The musical life of saxophonist Jacque Schwarz-Bart hasn’t followed a typical script. The Guadeloupean native picked up the saxophone at age 24, later leaving a government job in France to attend the Berklee College of Music. He then moved to Harlem, beginning a long relationship with musicians exploring the netherworld between jazz, hip hop, and R&B like Erykah Badu, Meshell Ndegeocello, and Roy Hargrove.

Now a resident of Boston and faculty member at Berklee, Schwarz-Bart has just released a musical tribute to his past home, Harlem Suite on Ropeadope Records. Schwarz-Bart describes the music on the record as indicative of an epic journey:

The Harlem Suite is a childhood dream of coming to NY from my little island of Guadeloupe, and becoming a jazz musician. The tunes and arrangements were written to celebrate each step on this perilous but rewarding journey, during the 20 years spent in this iconic part of New York. The compositions reflect the musical wisdom I inherited from playing with some of the greatest musicians of our time: Roy Hargrove’s beautiful sound and impeccable phrasing, D’Angelo’s visionary grooves and unique intensity, Meshell Ndegeocello’s sense of mystery and poetry.

Many of the songs are inspired by the harsh human reality reflected in the disenfranchised lives of Black people in urban environments, while paying tribute to Harlem’s history as the birthplace of several musical revolutions.

This weekend, Schwarz-Bart returns to The Jazz Gallery to celebrate the release of the album alongside pianist Victor Gould, bassist Ian Banno, and drummer Obed Calvaire. Before coming to celebrate this album release at the Gallery, you can give it a listen below.

Jacques Schwarz-Bart plays The Jazz Gallery on Saturday, April 1, 2023. Mr. Schwarz-Bart on saxophones, will be joined by Victor Gould on piano, Ian Banno on bass, and Obed Calvaire on drums. Sets are at 7:30 and 9:30 P.M. E.D.T. $30 general admission ($15 for members, $10 for student members), $40 reserved cabaret seating ($25 for members), $20 livestream access ($5 for members) for each set. Purchase tickets here.