GRAMMY-winning bandleader, composer, arranger, and pianist Steven Feifke has just released his new single “Ali Dell’Angelo,” a bold new composition with a soaring trio of standout solos from saxophonist Alexa Tarantino, Feifke himself, and drummer Bryan Carter. “Ali Dell’Angelo” comes on the heels of Feifke’s victory at the 2023 GRAMMY Awards; it is a historic first-time win for Feifke, who became the youngest ever winner for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album in the category’s six decade existence. The GRAMMY comes during an incredibly prolific period for Feifke – the upcoming release of Catalyst (out June 16th via La Reserve / Bandstand Presents) will be his sixth album in two years.
Catalyst debuts nearly a half-dozen new compositions, and several “Feifke-tized” takes on classic repertoire. “I recognize more of myself in the music I’ve written for Catalyst,” says Feifke. “It’s all closer to my heart. It’s very personal music about things that I care about.” La Reserve Records co-founder Matt Block agrees, saying “This is a level of vulnerability that we haven’t heard from Steven yet. Each of his releases just keeps getting better and better.”
“‘Ali Dell’Angelo’ is Italian for ‘wings of the angel,’” Feifke explains of the new single. “Angel wings signify a desire for freedom, dreams of flight, and in some cases even a more spiritual side of humanity. This piece has three distinct sections that work in tandem to lift the harmony higher and higher with each subsequent modal center, collectively suggesting a feeling of flight.”
And Feifke’s career is truly soaring. His compositions and orchestrations have been prominently featured on hit TV shows such as The Masked Singer, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Impractical Jokers, Animaniacs, and many world class big bands and orchestras around the globe. A respected educator, Feifke currently sits on faculty at Berklee College of Music and The New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music. DownBeat calls his music “an air of infectious joy” and Jazziz praises him as a “masterful pianist.”
