What’s striking throughout is how confidently Kriss uses the flute as a lead voice. His tone is clear and assertive, with rhythmic bite when he needs it and plenty of warmth to carry a melody.
Jojo Records
Itai Kriss – flute, composer; Adam Birnbaum – piano; Luke Sellick – bass; Anthony Pinciotti – drums; GUESTS: Benny Benack III – trumpet (tracks 2 & 10); Yotam Silberstein – guitar (tracks 3, 5, & 12)
Israeli-born Itai Kriss opens DAYBREAK with his flute cutting through the mix like a horn section leader—authoritative and unmistakably in charge. This is a tight, focused band, and Kriss is at the heart of the sound.
Kriss has drawn from Afro-Caribbean grooves, Israeli folk traditions, and jazz to shape a sound that lives in the rhythm. He doesn’t float on top—he’s in the pocket, pushing and pulling like a dancer who doesn’t just follow the beat, but feels it from the inside out.
Over the past two decades, Itai Kriss has been a fixture on New York’s jazz and Latin scenes, working with some of the top names in Afro-Cuban, salsa, and straight-ahead jazz. He’s performed, toured, and recorded with Dafnis Prieto, Edmar Castañeda, Yemen Blues, Pedrito Martinez, Gregory Hutchinson, and Avishai Cohen, among many others.
DAYBREAK uses the shape of a single day—morning to night—as a loose narrative arc for eight original compositions. The band is cohesive and thoughtful, with Adam Birnbaum on piano, Luke Sellick on bass, and the late Anthony Pinciotti on drums. Pinciotti’s presence gives the album an extra emotional weight—he passed away not long after the session, making this one of his final recordings. Guest turns by trumpeter Benny Benack III and guitarist Yotam Silberstein bring flashes of fire and elegance, but the focus stays on Kriss—his voice, his writing, and the way he shapes the flow of the album.
The title track opens like a sunrise: gentle and glowing, with light piano from Birnbaum and grounded bass notes from Sellick anchoring the band as it gradually builds. Kriss’s flute starts soft and lyrical, then grows in intensity—like the sun climbing higher in the sky. ‘Drivin’ picks up steam and heads straight into hard bop territory, all crisp rhythms and sharp edges, with trumpet and flute trading jabs like it’s morning rush hour. Benny Benack III gets some room to stretch out, and he sounds terrific. On ‘O Jardim,’ Kriss and guitarist Yotam Silberstein trade lines in a breezy samba that feels like a walk through one of Rio’s lush botanical gardens—unhurried, melodic, and full of warmth.
‘Uphill’ shifts into a different emotional register, opening with a dirge-like rhythm from Pinciotti before Kriss’s soulful flute takes over. ‘Upfront’ shakes things loose with a burst of post-bop energy, driven by a precise walking bass and comping from Birnbaum. His piano solo has real spark—full of motion, with a few jagged edges peeking through—before handing things off to Pinciotti, who answers with a surging, tightly controlled drum solo that brings the tune to a boil.
‘Sunday Lemonade’ is one of the sunnier moments on the album, taking its cues from gospel and mixing the hush of devotion with an easy, openhearted feel. Benack and Kriss lift each other higher as the track blooms into something radiant and transcendent. ‘Beleza’ taps into a breezy Brazilian groove, with Silberstein’s guitar and Pinciotti’s drums giving Kriss a rhythm-rich runway. The closing track, ‘In the Light,’ is spirited and soulful, with a graceful guitar turn from Silberstein before Kriss sends it home.
What’s striking throughout is how confidently Kriss uses the flute as a lead voice. His tone is clear and assertive, with rhythmic bite when he needs it and plenty of warmth to carry a melody.
There’s also a spiritual quality to DAYBREAK. Kriss talks about music as something healing, something communal. “There is a spiritual element to playing with other people—the vibrations of creativity,” he says. “Music can heal the soul. I don’t take that lightly.” You can hear that intention throughout Daybreak. It’s music shaped by long-standing relationships—with his instrument, his collaborators, and the rhythms that have guided his life.
