Stratus is the stunning new quartet album from violinist Zach Brock and pianist Phil Markowitz, joined by Finnish jazz standouts Jaska Lukkarinen (drums) and Ville Herrala (bass). Recorded in the peaceful setting of Sipoo, Finland, the album blends lyrical improvisation, intricate composition, and intuitive interplay into a cohesive, deeply expressive whole.

From lush ballads to dynamic rhythmic journeys, Stratus showcases the quartets chamber-like sensitivity and jazz-rooted spontaneity. Brock and Markowitz, building on their earlier collaboration Perpetuity, offer a seamless musical conversationelevated by a rhythm section that listens and leads in equal measure.

A rich, genre-blurring project, Stratus is both intimate and expansivean exploration of sound grounded in trust, nuance, and shared vision.

1. Wonderment
2. Wayne
3. Backspace
4. Reasons
5. Black is the Color of My True Love’s Hair
6. First Run
7. Stratus
8. Come Sunday
9. Return