring, including sold out appearances at The Rex Hotel, the Poetry Jazz Cafe in Toronto and Artword Artbar in Hamilton. The end of the year saw the inclusion of the album on JazzFM’s Music Director’s Top 20 of 2018, landing at #6, among records by Kamasi Washington and John Scofield.

Hailing from Toronto, Ontario, Thompson Egbo-Egbo is a pianist with a gift for memorable but harmonically complex compositions that have at their core a deep, abiding groove. A rambunctious and free spirit was channeled in a creative direction with piano lessons at an inner-city music school. After graduating from high school, Egbo-Egbo earned a degree in Music from Humber College and studied electronic production and design at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

After college, Egbo-Egbo found performance work in the clubs and lounges of Toronto. An ever-popular performer, many solo engagements turned in to long-term residencies at venues like The Shangri-La Hotel & Jacob’s Steakhouse.  In 2014, Egbo-Egbo released Short Stories, a collection of original solo piano compositions inspired by his residency performances.

For The Offering, Egbo-Egbo has returned to the trio format. If A New Standard sought to change the conversation, The Offering seeks to create a new dialogue about what we expect from a jazz trio. Whereas A New Standard was recorded and then performed, many of the tracks on The Offering were written on stage, and put to tape after they’d been fleshed out live. This adds a presence and muscular tone to the album. The recording process itself was an attempt to capture the essence of the live experience - the element that has been attracting an ever-growing audience to the trio’s concerts.

With the exception, the Metheny penned, Question and Answer, and the traditional standard, Beautiful Love, the rest of the tunes are written by Egbo-Egbo or co-written with the trio.

Thompson Egbo-Egbo on Spotify: spoti.fi/2milLNE 
Purchase/stream A New Standard: smarturl.it/anewstandard

DOWNLOAD – Hi Res Single Artwork | DOWNLOAD – Hi Res Press Photo

www.egbo.ca