Nick Fraser
Areas

out: April 10th, 2026 on Elastic Recording (LP/CD/DL)
Genres: Experimental Jazz

Nick Fraser — nickfraserthedrummer.com
Elastic Recordings —  elasticrecordings.com | elasticrecordings.bandcamp.com

Toronto-based drummer and composer Nick Fraser is as integral to the local Toronto scene as he is active internationally. Beyond leading his own projects—including his quartet and the trio featured here—he has built a strong reputation through collaborations with groups like Drumheller, the Florian Hoefner Trio, Ugly Beauties, Lina Allemano Four, and Titanium Riot. He has also performed alongside such distinguished artists as Marilyn Crispell, Anthony Braxton, Roscoe Mitchell, and William Parker.

The upcoming trio album Areas reunites his celebrated trio with Tony Malaby (saxophones) and Kris Davis (piano), while also bringing in John Kameel Farah, whose refined electronic textures appear as three interludes throughout the record. Set for release on April 10 via Toronto’s Elastic Recordings on LP, CD, and digital formats, the album marks a shift from the drive of its predecessor Zoning (2019, Astral Spirits) toward a more atmospheric soundworld punctuated with moments of vigour and dynamism. The music unfolds through expansive, unpredictable forms and moments of striking lyricism. Farah’s brief, dreamlike interludes—constructed from digitally transformed interactions between Malaby and Fraser—frame and divide the album, adding an element of mystery that ties the pieces together.

Fraser’s compositions fully explore the trio’s sonic range, moving fluidly between quiet and intensity, drive and delicacy, while also pushing beyond conventional instrumental roles to create unexpected textures. Areas stands as a compelling and deeply engaging work, balancing raw immediacy with a sense of enigmatic depth.

COVERAGE:
List — Upcoming Releases, Tinnitist
List — Nye Releaser (10/4-26), RELEASEFREDAG!
List — Looking Ahead: A Release Calendar of New & Upcoming Canadian Albums In 2026, Billboard Canada
List/News — Darryl Sterdan, Next Week in Music | April 6-12 • The Long List: 450+ Releases On The Way, Tinnitist
List/ News — Albums en ribambelle, avril 2026, Culture Jazz
List/ News — Nouveautés musicales du 10 avril 2026, Caisse du son
List/ News — Aprile 2026 Le uscite discografiche, Jazz in Family
List/ News — Weekly Release Dump #397, Can This Even Be Called Music?
List/ News — Weekly Release Dump #399, Can This Even Be Called Music?
List/ News — A Closer Listen weekly #105, A Closer Listen
List/ News — A Closer Listen weekly #106, A Closer Listen
List/ News — A Closer Listen weekly #107, A Closer Listen
News/ Preview — Eksperiment
News/ Preview — The Jazz Music Blog
Article — Lawrence Peryer, Starting at Square Twenty-Seven — Nick Fraser’s ‘Areas’, The ToneArm
Review — Filipe Freitas, JazzTrail
Review — Reed Jackson, Spectrum Culture
Review — Francesco Cataldo Verrina, DoppioJazz
Review — Gianluca Diana, Il Manifesto
Review — Frédéric Cardin, Pan M 360
Review — David Reed, Belleville Intelligencer
Review — Russell Trunk, Exclusive Magazine
Review/ Round-up — Will Chernoff, 5 albums for you from March and April 2026, Rhythm Changes
Round-up — ACL 2026 Spring Music Preview ~ Experimental, A Closer Listen
Round-up — Album Roundup Week Ending 10 April 2026, Silent Radio
Interview/Podcast — Nick Fraser: Still Screaming Into the Snare Drum, The Tonearm
Radio/ Social Media — Album of the Week, Noise, CJSW (Instagram)
Podcast — One Man’s Jazz #1455
Podcast — One Man’s Jazz #1453
Podcast — World Of Jazz #785
Podcast — The Moderns, Ep. 414
Radio/ Chart — Top 10 Jazz, CKUT (May 26, 2026)
Radio/ Chart — Top 10 Jazz, CKUT (May 19, 2026)
Radio/ Chart — Top 10 Jazz, CKUT (May 12, 2026)
Radio/ Chart — Top 10 Jazz, CJSW (May 7, 2026)
Radio/ Chart — Top 10 Jazz, CKUT (May 5, 2026)
Radio/ Chart — Monthly Top 30, CJSW (April 2026)
Radio/ Chart — Top 10 Jazz, CJSW (#1) (April 30, 2026)
Radio/ Chart — Top 10 National Jazz, !earshot (April 28, 2026)
Radio/ Chart — Top 10 Jazz, CJSR (April 28 2026)
Radio/ Chart — Top 10 Jazz, CKUT (April 28 2026)
Radio/ Chart — Weekly Top 30, CJSW (April 23, 2026)
Radio/ Chart — Top 10 Jazz (#1), CJSW (April 23, 2026)
Radio/ Chart — Top 10 National Jazz, !earshot (April 21, 2026)
Radio/ Chart — Top 10 Jazz, CJSR (April 21, 2026)
Radio/ Chart — Weekly Top 30, CJSW (April 16, 2026)
Radio/ Chart — Top 10 Jazz, CJSW (April 16, 2026)
Radio/ Chart — Top 10 Jazz, CKUT (March 24, 2026)
Radio/ Chart — Top 10 Jazz, CJSR (March 24, 2026)
Radio/ Chart — Top 10 Jazz, CKUT (March 17, 2026)
Radio — Jazz Today, CJSW (May 21, 2026)
Radio — Alternative To What?, CJSW (May 21, 2026)
Radio — Rotations, All About Jazz (May 21, 2026)
Radio — Rotations, KMGP (May 19, 2026)
Radio — Self-Help Radio, KBOO (May 19, 2026)
Radio — Alternating Currents, WMSE (May 17, 2026)
Radio — No Pigeonholes EXP, KOWS (May 14, 2026)
Radio — Rotations, KMGP (May 12, 2026)
Radio — Jazz After Hours (Syndicated) (May 8, 2026)
Radio — Electric Sense, CIUT (May 6, 2026)
Radio — Voyage, CKUW (May 6, 2026)
Radio — Motte and Bailey, CJSW (May 2, 2026)
Radio — Rabble Without A Cause, CKCU (April 29, 2026)
Radio — All This Jass, KSPC (April 25, 2026)
Radio — Noise, CJSW (April 23, 2026)
Radio — Noise, CJSW (April 16, 2026)
Radio — Jazz Today, CJSW (April 16, 2026)
Radio — Breaking The Tethers, CJSW (April 13, 2026)
Radio — Motte and Bailey, CJSW (April 11, 2026)
Radio — Jazz Amuck, CKUT (April 10, 2026)
Radio — Voyage, CKUW (April 8, 2026)
Radio — Electric Sense, CIUT (April 8, 2026)
Radio — Jazzmanía, Radio Universidad UAQ 89.5 (April 7, 2026)
Radio — Jazzmanía, Radio Universidad UAQ 89.5 (April 6, 2026)
Radio — Jazz & Beyond w Dan Buskirk, WPRB (April 6, 2026)
Radio — All This Jass, KSPC (April 4, 2026)
Radio — No Beat Radio, CIUT (April 1, 2026)
Radio — Tuesdays The Ragged Edge, KBZR (March 31, 2026)
Radio — Serious Moonlight Sonatas with Carol, WFMU (March 29, 2026)
Radio — Jazz Amuck, CKUT (March 27, 2026)
Radio — Journey Into Mystery with DJ Stealth, KMNO (March 26, 2026)
Radio — Floatation Device, KBCS (March 22, 2026)
Radio — Jazz Amuck, CKUT (March 20, 2026)
Radio — Holy Noise Radio (March 16, 2026)
Radio — Jazz Amuck, CKUT (March 13, 2026)
Radio — Extended Play, DIG FM (March 10, 2025)