SCHAPIRO 17, Best Laid Plans

With Best Laid Plans, composer, arranger and bandleader Jon Schapiro delivers the third recording by Schapiro17, the large ensemble he founded more than a decade ago after participating in the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop. Since its earliest performances in 2014, the band has developed a distinctive identity built on sophisticated writing, adventurous improvisation and a willingness to blur stylistic boundaries.

On this latest release, Schapiro combines three compelling originals with imaginative reworkings of music by Herbie Hancock, Horace Silver, Sonny Rollins, Scott Joplin, John Coltrane and others, creating a program that honors jazz tradition while embracing a thoroughly contemporary sensibility.

The album opens with Schapiro’s “Ugly Chic,” an ambitious statement driven by dark bass lines, ominous piano textures, distorted electric guitar and surging brass. Its fusion-oriented intensity establishes the adventurous spirit that runs throughout the recording. Hancock’s “Chameleon” receives a striking makeover, transformed from funk anthem into a spacious, ballad-like meditation where smoky horn dialogues gradually build toward bursts of energy. Horace Silver’s “Quicksilver” follows with exuberant abandon, its bustling groove, swirling ensemble passages and fearless soloing injecting modern big-band power into a hard-bop classic.

Elsewhere, Schapiro demonstrates impressive range. Scott Joplin’s “Solace” becomes a brooding, atmospheric ballad filled with elegant horn writing and understated lyricism, while Sonny Rollins’ “East Broadway Run Down” evolves into a fast-moving showcase of crackling guitar work, adventurous improvisation and driving swing. Even the century-old “Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives to Me” emerges as a hypnotic slow-burn, its melancholy mood elevated by inventive solo work and richly layered ensemble textures.

The originals stand comfortably alongside these celebrated compositions. The title track unfolds through multiple moods and tempo shifts, balancing lyrical soprano saxophone passages with colorful ensemble writing and dynamic momentum. “The Uncluttered Mind,” which closes the album, delivers an exhilarating finale fueled by rambunctious horn figures, inspired soloing and infectious energy.

The longevity of Schapiro17 is evident throughout. Rather than sounding like a collection of musicians

assembled for a single session, the ensemble performs with the cohesion, trust and shared vocabulary that come from years of collaboration. Schapiro’s arrangements capitalize on that chemistry, creating music that is simultaneously intricate and inviting, ambitious and accessible.

As the third chapter in Schapiro17’s recorded history, Best Laid Plans confirms the ensemble’s continued artistic growth. Schapiro honors the jazz tradition without becoming confined by it, presenting original compositions that stand confidently beside acknowledged classics. The result is a vibrant, inventive and thoroughly rewarding recording from a band that has spent more than a decade refining its voice.