Jazz pianist, composer, and producer Sean Mason released "Secure the Bag" on August 21, 2026, through Taylor Christian Records. It is the first single from State of the Art, arriving October 16, 2026, and the album's opening track.
The track starts with a bass vamp from Felix Moseholm. Domo Branch joins on drums, and movement artists Reyna Nuñez and LeAndre Douglas are in the room as full collaborators. Together, the five set up the way of working that runs through the whole record: players and dancers answering one another in real time.
TWO GROOVES IN ONE TUNE
"Secure the Bag" moves between two very different rhythmic feels. Mason hears the groove as wide and airy at first, a feel he links to Duke Ellington's "Chinoiserie," and then as tight and dry, close to a street beat. Branch's brushwork gives each side its character.
Eventually, Nuñez picks up a tambourine and works it into her movement, adding one more unplanned layer to the take. Mason sees that moment as central to the album's idea.
“I wanted to play with dancers instead of playing for dancers.” - Sean Mason
Pianists who want to dig into the writing can find the album's compositions in the engraved sheet music.
THE MUSIC VIDEO
Watch the official music video of "Secure the Bag" on YouTube to enjoy the full visual experience and see the song brought to life.
HOW IT WAS RECORDED
Mason sent Moseholm and Branch solo-piano recordings of the new compositions less than a week before the trio premiered the music live at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Dizzy's Club. Two days after that premiere, the group went into the studio with Nuñez and Douglas and recorded the album in a single session, with no more than two takes of each studio composition. "Secure the Bag" came out of that session, and the take limit kept the group's reactions and shifts in direction in the finished recording.
PERSONNEL
- Sean Mason - Piano
- Felix Moseholm - Bass
- Domo Branch - Drums
- Reyna Nuñez - Movement Artist
- LeAndre Douglas - Movement Artist
MUSIC AND DANCE
Mason's work with Nuñez and Douglas goes back to 2022, when the three joined The Jazz Continuum, a production created and choreographed by LaTasha Barnes. Mason and Charles Turner received a 2023 Bessie Award for the production's music and sound design. State of the Art carries that relationship between jazz and social dance into Mason's own trio.
ABOUT SEAN MASON
Born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, Sean Mason is a Grammy-nominated jazz pianist, composer, bandleader, and Steinway Artist. Wynton Marsalis has praised his "combination of soul and intelligence," and NPR has called his music "exceptionally groovy." State of the Art was supported by Chamber Music America's New Jazz Works program. His earlier albums include The Southern Suite and A Breath of Fresh Air, the first release on his own label, Taylor Christian Records.
ALSO AVAILABLE
"Secure the Bag" opens the seven-song, 47-minute album, and the second single, "A Good Day," follows as track two. The record closes with a live recording of "One United" from Jazz at Lincoln Center's Dizzy's Club, a re-recording of a tune from Mason's 2023 debut, The Southern Suite.
State of the Art arrives October 16, 2026, on Taylor Christian Records, the independent label Mason founded. Physical editions are available on vinyl (12-inch first pressing) and CD. The album is also available as a digital download and as sheet music.
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FOLLOW SEAN MASON
- Instagram: @_seanmason_
- TikTok: @seanmason_
- Facebook: Sean Mason Official
- YouTube: Sean Mason
- X (Twitter): @_seanmason_
- Spotify: Sean Mason
RESOURCES
Official Website: seanmason.net
Official Music Video: Watch "Secure the Bag" on YouTube
Stream the Single: Listen on Spotify
Source: Official press release from Lydia Liebman Promotions for "Secure the Bag" (State of the Art, TCR-003).
