Drummer Pat Petrillo has released a new album titled Contemporaneous, which brings together a diverse group of musicians and musical styles. The record, released on Innervision Records in July 2025, seamlessly blends jazz fusion, funk, blues, and soul, united by Petrillo’s rhythm-focused approach.
The album’s ten tracks don’t follow a single genre. Instead, they shift between moods and influences, sometimes with sharp turns, and at other times with more subtle shifts. Guitarists like Nile Rodgers, Oz Noy, and Blake Aaron contribute parts across the record. They’re joined by keyboardists Matt Rohde and Chris Fischer, both of whom add depth through layered textures and clean tones. Scott Ambush and Gary Grainger handle bass duties. A horn section: Steve Jankowski, Mike Cordone, Tom Timko, Scott Mayo, and Phillip Wack rounds out the sessions.
Pat Petrillo doesn’t try to hide the range of the project. If anything, the variety is the point. He’s worked across styles for years, and this record leans into that experience rather than sticking to one direction. It’s not designed for a single format or fan base. The grooves are consistent, but the shape of each track differs. Some lean heavier into jazz phrasing; others push toward funk or rhythm-and-blues patterns.
The album’s title reflects the intention: music that’s current, drawn from the present, but not restricted by trends. Petrillo doesn’t treat Contemporaneous like a showcase. The record feels more like a collaborative effort, with space for everyone involved, rather than a solo project featuring guest artists. That approach gives the album a looser, more collaborative feel.
Even though the record doesn’t include vocals, there’s still a narrative structure to how it’s laid out. The flow from one track to the next carries momentum. It never lingers too long in one space, but it doesn’t shift abruptly either. There’s pacing, which comes partly from the sequencing and partly from the way each section of music is arranged to give players room without losing cohesion.
Petrillo has said that this album reflects what he has absorbed over time, including things he picked up from working gigs, studio sessions, tours, and teaching. Rather than draw hard lines between genres, the music blends what’s useful from each one. The songs don’t aim to impress with complexity, though there’s plenty of detail in how they’re built. The focus stays on rhythm and feel, not flash.
Contemporaneous lands somewhere between jazz fusion and groove music, but doesn’t settle on either. It avoids sounding like a throwback, yet the production isn’t chasing a modern polish either. It sits comfortably between the two, shaped by experience and driven by the idea that a drummer can still guide the sound without overpowering it.
The album is available through Innervision Records.