Add A Zero

Official release: May 16th, 2025

$10 is the new $1. In a world that so often devalues art and live music, it’s often hard for this perpetual sideman to view band leading as a worthwhile prospect.

There's always still time to quit pursuing your own writing and vision. But gathering four of your favorite musicians together to improvise on your themes always feels worth whatever logistical hell one might go through to bandlead. As I enter a new decade, I'm trying to add a zero to the hours (and dollars) I devote to my own projects. 100,000 hours is the new 10,000 hours.

This album was recorded after a ten day North American tour spanning San Francisco to Vancouver. I had never played my own compositions 10 days in a row, and the audience reception and development of the band was beyond motivating. The six originals on this record are all effectively “one pagers:” simple short forms that should inspire improvising, not heavily notated parts that take away the identity of the player.

Thanks to Takuya Kuroda, Eden Bareket, Sam Minaie and Steven Crammer for bringing my music to life and being a joy to work with. Thank you Kayla Williams for building a home with me the past five years.Thank you my family Andy, Betsy, and Molly McCarthy, Sarah Colin Alice and Henry Jaffe, Carson Meredith & Murphy Witte. Thank you Jordi Pujol and Fresh Sound Records for your continued support, and extra thanks to Sam Minaie for an incredible mix and master.

—Chris McCarthy (Excerpt taken from the inside liner-notes)

Tracklist

Album details

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