For those not in the know, with the release of his debut album, Gateway, the Phoenix-raised, New York City-based trombonist, composer, and educator Michael Pallas looks to make his mark as a leader to be reckoned with.

A trombonist inspired by J.J. Johnson. Curtis Fuller, Steve Turre and Papo Vasquez, Pallas is a proud alumnus of the Jackie McLean Institute, founded by legendary alto saxophonist and educator Jackie McLean in Hartford, Connecticut.

While Pallas has been performing professionally for over 15 years, including stints with legendary jazz pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, mambo big band leader Steve Oquendo, Afrobeat band Antibalas, hip-hop group Soul Science Lab and others, the trombonist was inspired to become a solo artist during the pandemic.

“I really had a lot of time just to reflect on where my career was at that point,” Pallas says, “and I felt like it was necessary for me to start moving in this direction of really seriously writing my own music, and eventually releasing my own record. So I began to compose tunes that dealt with themes and emotions that I and many artists were facing during the first two years of the decade.”

1. Life on Mars
2. One for the City
3. Steaming Hope
4. Patent(s)
5. Disu’s Dream
6. Counterfeit Blues
7. The Verdict
8. Today and Forever
9. Next Exit
10. Gateway
11. Beyond (The Gateway)
12. El Boli
13. Variant

This vibrantly melodious new recording opens on the smoothly fervent, infectious Cubop cut Life on Mars, the low slung finger-snapper One for the City (an upbeat waltz dedicated to New York City) and the languishing Steaming Hope and then we get brought forth the short, but nonetheless sweet, hip-hop flavored interlude Patent(s), the low slung Disu’s Dream (a rumba dedicated to memory of Pallas’ friend and fellow trombonist Jason Disu) and the groove-tastic Counterfeit Blues (which features spoken word artist Ghazi Omair talking about police brutality and the murder of George Floyd).

Along next is the continuance, in a way, of that last track, the addictive, drum ad percussion-led The Verdict and the beautiful ballad Today and Forever and they are in turn followed by the veritably shimmering, hip-hop friendly interlude Next Exit, the free-flowing musical majesties that come together for Gateway, and the Afrofuturistic, neo-soul-hued Beyond (The Gateway), the album rounding out on the buoyant El Boli (which is based on Chick Corea’s “Humpty Dumpty,”), closing on the empowering sounds of Variant (itself a blend of dance beats, psychedelic effects and Afro-Colombian cumbia rhythms).

Backed by saxophonist Lomar Brown, pianist Yeissonn Villamar, bassist John Benítez, drummer Jonathan Barber, and percussionist Nelson Mathew Gonzalez – with co-producer Alex Meltzer – the 13 Pallas-penned selections on Gateway reflect the myriad inventions and dimensions of 21st century jazz.

www.pallasmusic.com