Roger Lin announces Exploitation Suite

New York holds the reputation for being the Jazz capital of the world, and is often looked upon with awe and envy by musicians all around the globe. Brooklyn based guitarist/composer Roger Lin’s new record aims to encapsulate a realistic image of the city’s scene, exploring the dichotomy between the talent and hard work, but equally the exploitation, pretension, and ignorance he’s experienced.

His sophomore album ‘Exploitation Suite’ is set to release on the 6th of December.

Born and raised in Taipei, Lin’s musical journey started on the piano at the age of five before gravitating to the guitar at age 14. Since then, he’s gone on to become a regular at iconic Taiwanese venues including Blue Note, Sappho Live Jazz and Jazzhead, touring the U.S and Taiwan with a number of ensembles, studying at Berklee College of Music under legends like Mick Goodrick, and was even nominated for two Golden Indie Awards for his 2020 debut - Taiwan’s highest prestige for Jazz in the country.

Inspired by Aaron Parks’ Little Big and Little Big II, Keith Jarret’s live interpretations of Bach, and influential contemporary jazz guitar icons Bill Frisell and Ben Monder, the album features Lin’s compositions performed by two different rhythm sections in a variety of ensemble choices - a solo guitar piece, a three part suite for guitar/piano quartet, and a selection of pieces for saxophone/guitar quartet.

Folk-tinged melodies, rich contemporary harmony, and dynamic arrangements create an intimate, emotive, and contemplative musical framework for Lin’s lush guitar sound and the nuanced interactivity of his ensembles to shine. The record ebbs and flows between intricate writing and creative improvisations in a style often attributed to New York’s modern scene. The shifts between contrasting ensemble choices offers the listener a wide reaching view on Lin's voice as a composer, improviser and bandleader, and is an apt musical reflection of his complex feelings towards the city he now calls home.