Cloudmakers Trio embarks on a new chapter with Grammy-winning pianist Leo Genovese (Wayne Shorter, Esperanza Spalding, Jack DeJohnette), whose bold, expansive artistry seamlessly merges with their dynamic sound. Their latest (and fifth) album, A Drop of Hope in the Ocean of Uncertainty, was recorded at Abbey Road Studio 3 with legendary engineer Sam Okell, capturing a striking balance of intricate rhythmic interplay and free-flowing improvisation. Inspired by Wayne Shorter’s ethos, the record explores shifting textures and global influences, blending electric and acoustic elements in a high-energy, forward-thinking approach to contemporary jazz.

Cloudmakers Trio as a grouop blends downtown New York and European improvised music with world and rock influences. This project’s original vision – to match the textural density of a piano trio, but instead headed up by vibraphone – places exhilarating improvisation at the core, analogously emulating fleeting, ever-changing skyscapes formed by the cloud-like abstractions of power stations.

The founding synergy of the Cloudmakers Trio – led by vibraphonist Jim Hart (Kenny Wheeler, John Taylor, Marius Neset Quintet, Daniel Erdmann’s Revolution) with double bassist Michael Janisch and drummer Dave Smith – shaped distinctive, dynamic timbres from the outset. Their first release, Live at the Pizza Express (2010, Whirlwind), featuring guest trumpeter Ralph Alessi, became a standout recording, earning widespread acclaim for its uninhibited chemistry and superb audio capture. The trio went on to tour extensively, refining their intricate, high-energy sound through live performance.

Their second album, Abstract Forces (2014, Whirlwind), further expanded the group’s sonic identity, praised for its ability to create both forceful and ethereal atmospheres. It was described as possessing a “Patient, attentive approach to building space and adventure… all utterly bewitching.” (London Jazz News) and was listed as an album of the year by Downbeat and Jazzwise magazines. A subsequent live release, AJMiLIVE #7 (2015), captured electrifying performances at AJMi Jazz Club in Avignon, France.

Pushing their sound even further, Cloudmakers expanded to a quintet for Traveling Pulse (2018, Whirlwind), incorporating saxophonist Antonin-Tri Hoang and guitarist Hannes Riepler. This evolution introduced new textures and interplay, yielding a dynamic live album recorded at The Vortex Jazz Club, London, and described as “a sense of cognitive assonance where Hart’s imaginative charts merge seamlessly with virtuosic extemporisation” (All About Jazz).

From early jam sessions in London to commanding stages across the United States, Canada, Norway, Ireland, France, Spain, and Austria, Cloudmakers Trio continues to evolve, pushing the boundaries of contemporary jazz while maintaining the core interplay and energy that have defined their sound for over a decade.

Press Highlights

“London-based Cloudmakers Trio shakes up everything in sight on its second release. Abstract Forces further highlights the group’s exceptional vibraphone-bass-drums telepathy… draws from such diverse musical worlds—including free-jazz, funk, electronic experimentation, pure swing and unbridled improvisation… their music is not only impossible to resist, but gets better with repeated plays.”
4 Stars, Downbeat Magazine

“Jim Hart is the master of the vibraphone’s metal bars, and conjures from it the most colorful of sound waves. The album is sophisticated and dynamic and although extremely energetic and rhythmically tricky, there is never a lyrical moment missing on this CD in anyway. Both poetry and power are elegantly balanced.” (Abstract Forces review)
Sound and Image (DE)

“It’s one of the most exciting and persuasive jazz albums to have come out of the UK’s recording studios so far this year.” (Abstract Forces review)
4 Stars, Jazzwise Magazine

“Hart has a positive genius for rhythmic hide-and-seek. His improvised lines grab your attention and won’t let go, no matter how many tricky corners he gets into. There’s no mistaking the musicianship and phenomenal togetherness of all three.”
4 Stars, The Observer

Hart is being aligned with an emerging set of exciting, forward-looking contemporary vibraphonists such as New York’s Chris Dingman, Matt Moran, and Chicagoean Jason Adasiewicz. Hart’s new rhythm trio is certainly going to be one for the future. The American London-resident double bassist Michael Janisch and drummer Dave Smith combine with Hart in an assuredly airtight yet elasticized trio.”
Jazzwise  Magazine

“The Cloudmakers Trio brings together three of the most inventive players on the UK scene.”
All About Jazz