Sdban records news - Orson Claeys' debut album OTHELLO: a musical portrait of identity
Release: October 9, 2026
Orson Claeys — WHAT A NIGHT (feat. IAMOMNI)
OTHELLO is the debut album by pianist and composer Orson Claeys. Bringing together influences from jazz, hip-hop, urban culture, and everyday life, the record offers the clearest portrait yet of an artist shaped as much by the worlds around him as by music itself.
The title refers to Claeys' full name, Orson Dwight Othello Claeys, and reflects the album's central concern: identity. Throughout its eleven compositions, personal experiences, cultural influences, and artistic inspirations converge into a body of work that seeks to understand how an artist is formed, both within and beyond music. Musically, it builds on jazz, strongly intertwined with hip-hop, contemporary culture, and ideas beyond traditional musical frameworks. For Orson, music is not a fixed genre, but an open and evolving form of expression. That philosophy is introduced from the very first moments through the voice of one of jazz's most respected musicians and educators, Dr. Marshall Hawkins.
Claeys first encountered a conversation between John Daversa and Dr. Marshall Hawkins on The John Daversa Podcast through a short clip on social media and was immediately struck by the way Hawkins spoke about music, love, and life. The spoken-word excerpt that opens "INTRO / L.O.V.E." is drawn from that conversation, whose reflections closely echoed the ideas that had shaped Orson's artistic vision and inspired him to reach out about using it on the record.
Before granting permission, Hawkins asked to meet Orson to learn more about the project and its artistic vision. The conversation, shaped by Hawkins' lifelong experience as both a performer alongside artists such as Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, and Pharoah Sanders, and as a dedicated educator and mentor, left a lasting impression. Convinced by the vision behind the project, Hawkins gave his blessing to use the recording, allowing his voice to introduce the listener as a reflection on connection, humanity, and the ideas that underpin the album as a whole.
This broad perspective continues in a series of carefully chosen collaborations. A track like "WHAT A NIGHT" first took shape during a studio session with indie-soul singer Sevens, whose harmonic ideas laid the foundation for the track. As the composition evolved, Claeys felt it called for a stronger hip-hop voice. Through a recommendation from Mixmonster Menno of STUFF., he was introduced to L.A. rapper IAMOMNI, whose contribution brought exactly the energy and perspective the track needed. The result unfolds like a late-night journey through Los Angeles, with IAMOMNI's contribution adding a sense of movement, character, and place.
Elsewhere, "SPIRAL", featuring Belgo-Brazilian vocalist Helena Casella, grew out of a long-standing mutual admiration. Conceived as a meeting point between R&B and jazz, the composition balances the groove and emotional depth of the former with the improvisational spirit and spontaneity of the latter. The collaboration developed naturally from the outset, with Casella instinctively understanding the atmosphere Claeys envisioned while enriching the music with her own warmth and nuance.
A long-held ambition materializes on "SHADOWBOXING", where Claeys is joined by drummer, producer, and one of the key figures in contemporary Belgian jazz, Lander Gyselinck. Gyselinck's work, particularly his collaboration with Zwangere Guy on Pourriture Noble, was instrumental in showing him how the language of hip-hop could coexist naturally with jazz, an idea that runs throughout the music. Drawing inspiration from boxing, the track is a musical equivalent of a fighter's walk towards the ring: focused, intense, and driven by the sense of anticipation that precedes stepping into the fight.
After this heightened intensity, the record gradually moves toward its closing statement. "OUTRO / HANIN", featuring oud player Akram Ben Romdhane, a longtime collaborator whose playing forms a natural bridge between his previous work and the broader musical landscape he's exploring these days. The title references the Tunisian Arabic word hanin, meaning "nostalgia", a fitting conclusion to a work deeply concerned with memory, identity, and personal history.
Beyond music itself, the album is informed by a wider cultural landscape. Urban culture, with its visual language, creative independence, and sense of community, forms an important backdrop. Sport also plays a significant role, particularly boxing and skateboarding, whose emphasis on discipline, focus, and resilience mirrors his own creative process. Rather than being treated as separate influences, these worlds coexist without hierarchy, reflecting an artistic vision that resists rigid boundaries and allows different disciplines, communities, and experiences to inform one another.
OTHELLO is out now, available
Tracklist
1. INTRO / L.O.V.E.
- EMPHASIS OF A DREAM
- RODNEY'S DANCE
- WHAT A NIGHT (ft. IAMOMNI)
- DRIFT
- FOR AMBROSE
- SPIRAL (ft. Helena Casella)
- GLASPERLUDE
- SHADOWBOXING (ft. Lander Gyselinck)
- ONE ON ONE
- ENCORE
- OUTRO / HANIN (ft. Akram Ben Romdhane)