Juno Award winner Florian Hoefner unites jazz quartet and chamber orchestra on his most ambitious album.

Juno Award-winning pianist and composer Florian Hoefner brings jazz improvisation and contemporary orchestral writing together on Into The Aquasphere, his first large-ensemble recording. Conceived for jazz quartet and 22-piece chamber orchestra, the album represents a significant expansion of Hoefner's work as a composer, building upon a career that has encompassed acclaimed jazz recordings as well as classical chamber music. Across three extended original compositions, he uses water as both subject and musical inspiration, examining natural systems that connect human life with the planet's oceans and atmosphere.

Recorded at Studio Piccolo in Montreal in October 2024, Into The Aquasphere places Hoefner's piano alongside bassist John Hébert, drummer Eric McPherson and tenor saxophonist Quinsin Nachoff, surrounded by an ensemble conducted by JC Sanford. The orchestra includes an expanded woodwind section featuring Chris James on flute, piccolo and alto flute and Christine Carter on clarinet and bass clarinet, French hornist Micajah Sturgess, percussionist Ben Reimer and a string section led by Grammy Award-winning concertmaster Nathalie Bonin. Rather than simply adding orchestral accompaniment to a conventional jazz quartet, Hoefner integrates the ensembles, allowing composed textures and instrumental colors to interact with the improvising musicians.

The three-part program approaches water from distinct perspectives. 'Aerial Rivers' takes its name from immense streams of atmospheric moisture originating in the Amazon Basin and transporting water across South America. 'AMOC' refers to the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, the interconnected system of Atlantic Ocean currents whose behavior is being affected by climate change. The concluding 'Force of Nature' turns toward water's elemental character and contrasting capacity for tranquility and destruction. Together, the compositions give Hoefner a broad canvas for intricate harmony, rhythmic development, improvisation and cinematic orchestral writing while maintaining his stated goal of creating music that connects directly with listeners through performance.

Into The Aquasphere extends Hoefner's previous explorations beyond the traditional jazz quartet, including his composition 'Blue Chapter' for the Iris Trio and poet Don McKay's Project Earth. The album was recorded, mixed and mastered in high-resolution 24-bit/96kHz audio, with a Dolby Atmos version also prepared. Hoefner is scheduled to present the project live with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra at Winnipeg's Desautels Concert Hall in November 2026.

Track Listing

• Aerial Rivers
• AMOC
• Force of Nature

Additional Details

Label: Alma Records

Genre: Jazz

Language: English

Run Time: 34:36 mins

Region: 0

Release Date: 12/11/26

UPC: 880504102321