If you’ve ever stood on an Aussie beach and felt something spiritual stirring inside you, then Jonathon Crompton’s new release might just hit you right in the feels.
On Friday 23 May, the Australian-born composer and saxophonist unveils his debut full-length work, Cantata No. 1: An Island Seen and Felt, on Amica Records.
Recorded in New York but inspired by the windswept beauty of Victoria’s Surf Coast, this is no ordinary sax album. It’s a layered, emotional journey that merges old-world tradition with the sonic buzz of modern NYC.
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“Cantatas were developed in the churches of Western Europe and date roughly from the seventeenth century,” Crompton explains. “They carry residual spiritual connotations from their once-central role in church services. For me, swimming in Australia’s beaches remains a profoundly spiritual experience.”
That connection—between old-world music and the natural rhythm of waves back home—sits at the core of the album. And it’s not just metaphorical. Crompton brings together a jaw-dropping ensemble of New York’s best, blending Renaissance counterpoint, jazz improvisation, impressionist textures, and ambient effects into something genuinely new.
The lineup includes sopranos Aine Hakamatsuka and Rachel Mikol, guitarist James Wengrow, a string quartet, and Crompton himself on alto sax.
The album unfolds in three long movements, weaving together themes of homesickness, spirituality, environmental grief, and childhood nostalgia. Crompton composed much of it during the pandemic, when Australia’s borders were tightly shut and the longing for home felt sharper than ever.
“Cantatas included singing and instruments during a time when instruments in European churches were quite novel—something of a technicolor, multimedia extravaganza for Baroque church goers,” Crompton says. “I wanted to harness this eclecticism in my own first cantata.”
And that’s exactly what he’s done. Movement 3 drops as a single on April 25, giving listeners a sneak peek of the album’s heart before the full work launches. If you’re in the U.S., you can catch the live premiere on May 24 at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music.
Whether you’re a fan of jazz, classical, ambient soundscapes or just someone who knows the ache of missing home, Cantata No. 1: An Island Seen and Felt promises a deep listen. One that feels, as the title suggests, both seen and felt.
