Room For Other People is the fifth album from The Netherlands-based jazz ensemble, The New York Second, which was founded in 2015 by pianist/composer Harald Walkate. This exciting and versatile ensemble has performed and recorded previously as a quartet, a quintet, a septet, and a trio. For this album, they are an octet: Harald Walkate (piano), Tom Beek (tenor sax), Lorenzo Buffa (double bass), Mark Alban Lotz (flutes), Teus Nobel (trumpet), Max Sergeant (drums), Vincent Veneman (trombone), and Rob Waring (vibraphone). Three singles were released ahead of the full album: the title track, "Location and Date Unknown," and "View of Ile Saint-Louis."

The music was inspired by the photography of Vivian Maier (1926-2009), who was also known as "The Nanny Photographer." Maier spent most of her life as a nanny and a photographer and produced at least 150,000 photos that were taken predominantly on the streets of Chicago and New York. She shared her photos with only a small circle of friends, storing them in boxes and carrying them with her to her various jobs as a nanny. The photos were discovered posthumously at an auction and were purchased by a collector who shared them with the world. When Harald Walkate and Tom Beek collaborated on two previous albums, they discovered a shared passion for Maier's work. Each of the ten tracks (plus a short reprise of the title track) is named for one of Maier's photos, which are included in the CD booklet and on Harald Walkate's website. As he was composing, Walkate uncovered some powerful truths about the place of art in our lives and why some of us choose to create. Quoting Walkate:

“That, to me, is why we engage in art: to create something beautiful, and in the process learn something about the world. And about ourselves. And, then, we need to make room for other people.”

Room For Other People begins with "983 Third Avenue," a piece that is both cool and vibrant with its diverse instrumentation. The photograph that inspired it is a New York city-scape that was likely taken in the 1940s or 1950s and shows an elevated train platform as well as people going about their business. "Florida, 1957" is an expressive portrait of a young Black man at his job in a Florida city during the same year as the first Civil Rights Act. The music the photo inspired is smooth and hopeful with silky horns, lively percussion, and great solos on piano, double bass and trumpet - I really like this one! "The Collectors Corner" is a photo of three young kids on the streets of New York, one looking up, one looking at the camera and a young girl trying to stuff something into a baby stroller. Fun as well as puzzling (what are those kids up to???), the music is smooth with an easy rhythm and lots of soul. "The Class Photograph" begins with a beautiful piano solo that seems to be asking questions. The piano has the lead for quite a bit of the piece - soulful and heartfelt - but most of the other musicians get a chance to take the lead, too - another favorite. The title track is from a self-portrait of Maier's reflection in a shop window or mirror, and the music is smooth and relaxed. "The White Dress" is the photo that graces the album cover and raises more questions than are answered - what was going on when the photo was taken? The music has a slow, graceful flow with a touch of mystery that seems fitting for a late-night stroll in a fluffy white dress. "Location & Date Unknown" is primarily a vibraphone and piano duet with lots of cool bass and percussion support. Very open and expressive, it starts cooking near the end and is my favorite track on the album. "Downstairs for Incoming Trains" was inspired by a photo of Penn Station that includes those words on a sign. The main theme is a very slow bossa nova that is soulful and elegant, speeding up near the end. The album closes with a one-minute reprise of the title track - a great ending for a great album!

Room For Other People will be released on February 1, 2025. It is available to pre-order from Bandcamp now (CDs, too!) and will be available to stream and download from other sites as well. More links will be added as they become available. Both thumbs up!