The city of Los Angeles has long been the epicenter of the West Coast jazz scene – through the 1950’s Central Avenue oasis, to home of many jazz funk giants in the 1970s, to present day contemporaries such as The West Coast Get Down, the city has maintained a deep tradition of community driven arts. On JID013, Jazz Is Dead highlights Inglewood’s own Katalyst - a collective of nine musicians who over the last decade have carved out a name for themselves as torchbearers of LA’s musical lineage.

Katalyst came to be when drummer Greg Paul was asked to put together a group of musicians to perform at L.A. Renaissance in 2014. The group’s synergy was quickly realized, and they began performing and gigging together all across LA at many of the city’s signature events such as The World Stage and Grand Performances. Their 2020 debut album “Nine Lives” is free spirited jazz love letter to the city that brought them all together featuring tracks such as “FreeHand” and “Leimert Day.”

The collective is made up of some of the most exciting active musicians in Los Angeles. Keyboardist and arranger Brian Hargrove was a longtime member of Roy Hargrove’s The RH Factor, currently plays with LA’s Pan Afrikan People’s Arkestra and can be heard playing live with R&B queen Solange Knowles. Trombonist Jonah Levine is a Grammy award winning composer for his work with the Chilean singer/songwriter Mon Laferte. Grammy nominated trumpeter Emile Martinez has shared stages with contemporaries such as MNDSN, Anderson Paak, and the RZA. Saxaphonist David Otis has performed with the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Mac Miller, and Shafiq Husayn. Both bass player Marlon Spears and drummer Greg Paul have toured with London-based record producer Kamaal Williams. In addition, Greg can be heard playing on Jazz Is Dead’s previous releases with Gary Bartz and Roy Ayers. Multi-Instrumentalist Corbin Jones has earned credits with power couple Beyonce and Jay-Z. Pianist and composer Brandon Cordoba has deep roots in soul, gospel, and R&B and has released several of his own solo projects. The group’s percussionist Ahmad DuBose-Dawson lends his kaleidoscopic expression of Traditional African and Afro Cuban influence to the groups sound.

As a collective, Katalyst has played live at Jazz Is Dead as backing band to legends Lonnie Liston Smith, Doug Carn, Henry Franklin, Gary Bartz and Ronnie Laws. The group’s popular local residencies have earned them legions of hometown fans. Wander in any night that they’re on at the Miracle in Inglewood, or the Townhouse in Venice, and you’ll be greeted with a packed house who have come to know and love the world-class music that the Kats produce.

As a cohesive unit Katalyst represents the open potential of networking and collaboration. Together, they have brought each other to new levels and their work has earned them a place amongst the pantheon of Los Angeles Jazz icons who have enriched the genre’s fabric. This is evidenced on their collaboration with producers Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad for Jazz Is Dead.