ADAM O’FARILL’S ELEPHANT

Adam O’Farrill’s ELEPHANT (Out of Your Head Records)
is one of the most acclaimed releases of 2026

O’Farrill voted in 74th Annual DownBeat International Critics Poll:

#1 Rising Star Artist
#1 Rising Star Trumpet
#1 Rising Star Arranger
#2 Trumpeter of the Year
#21 Album of the Year

Acclaimed trumpeter-composer blends postbop, electronic music, minimalism, Ryuichi Sakamoto and more at the helm of a new band featuring pianist Yvonne Rogers, bassist Walter Stinson and drummer Russell Holzman

Album Out Now on CD, LP, Hi-Res Download & Streaming;
On Tour in U.S. Fall 2026 and Europe Spring 2027

Adam O’Farrill’s ELEPHANT, which PopMatters’ Will Layman called “easily one of the best jazz recordings of 2026 so far,” is the debut of a new quartet featuring pianist Yvonne Rogers, bassist Walter Stinson, and drummer Russell Holzman. Widely regarded as one of the most vital musicians of his generation, O’Farrill has been hailed by The New York Times as “among the leading trumpeters in jazz” and “perhaps the music’s next major improviser.” In 2025 alone he appeared on acclaimed recordings including Mary Halvorson’s About Ghosts, Hiromi’s Out There, Tarun Balani’s Kadahin Milandaasin, and his own octet release For These Streets. ELEPHANT places O’Farrill front and center for the first time in one of his own projects as the lone horn, with compositional influences that organically jump between post-bop, EDM, classical minimalism, Radiohead, Jonny Greenwood’s film scores, and Ryuichi Sakamoto. O’Farrill’s unique way of combining accessible dance rhythms with fiery modern improvisation on ELEPHANT is groundbreaking work from a true visionary, rightfully labeled “a masterpiece of contemporary jazz.”

ELEPHANT feature confirmed for early April on NPR Fresh Air, as well as a forthcoming review in Wall Street Journal.

“He’s quickly established himself as one of the most important musicians of the 21st Century”

NPR Fresh Air

“Elegant, exploratory, and emotionally dynamic.”

Qobuz, Albums of the Week

“He moves from muted melody to frenetic rhythm, showcasing his capacity to embrace avant-garde experimentalism as much as group groove. A remarkably confident debut.”

The Observer, Albums of the Week

“ELEPHANT is O’Farrill’s most engaging and impressive recording to date. The album pops and jabs, hops and slithers. It has all the moves.”

PopMatters

“ELEPHANT is a band to watch.”

Stereogum

***** “Making for an astonishing listen, O’Farrill’s ELEPHANT is a sensational, revolutionary, and incredibly thoughtful work; a masterpiece of contemporary jazz that should not be missed.”

JazzTrail

“Even with heady expectations going in, I wasn’t prepared for this. ELEPHANT is a wealth of sit-up-and-take-notice moments.”

Bandcamp, Best Jazz on Bandcamp March 2026

****1/2 “Adam O’Farrill leaves a deep sonic footprint on 2026’s ELEPHANT.”

AllMusic

**** “O’Farrill’s latest is a beguiling blend of minimalist repetition, lively soloing, and rooted groove. A deeply engaging interplay.”

DownBeat

“This superb band stretches time into abstraction as easily as they can generate dance rhythms- sometimes doing both within the space of a few bars. In fact, their creative core revolves around such contrasts, less as a conceptual framework than simply because it sounds good.”

The Wire

“There’s a directness to Elephant, an unabashed commitment to clarity, that I think will carry its message to a wider audience than O’Farrill has engaged thus far. If that sounds like qualified praise, let me be clear: I also consider it one of the most artistically compelling statements of his career.”

The Gig

Additional Reviews: JazzTimes // Relix Staff Picks // WNYC New Sounds // The Big Takeover // Point of Departure Interview // Point of Departure Review // Interview on The Gig // Something Else! // Step Tempest // Old New Interview // NPR Best Albums // PostGenre // Arts Fuse // UK Jazz News // Citizen Jazz // Chaotic Good Jazz – Albums of the Month

Recommended Tracks: #5 Eleanor’s Dance, #4 Iris Murdoch, #6 Herkimer Diamond

RIYL: Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Lynch, Craig Taborn, Radiohead, Angelo Badalamenti, Ambrose Akinmusire, Miguel Zenon, Susumu Yokota, Oliver Coates, Kali Malone, Venetian Snares, Kelly Lee Owens