Toronto jazz collective JABFUNG, led by Youth Big Band alumni, LA-based drummer Anthony Fung and celebrated bassist Julian Anderson-Bowes, are set to release their sophomore album, In Real Life.
The follow-up to their 2024 debut, EPOCH, In Real Life explore the “defiant celebration of human presence and real-time collaboration in an increasingly digital, cynical world.” The project was recorded last Spring in Toronto shortlt after the release of EPOCH.
In addition to Fung and Anderson-Bowes, the collective also includes Luis Deniz (Alto Saxophone) and Rafael Zaldivar (Piano) and new member Brooklyn-based trumpeter Adam O’Farrill. Since 2014, JABFUNG has performed across North America and has held a semi-annual residency at The Rex, where they have performed alongside Canadian and international acts such as Kirk MacDonald, Kelly Jefferson, George Garzone, Simon Moullier, Isaac Wilson, Andrew Marzotto and Mingjia Chen. In 2023, JABFUNG became a quartet when Fung and Anderson-Bowes invited Deniz and Zaldivar for a four-night stint at the Rex.
The first single, “Stronger Still,” is out now. JABFUNG’s In Real Life comes out Friday, June 5 on all streaming platform and Bandcamp.
