On May 14, 2024 Playscape Recordings will release Ancestral Numbers I, saxophonist, flutist, and composer Jason Robinson’s second release on the Playscape Recordings label. On Ancestral Numbers I, Jason Robinson translates his own family history into evocative musical form. The first of two albums reflecting on his ancestry, Ancestral Numbers I is due for release via Playscape on May 14, 2024 (and Ancestral Numbers II following on October 8, 2024) features a superb quintet distilled from Robinson's larger Janus Ensemble, with trombonist Michael Dessen, pianist Joshua White, bassist Drew Gress and drummer Ches Smith. The inspiration for Ancestral Numbers was the final gift bestowed on Robinson by his maternal grandmother, Ruby Annette Kilbury, who passed away in 2022. Looking back through his lineage, Robinson discovered that he was the latest (and last) in a line of eldest children born when their mothers were just 17 years old. While hardships undoubtedly ensued from such young parenthood, he also realized that it offered the rare benefit of having known first hand several generations of his forebears.

Watch the promo video for Block Party

On September 12, 2023 Playscape Recordings will release Block Party. This set is veteran guitarist/composer Michael Musillami's tenth Playscape Recordings release with his flagship trio, featuring bassist Joe Fonda and drummer George Schuller. Block Party celebrates the trio's 20-year history as a working, touring, and recording ensemble. Jazz critic Robert Iannapollo writes from Block Party's liner notes, "On December 18, 2002 they went into the studio and recorded their first album as a trio, Beijing, a superb album that got a lot of positive reviews. Released in 2003, not many gigs ensued in the U.S. However, in March of 2004, the trio toured Europe promoting the album and they started building a following." Since that first release in 2003, the MM3 has been touring Europe, America, and Canada consistently over the past two decades. This aggressive work schedule continues today with a 20-year celebration tour set for November-December 2023 in Europe. "I am so proud of what we have accomplished over the past 20 years," says Musillami. "We've continued to play intelligent, expansive, powerful music, just as we did back in 2002. I think Block Party clearly demonstrates the consistent evolution of this dynamic trio."