Article Contributed by Gratefulweb
Published on November 20, 2025
Photo: Courtesy of Space Cartel
Space Cartel has released a professionally filmed live performance of their new single “Giant Jack,” captured inside the legendary Abbey Road Angel 1 Studio. Led by composer, producer, and pianist Johnny Bosbyshell, the session features a 15-piece supergroup including members of Matisyahu, Eminence Ensemble, Spirit Bear, and a hand-selected group of top London-based orchestral players. The result is a sweeping fusion of jazz, electronic textures, and cinematic orchestration.
The five-minute performance presents “Giant Jack” as a modern jazz-fusion piece reframed through an orchestral lens. Heavy electric guitar crescendos collide with intricate percussion and saxophone lines, while layered violin and cello passages introduce dramatic drops and a film-score feel. The arrangement builds toward a powerful finale, merging live band improvisation with the kind of orchestral precision rarely captured at this scale inside a studio.
The session reunites Johnny Bosbyshell with Space Cartel’s core players: guitarists Justin Neely (Eminence Ensemble) and Ted Kleist, and saxophonist Joe Lilly, who also contributed to orchestration and arrangement. Special guests include percussionist Austin Feagan; drummer Matt McElwain (Matisyahu); and bassist Karl Summers (Legato), performing alongside an eight-piece UK orchestral ensemble.
The ensemble features violinist Emily Harrison and cellist Hoda Jahanpour of London’s Woolf Quartet, horn players Shanise Hall and Jai Patel, violinists Jenny Clare of the UK’s Slate Quartet, Eliza Burkitt, and Maddy Dawson, and cellist Aleksander Tomaszkiewicz.
Filming and production were handled by UK-based Bluefield Media, who captured the entire ensemble live within Abbey Road’s storied Angel 1 Studio. The audio was mixed by Stephen “Eski” Edwards (Thievery Corporation).
“For a long time, this project felt like a dream I’d never quite have the time or resources to finish. Attending Abbey Road Institute in 2024 changed that and it gave me both the space and confidence to bring Space Cartel back to life. When I first walked into the Angel 1 studio, everything suddenly felt possible. After graduating in June 2025, my original bandmates flew to London, and I pulled together an incredible UK string and horn section. Recording two of our songs live as a 15-piece ensemble in Angel 1 was the moment it all came full circle.” —Johnny Bosbyshell
Watch “Giant Jack”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iaxl-jgDCTg
Founded by pianist, composer, and producer Johnny Bosbyshell (formerly of Eminence Ensemble and Spirit Bear), Space Cartel emerged as a jazz-fusion project built with longtime Colorado collaborators: guitarists Justin Neely, Ted Kleist, and Joe Lilly. After several years on pause while members toured with other national acts, the project resurfaced when Bosbyshell relocated to London to study at Abbey Road Institute.
The revival culminated in Space Cartel’s 2025 large-scale session inside Abbey Road’s Angel 1 Studio, bringing together core band members and a UK orchestral ensemble for the group’s most ambitious recording to date. Their current work blends jazz fusion, electronic elements, improvisation, and cinematic orchestration into a sound uniquely their own.
