Eyes Only

Eyes Only

Ari Joshua

There are sessions where players walk into a studio to make a track. And there are sessions where musicians walk into a room to listen. Eyes Only belongs to the second kind — a slow-burning, deeply human recording born from trust, attention, and the unspoken language shared among improvisers. At the center is Ari Joshua, a guitarist shaped by the lineage of free music, jazz, psych rock, and meditative improvisation. His tone flows like breath — quiet, searching, unforced. He is both anchor and invitation. Joining him is Robert Glasper, one of the most influential voices in modern jazz and contemporary Black American music. A four-time GRAMMY Award winner and Emmy recipient, Glasper is known for reshaping the boundaries between jazz, hip-hop, neo-soul, and experimental groove — from Black Radio to his work with Kendrick Lamar (To Pimp a Butterfly), Erykah Badu, Bilal, Terrace Martin, Thundercat, and Herbie Hancock. His playing here is restrained and luminous — phrases like clear water, unfolding only what is needed. On bass is Jason Fraticelli, equal parts storyteller and listener, whose sound carries warmth, patience, and an almost devotional calm — the quiet heartbeat of the trio. And on drums: KJ Sawka (Kevin Sawka), a pioneering rhythmic architect known globally for his work with Pendulum, Destroid (with Excision and Downlink), and countless drum & bass, progressive breakbeat, and hybrid-electronic projects. Sawka is one of the world's most recognized live electronic drummers, blending acoustic technique with the feel of sequenced rhythms. Here, he chooses restraint over display — drumming as breathing, time as space. The result is not a performance. It is a room in motion.