ROGER EBACHER

Recording artist, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, performer, and composer Roger Ebacher brings over 40 years of professional stage and studio experience to his table of musical offerings. Appearing on his own highly reviewed recordings as a consummate flutist including ”Flutation Device” & “Backyard Carneval”, with numerous additional guest CD appearances on a variety of instruments, Roger's roots and branches cover many styles. Jazz, fusion, Brazilian, Afro-Cuban, reggae, Latin Jazz, Flamenco, African, and other world musics all come into play with his uniquely original compositions and dynamic live performances. He is also an in-demand percussionist (congas, bongos, dumbek, kalimba, etc.), singer, and keyboardist, and as such is comfortable and highly skilled in a variety of musical settings. Roger has twice been the featured guest artist on Boston's premier jazz radio program, Eric in the Evening (WGBH-FM, 89.7), and his music has been on the airwaves all over North America, Europe, and as far east as India, Thailand, and Russia. Based in the Boston area, Ebacher is held in high regard for the passion, artistry and professionalism he brings to his recordings and to his live appearances, for which he has access to some of the finest supporting players available from Boston to New York.

Since 2008 Roger's world music project, THE AIR DEPARTMENT, has dipped deeply into the music of the Middle East, India, and Brazil, mixing it with Ambient, Electronica, Downtempo, and more. With five releases to date available worldwide, this music is a veritable sonic stew for adventurous listeners in today's evolving musical universe. 

In 2015 Roger released BLUEISH GREY, a collection of Euro style chamber jazz, marking the first recording in several years to be released under his own name. In 2016 Roger released WITH YOU IN A MOMENT, another full- length collection of original compositions covering many styles of world jazz fusion. And while he has played most of the instruments on his prior recordings with The Air Department, these outings represent something of a tour de force of his multiple talents, as he is heard here on all instruments exclusively.

Since "Blueish Grey" and "With You in a Moment", Roger has expanded his discography not only as an instrumentalist but also as a vocalist, which is how he first became known.  2017 saw the release of two EP's,  "Four Songs of Susan", and "Saudade Summer'. Both releases included Roger on vocals and all instruments, in a collection of Brazilian and Cuban inspired originals as well as a few carefully chosen covers.  These were followed by three more vocal singles, "The Long Goodbye, Pts. 1 & 2" (2018), "Coffee & a Kiss" (2019), and most recently by "Light", released in 2022.  In between, Roger also added to his extensive discography of The Air Department with the release of "Belle Air", an exotic exploration of Middle Eastern and European influences.

As the pandemic began to take hold in 2019, Ebacher felt the need to fill the void of a locked down world with something meaningful.  As it turned out, the time from then until now has been quite fruitful, beginning in 2019 with the release of "Essentially", followed by "Hopefully, Tomorrow..." in 2020.   What became a trilogy was completed in 2022 with "Thankfully, Here...".  The connecting thread for these three releases is the language of Jazz in all it's diversity, expressed in the emotional and unique style that is Roger's trademark.

Released in February of 2023. "Crystal Bells" is a tribute to it's composer, the late World Jazz saxophone legend Charlie Mariano. It's obvious in one listen to this hauntingly beautiful ballad that Roger's reverence for the material is passionate, having shared a lengthy personal and professional connection to Charlie. 

July 2023 saw the release of another single and another cover.  "Yvette in English", cowritten by Joni Mitchell and the late David Crosby, was recorded first by Joni, and more recently by Crosby. Roger's version borrows the Bossanova treatment taken by Crosby, but rendered wordlessly in a dreamy tone-poem style featuring the piano.

The title fits the music perfectly on "Clave Climate", Roger's new collection of vibrant Latin Jazz. Drawing from the wide diaspora of influences which have informed his music for years, these recordings will take the listener from the beaches of Brasil to the streets of Havana, the townships of South Africa, and beyond for a climate change to be enjoyed by all. Released August 2023.