Available April 18, 2025

12 Inch Vinyl - Black 180g

Daybreak is the new album from Grammy-nominated flutist and composer Itai Kriss.

Hailed by Jazzwise as “a fiery jazz flutist whose beautiful playing is destined to become significantly more familiar to audiences,” Itai Kriss has spent the last two decades at the crossroads of jazz, Afro-Caribbean, and Latin music. A central figure in New York’s scene, he has collaborated with legends like Eddie Palmieri, Avishai Cohen, and Pedrito Martinez.

Daybreak is a musical journey through the twenty-four-hour cycle of a day, with each track reflecting a distinct moment. Kriss blends jazz, gospel, bebop, and Afro-Latin traditions into a vibrant and deeply emotional narrative.

Joined by Adam Birnbaum (piano), Luke Sellick (bass), the late Anthony Pinciotti (drums), and guests Benny Benack III (trumpet) and Yotam Silberstein (guitar), Daybreak offers a musical voyage throughout a day where the flute guides the listeners like the sun rising and the breeze flowing through a day full of movement, grace, and spiritual connection.

The last words belong to Kriss himself, on music as not just performance, but communion: “There is a spiritual element to playing with other people, the vibrations of creativity,” he says. “I feel the power of that connection. Music can heal the soul. I don’t take that lightly.”


SIDE A
1. Daybreak 5:20
2. Drivin 5:52
3. O Jardim 4:57
4. Uphill 6:01

SIDE B
1. Upfront 5:44
2. Sunday Lemonade 6:15
3. Beleza 5:28
4. In The Light 4:34

All tracks written by Itai Kriss

Personnel
Itai Kriss, Flute
Adam Birnbaum, Piano
Luke Sellick, Bass
Anthony Pinciotti, Drums

Special Guests
Benny Benack III, Trumpet on Driving & Sunday Lemonade
Yotam Silberstein, Guitar on O Jardim & Beleza

This album is dedicated to the loving memory of Anthony Pinciotti,
a great inspiration and dear friend who left this earth too soon.
Itai Kriss

Produced by Simon Belelty for JOJO RECORDS

Recorded April 29-30, May 1, 2022 at Sound on Sound Studios
Mixing and Mastering at Swan Studios NYC
Engineer: Andreas K. Meyer
Photo by Dan Balilty
Design by Tubi for Sound&Vision
© 2025 JJR-007