Mika Stolzman (marimba), Richard Stoltzman (clarinet), Members of the BSO & BMOP

Bach (arr. Stolzman): Chaconne in D minor, BWV 1004
Zorn: Breathturn, Pt. 1
Debussy (arr. Fuse): Rêverie
Hazama: Marimba Concerto No. 1 (World Premiere Recording)

Celebrated as a pioneer of the contemporary marimba, Mika Stolzman has spent her career blurring the lines between classical rigor and the fluid spontaneity of jazz. Crossing the Bar is a testament to this duality, featuring a world-class roster of collaborators including her husband, clarinet legend Richard Stoltzman, and the iconic jazz rhythm section of Eddie Gómez and Steve Gadd. From the architectural depth of Bach to the avant-garde structures of John Zorn and the barn-storming energy of Miho Hazama’s new concerto, the album serves as a definitive showcase for the marimba’s expressive versatility.

Mika Stolzman writes: ‘For a long time, I viewed the "Chaconne" as a summit I wasn’t yet ready to climb—a piece so steeped in violin tradition that I feared the marimba might lose its own voice in the shadows of the past. It was only through the process of arranging it for strings that I began to hear the work as a bridge rather than a barrier. This album, Crossing the Bar, is about those bridges: between the old world of Debussy and the new, vibrant landscapes of Miho Hazama and John Zorn. To record Miho’s concerto with Richard, Eddie, and Steve felt like the culmination of a lifelong dream—a moment where genre simply ceases to exist. There is a profound joy in moving from the meditative stillness of a Bach triad to the driving, technicolor rhythms of a modern concerto. As the final notes of the marimba fade into the resonance of the strings, I feel we have found a place where these different musical lives can finally breathe as one.’