“Ambrosio has taken a fantastic idea--to resurrect the great, overlooked composers and players of the late Blue Note Avant Guard--and run with it, surrounding himself with some of the best players in New York. The result is a type of musical ARCHAEOLOGY, but one that's deeply intelligent and highly swinging. There's nothing like this project." - Peter Watrous, former New York times jazz critic
civil disobedience
Civil Disobedience is a project initiated by New York bassist David Ambrosio, showcasing the works of progressive jazz composers from the late 1960s Blue Note Era. The featured composers include Bobby Hutcherson, Jackie McLean, Stanley Cowell, Harold Land, Joe Chambers, Duke Pearson, and James Spaulding. Remarkably, much of this music, created during a period of significant social change and civil unrest, remained unreleased for decades, preventing these compositions from being heard when they were originally written.
Over fifty years later, in contemporary America, there are notable parallels with the social movements of that era. This context lends a new and heightened sense of relevancy and urgency to the important music featured in Civil Disobedience. The project was conceptualized and convened as an artistic response to current socio-economic and social justice events, both on a domestic and global scale. By performing the politically conscious jazz compositions of the late 1960s Blue Note Era, Civil Disobedience seeks to bring forth the timeless messages embedded in this music and connect them with the pressing issues of today.
Civil Disobedience is:
Donny McCaslin - saxophones
Ingrid Jensen - trumpet
Bruce Barth - piano
David Ambrosio - bass
Victor Lewis - drums
Watch/LISTEN
Concert Reviews
All About Jazz: David Ambrosio's Civil Disobedience: 50 Years in the Making
Nippertown: Live @ The Falcon
press
With Civil Disobedience, Ambrosio is back in the deep end of musical dedication - to his ideals and to a historical and social consciousness” - Josef Woodard, DownBeat Magazine
"An album of anthemic songs speaking to the history of spirited civil rights activism." - AD Amorosi, Jazz Times
“This album has to be considered as one of the best of 2026” - Mike Greenblatt, The Aquarian
“If your foot isn’t tapping it’s because your shoes are nailed to the floor.” - Musically Speaking - Mel Minter
“There’s something life affirming about David Ambrosio’s latest project [Civil Disobedience]. These underplayed songs boast divergent melodic paths, but are all driven by swing.” - Andy Cowan, MOJO Magazine UK
"Civil Disobedience, keeps the flame of the '60s alive, not just rhetorically, but musically as well" - John Chacona, All About Jazz
CONTACT
DAmusic - dcambrosio68@gmail.com
