The Sound of Surprise is Mike Casey's hard hitting recent debut album. Now being released in Asia for the first time, the album has garnered critical acclaim outside of Asia, breaking 500,000 streams worldwide since its February 2017 release and being highlighted by jazz icon Sonny Rollins, Quincy Jones Productions, NPR Music, WBGO, Jazz Night in America, Jazz in Europe, and much more. While 2017 may have been Casey’s formal introduction, he has been hard at work building his rep since he began attending the prestigious Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz at the Hartt School of Music (University of Hartford, CT ) in 2011. Shortly before graduating in 2015, Casey was one of 24 worldwide selected by Jason Moran to participate in the prestigious Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. His resume includes DJ Logic, Charles Tolliver, Brandee Younger, Benito Gonzalez, Zaccai Curtis, Tarus Mateen, Duane Eubanks, Nat Reeves and Marc Cary, whose project “The Harlem Sessions” features Casey as an original member. Through his apprenticeship with Cary, he’s performed on notable stages such as Lincoln Center, Marcus Samuelsson’s Ginny’s Supper Club, NYC SummerStage, and Cape May’s Exit Zero Jazz Festival. In fall 2016, he sold out his NYC debut as a leader at the legendary Minton’s jazz club in Harlem, and crowdfunded his debut The Sound of Surprise 124% funded using PledgeMusic. Joining Casey on “Stay Surprising” are two members of his longtime trio including bassist Matt Dwonszyk and drummer Corey Garcia. Within the first 30 seconds, their electric chemistry (4 years in the making) is palpable. “Both have a big beat and sound, are great listeners, compose and arrange beautifully and love ‘walking the tightrope’ and taking chances,” says Casey of his bandmates. The band’s format is inspired (but not bound) by Sonny Rollins, the pioneer of the chordless saxophone trio. Rollins has been incredibly influential to Casey, which is evidenced in this video featuring Rollins and Casey in conversation. All three attended Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz at the Hartt School of Music, which was founded by the jazz giant Jackie McLean. “One of the musical concepts I love the most is the element of surprise,” says Casey of his focus on live recordings, adding, “we love to surprise our audiences- and each other! We find that we create the best music when we reach beyond what we think we can do.” He elaborates, saying “I may stick to recording live albums and single forever. In a time where everything is edited, overdubbed, spliced, and autotuned, capturing the raw, live experience is more important than ever.”