Jason Yeager & Jason Anick - Sanctuary

In some way, each and every one of us is searching for sanctuary. In certain cases, that search reflects a vital need – a home, a country, a safe haven. For those of us fortunate to have those crucial needs met, sanctuary comes to mean something more personal and metaphorical – the embrace of loved ones, a cherished memory, a quiet space in nature. On Sanctuary, their extraordinary second album as co-leaders, violinist Jason Anick and pianist Jason Yeager explore the vast spectrum of what the concept can mean through the medium of their own personal sanctuary – the music they create.

Sanctuary builds on the foundation set by the pair’s previous outing, 2017’s United. That album marked the culmination of a nearly lifelong friendship and collaboration; Anick and Yeager met for the first time at a local jam session as teens in the Boston area. Since then, both have continued to collaborate while establishing flourishing careers as composers, performers and educators, with both serving on the faculty at Berklee College of Music.

Where United represented a convergence of their distinct voices, with each contributing individual pieces, Sanctuary is a melding of the two, with more than half of the tracks credited to both composers. In addition, the debut’s rotating cast of musicians has settled into a core quintet, with Anick and Yeager joined by trumpeter and flugelhorn player Billy Buss, bassist Greg Loughman and drummer Mike Connors, with guest appearances by trumpet great Jason Palmer, tenor saxophonist Edmar Colón and cellist Naseem Alatrash.

Sanctuary is a direct result of not only the personal evolution that Anick and Yeager have undergone over the last several years, but of the times in which it was created. The project was interrupted by the pandemic, providing time for the co-creators to further develop the music they’d prepared for their cancelled April 2020 recording date. At the same time, headlines around the globe have been filled with stories of refugee crises and immigration battles, bringing home the profound importance of the core idea.

“We had two goals at the outset of this album,” Anick explains. “First, we wanted to develop a cohesive music from our shared voices by composing together. Second, we really wanted to reflect the things that were going on in the world around us. The central theme coalesced around sanctuary, because at the end of the day it’s what we're all trying to find.”