THE WORLD'S BEST NEW MUSIC
ALBUM OF THE DAY
24 FEBRUARY 2026
The Modern Ark
JAKE MASON TRIO
Released 13 February 2026
Soul Messin' Records
****-
An irresistible serve of snazzy jazz-funk from this distinctive Aussie trio - supplemented by a couple of stellar featured guests.
As his Bandcamp profie succinctly notes, Jake Mason is a multi-instrumentalist and prolific songwriter best known for his work with Cookin' on 3 Burners and has established his own label and production house.
Mason’s playing is both lyrical and rhythmically incisive, at home on Hammond B3 and Fender Rhodes and he brings that sensibility into the trio format with clarity, taking cues from the golden era of organ trios (esp. Jimmy Smith, "Brother"Jack McDuff, and Jimmy McGriff).
With The Modern Ark, Mason extends his language, leaning into tight ensemble interaction and compositional forms that feel equally at home in club rooms and concert halls. The album unfolds as a suite of grooves that insist you feel them as much as hear them. From the opening bars, the trio locks into a rhythmic conversation where organ swells, articulate piano lines and an agile rhythm section function as equals rather than backing parts.
There’s a strong funk undercurrent here - not blunt, but refined. Tracks like the title piece (if tracklisting follows precedent) ride a locked-in pocket that breathes: drums and bass lock into a bump that lets Mason’s keyboards weave between rhythmic punctuation and melodic deployment without ever feeling overproduced. Elsewhere, lines bend toward modal jazz, with solo spaces placed meticulously.
What sets this album apart in Mason’s catalogue is it the album's flow and the trio's unity of purpose. The trio pushes and pulls, as dynamics rise and fall with deliberation.
The trio's mellifluous work is elevated by a couple of vocal star turns by no less than Kurt Elling and Kate Ceberano - on the title track for the former and a smouldering, Billie Holliday-like stand-out track "Stop Searching For Love" for the latter. A lair of ripe cherries on top of an already sweet cake!
That the set rarely steps outside its groove-driven lane is no disappointment: this is an album confident in its musical statement, tight in its method, refined in its harmonic balance, showcasing a band locked in conversation.
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Album titles link back to Sun Never Sets On Music's review page for all albums.
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