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Joyful Foundation: The Music of Justin Copeland
Release Date: March 27, 2026
Label: Entre Amigos Records

After their self-titled debut in November 2024 and Magpie: The Music of Joe Clark this past June, Chicago-rooted ensemble Entre Amigos returns with Joyful Foundation: The Music of Justin Copeland. The album marks the third chapter in the quartet's evolving project of shared authorship and community building, this time featuring trumpeter, composer, and educator Justin Copeland on a program split evenly between his original compositions and new works by members of the ensemble.

Copeland's path has been shaped by both rigorous training and an unmistakable sense of optimism. Originally from Fresno, California, and now based in the Portland, Oregon area, he has spent over fifteen years performing across the United States and internationally, with appearances in Mexico, Canada, Cuba, and England. He earned his B.A. in Music Performance from California State University, Fresno in 2011 and his M.M. in Jazz Studies from Northwestern University in 2013, later pursuing a D.M.A. in Jazz Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. It was during his eight-year tenure in the Chicago area that his musical path intertwined closely with Roy McGrath, Hana Fujisaki, Kitt Lyles, and Gustavo Cortiñas, through shared scenes, collaborations, and bandstands.

During that time, Copeland performed alongside an array of world-renowned artists, including Victor Goines, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Branford Marsalis, Doc Severinsen, Solange Knowles, and Kurt Elling. In 2017, he won First Place in the Yamaha Jazz Division of the National Trumpet Competition and was selected as a finalist for the Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Competition. In February 2020, Copeland was chosen as one of just thirty candidates worldwide to audition for the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz, performing for and alongside Ambrose Akinmusire, Wayne Shorter, and Herbie Hancock.

Joyful Foundation expands on Entre Amigos' commitment to playing the music of friends. Following Magpie, which presented a full program of compositions by trumpeter and arranger Joe Clark, this latest release continues the group's practice of featuring peers from the scene—a deliberate effort to foster community and collaboration. The difference this time is authorship: the album's eight tracks alternate between Copeland's compositions and new works by members of Entre Amigos, creating a dialogue between voices rather than a singular portrait.

The arrangements are dynamic and explore the broad range of timbres and orchestration available within the quintet. Copeland's compositions reflect his interest in rhythmic variety and lush harmonic color. The opener "Ride" features rich counterpoint between the horns while the rhythm section plays a Baião rhythm. "Remembrance" is an episodic composition that moves from a rubato introduction to improvisations in an open funk context.

Fujisaki's "Probability" is an up-tempo swinger where every musician gets to stretch, with strong solos delivered across the board. McGrath's "Fue Nuestro" is a beautiful ballad with rich harmony that moves slowly through dark and bright colors. The album concludes with Cortiñas's "Valley of 1000 Devils," an exuberant and exploratory composition that gives the players a freer structure. McGrath and Copeland deliver an inspired duo improvisation on the closing track.

Each musician's compositional voice is distinct, yet the contrast between them creates both a cohesive narrative and variety within the album. Copeland's trumpet adds a new dimension to the ensemble—lyrical, incisive, and grounded in a profound sense of optimism. As with Entre Amigos' previous releases, the music is rooted in friendship, mutual respect, and the belief that joy itself can be a structural force.

This third chapter further solidifies Entre Amigos not as a static ensemble, but as a living, expanding community—one that celebrates the music of friends, shaped by friends, and offered outward with generosity and purpose.

Magpie: The Music of Joe Clark
Release Date: June 13, 2025
Label: Entre Amigos Records

In 2024, Entre Amigos flew to East Asia and hit the road hard for an entire month. Immediately after, still firing on all cylinders, the Chicago supergroup — saxophonist Roy McGrath, pianist Hana Fujisaki, bassist Kitt Lyles, and drummer Gustavo Cortiñas — hit the studio and recorded their self-titled debut, released last November.

Critics were effusive. “The quality of the compositions is immediately evident,” Paris Move glowed, calling the arrangements “as clever as they are joyous, sweeping through emotions that range from the most romantic to the most rhythmic.” Chicago Jazz called Entre Amigos “part of the cornerstone of a new generation that defies easy convention while still operating in the mainstream.” The Arts Fuse called Entre Amigos “a generous serving of inventive compositions.” “These four are tight and incredibly emotive,” Making a Scene! observed. “What’s even better is that we have a sequel to look forward to.”

Unveiling their second offering, Magpie: The Music of Joe Clark — recorded during the same sessions, and a tip of the hat to the titular trumpeter, composer, and arranger. Clark’s artistry has been called “haunting” by the Chicago Tribune, “very intriguing and attractive” by the Journal of Singing, and “a tour de force” by the Chicago Classical Review. His music has been performed by musicians in a broad spectrum of styles from Jeff Hamilton, Randy Brecker, and the WDR Big Band to Yo-Yo Ma and the Chicago Symphony.

During their time in Chicago, Clark has been in the bandmembers’ lives. “He is one of the most incredible, joyful people that you can encounter,” drummer Cortiñas explains. “He’s one of those community people, and in my opinion, he also happens to be one of the greatest composers and arrangers that Chicago, and the world, has to offer.”

On tour in Asia, Entre Amigos performed Clark’s tunes every night to audiences across China and South Korea. "As we progressed through our tour," McGrath expands, "we sent recordings to Joe in Chicago and engaged in back-and-forth feedback sessions to make sure we honored the energy and light of his music. As we explored his compositions, we adapted them to suit our voices whilst being true to Joe's vision."

Magpie takes flight with opening track “Bernard,” Entre Amigos’ de facto tour opener as of late. The song’s namesake is Bernard Scavella, the coordinator of Jazz Studies at Northwestern University, alma mater of all four members. Bassist Lyles notes “Bernard feels so good, we just couldn’t stop opening sets with it. It sets the tone, and after playing that tune, you know the gig is gonna be killing.”

Subdued yet swinging, “Magpie” is a waltz Clark wrote for his wife, named after one of her tattoos (which appears on the cover of the album). Magpie benefits from the band’s subtlety, flexibility, and dynamism. “The melody never leaves the improvisation,” Cortiñas says, “that approach has a way of taking hold of you.”

Clark’s composition “The Parliament” was the winner of a “sci-fi/superhero” art contest organized and judged by jazz legend Wayne Shorter. Clark adds, “The Parliament was both a song and a narrative poem, telling a story of secret guardian owls, hidden in plain sight as vagabonds, who protect our city from a Lovecraftian monster from the depths of Lake Michigan, when night storms keep watchful eyes indoors.”

“Heaven on Seven” is a second line song in seven, a product of Clark’s love of New Orleans — specifically, the late, great Chicago Cajun restaurant of the same name. Ostinatos weave in and out of the burning “Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker, an homage to trombonist Andy Baker.

Magpie concludes with “Potato,” a nickname for Clark’s eldest daughter. “I remember learning this one during the tour.” Fujisaki remarks. “It’s catchy yet witty. I fell in love with this chart just playing the first three notes.”

“Clark concludes, "I’m honored that Entre Amigos created a beautiful record of songs so personal to me. The process brought good energy into my life, and I hope to expand on it through our Chicago community—friends playing the music of friends."

Entre Amigos
Release Date: November 15, 2024

Entre Amigos is the self-titled album of Chicago-based supergroup comprised of saxophonist Roy McGrath, pianist Hana Fujisaki, bassist Kitt Lyles, and drummer Gustavo Cortiñas. Hot off the heels of their month-long tour of Asia with gigs practically every night, the quartet threw themselves immediately into the studio upon their return, recording the self-titled Entre Amigos, which marked the end result of weeks of nonstop arranging, composing, and perfecting the music that they knew as well as they knew each other.

The formal creation of Entre Amigos marked a celebration of a decade-long anniversary of musical friendship. With logistics and planning initially headed up by Roy McGrath, the four friends came together united around creating a collaborative set that reflected their voices and longstanding relationships, all spurred forward by the catalyst of a tour to Asia. The final goal, however, did not end with the completion of the tour. Rather, the purpose of the tour was to create, as only an extended tour can, a seamless collection of music that reflected their unified identity and which they could take into the studio without hesitation upon their return. This goal was realized between January 29th and 31st, 2024 when, true to their vision, the band got off the plane and into the studio, recording a total of sixteen tracks, which will be split across Entre Amigos and its upcoming sequel album.

The phrase “Entre Amigos” which the ensemble has donned as the identity of both their ensemble and first curation of works on an album, translates from Spanish as “Amongst Friends”. This phrase, as well as its multicultural implication through its linguistic choice, is an apt summary for both the nature of these musicians with regards to one another and the tone and joy present throughout the music on the album. At its core, the band’s music is playful, uninhibited, and performed in the spirit of jazz’s informal jam sessions where musicians get together to play tunes and share company.

The band’s collaborative and compositional processes were focused and yet as organic as tempered and refined by their time touring. In planning the tour, each band member brought a slough of compositions - either completed or early sketches - that they wanted to reconfigure, rewrite, or feature each other’s voices. These were then edited down to a selection of sixteen pieces that they used every night of their tour.

The tour itself functioned as a constant feedback loop for the music. Each soundcheck turned into a workshop, and after each show they would debrief, make notes, and brainstorm adjustments that would then be applied to the following show. Each member had an eye and ear for a different element of arranging and orchestrating these pieces that led to the final product truly reflecting the entire ensemble’s strengths. Cortiñas has a marked ability to discern ideals of blend and shape within a piece, while Fujisaki is masterful at honing in and clarifying the intent of pieces and ideas. McGrath has a profound proclivity toward ensuring both the music and logistics flow and interact the way they are envisioned, and Lyles is an expert at connecting sounds and aesthetics to human emotions.

A testament to the band’s shared vision is the equal dispersion of compositions by each member throughout the album. The opening track on Entre Amigos is a composition contributed by McGrath entitled “The Almost-Mourning” with a prominent solo by the composer. First written in 2009, McGrath brought in and recomposed this piece for Entre Amigos to represent and reflect the process of healing and recovering after the potential loss of connection to family. “Windy City”, composed by and with a profound solo by Cortiñas, is a sonic painting of the band’s home of Chicago, reflecting the variegated moods and landscapes of the city. “Half Moon” is written by Fujisaki and likewise notably features her as the piece emotively contemplates the state of “being imperfectly perfect.” The album closes with “Wellspring,” contributed by Lyles and featuring Fujisaki, Lyles, and McGrath. Inspired by the words of Lebanese poet Khalil Gibran who said, “Your joy is your sorrow unmasked,” this track is a bittersweet yet transformative journey that reflects on both joy and sorrow.

Entre Amigos is an album and group marked by the ebullience of each member’s contribution and the dazzling display of the whole that exceeds even the unparalleled majesty of its constituent parts. From Fujisaki’s refined, life-giving touch and Cortiñas’s attentive and responsive shaping of pieces to McGrath’s omnipresent, dedicated passion and Lyles’s detailed focus on both emotion and technique, the quartet creates a homogenous sound and a vision that is as stalwartly of one accord as it is varied in creative flourishing.