Album Review: Safe Travels from Jerry Kalaf
Album: Safe Travels Artist: Jerry Kalaf Label: Self-Released Website: jerrykalaf.com Safe Travels is jazz drummer Jerry Kalaf’s 2025 album. A soothing collection of original compositions that blend the temporal voices of a piano trio with the airy textures of a string quartet. Comprised of arrangements and orchestrations by Doug Walter, the recording features the Chicago-based string quartet ATLYS, partnering classical influences with jazz sensibilities and improvised strokes. The outcome is a musical saga, laden with sonic impressions and emotive expressions. Recorded at Studio J in Studio City, California, by Jerry Kalaf, and at RAX TRAX in Chicago, Illinois, by Andy Shoemaker, the project is meticulously finessed with structured trimmings augmented by spontaneous wanderings. Mixed by Jerry Kalaf and Doug Walter at Studio J and mastered by Scott Fraser at Architecture in Pasadena, California, the album delivers a multi-faceted listening experience, bustl...