Four bandleaders set their own projects aside and meet as equals. First Meeting convened for four nights at Dizzy’s Club in August 2022 with a single rehearsal and a loose setlist; the resulting GRAMMY-nominated live double album (5Passion, 2025) drew raves on both sides of the Atlantic and instant comparisons to a 21st-century supergroup.

Havana-born pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, winner of three Grammys and four Latin Grammys, was famously championed by Dizzy Gillespie, who recorded “Con Alma” with him in Havana in 1985; the quartet’s version nods to that history.

Saxophonist Chris Potter remains among the most influential improvisers of his generation. Bassist Larry Grenadier, a three-decade anchor of the Brad Mehldau Trio, and drummer Eric Harland, Charles Lloyd’s drummer of choice and a presence on nearly 500 recordings, complete the rhythm section.

The band carries an echo of the 2007 Monterey Quartet (Rubalcaba, Potter, Harland, and Dave Holland), a group that recorded once and left listeners wanting more. The repertoire draws an original from each member alongside Chick Corea’s “500 Miles High,” played with the intensity and mutual trust of musicians who sound like they’ve been on the road for decades.