Alexander Claffy has released his sophomore EP, CLAFFY II on la reserve Records. Like the first EP, this is a concept album that continues the narrative of love, heartbreak, discovery and growth, but this collection of songs focuses more upon creating sonic experiences in which listeners can get lost. 

Claffy states, “I was trying to make something like the first record but a little less storyline oriented. I chased the idea of a record that you could get sonically wrapped up in. Many tracks came and went but what’s coming out now is what I personally feel is the cream of the crop.”

The record showcases the foundation of Claffy’s signature sound and songwriting style that has established him as a leading voice in contemporary jazz and one that seeks to evolve the music. Each track seamlessly blends a sensibility rooted in jazz tradition while layering influences and production techniques from his eclectic palette. On the first single, Tassia, featuring Kurt Rosenwinkel, EARMILK wrote, “it’s clear that Claffy’s skills and musical sensibilities fit right in with the narrative of jazz as a music that is always looking toward the future.” This is particularly apparent in the love song Evelina.  

“Evelina is a mash up of some of my favorite inspirations: Weather Report, Sergio Mendes, and a whole bunch of disco records from the 70s. It was the first positive love song I had written in a long time and it always gives me that good feeling,” says Claffy. 

The album also features some of the leading musicians in the NYC jazz community including Ben Eunson, Michael Stephenson, Kate K-S, Eden Ladin, Adam Arruda and Mike King. The record was recorded, produced and mixed by Michael Perez-Cisneros at Big Orange Sheep Studios in Brooklyn.

From birth, Alexander Claffy was raised in a musical household (his father is a pianist, his mother, a vocalist), and had many of his earliest lessons on bandstands in the heart of Philadelphia. As a teenager, Claffy was fortunate enough to find a mentor in many Philly natives, and has continued his study of the double bass with some of the world’s finest musicians, including Ron Carter, Dwayne Burno and Orin O’Brien.

Since moving to New York City in 2011, he has had the honor of working with many of his living heroes, including Jimmy Cobb, Louis Hayes, Harold Mabern, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Christian Scott, Joey Alexander, Wallace Roney and many more.  In the past 3 years he has recorded for the Verve, HighNote, Positone, RopeADope and La Reserve Record labels.