Philadelphia trumpeter Paul Giess and his quartet Untethered are turning heads in the jam community with a sound born of jazz improvisation and live-wire interplay. Their new album, Grasping for the Moon, has been drawing strong notices for its elastic grooves and collective fire.

Critics are taking note. Writer Peter Margasak hears “music in constant flux, opening up and tightening, cooling down and catching fire, riding stasis and exploding with hyperactive motion.” Twisted Soul Music praises “Late Night Group Chat at Treetop Social” for “playful funk… bubbling synth textures and shifting rhythms,” adding that the record “thrives on interplay… a living, breathing soundscape that rewards close, repeated listening.” And Alex Lester (Chaotic Good Jazz) calls the band name “a principle”: the players “loosely orbit each other… maintaining their individuality… to create something otherworldly.”

To give fans a window into the onstage chemistry, Untethered just shared a live cut, “Dub C Hummingbird (Live @ Turkshead)” — a 7-minute journey (with a 4:30 radio edit) now on streaming and available as a free download to the email list/Bandcamp/Substack community.

Untethered

• Paul Giess – trumpet, electronics

• Grant Calvin Weston – drums

• Lee Clarke – guitar

• Max Hoenig – keys

• Timothy Ragsdale – bass

Listen: 7:00 full version + 4:30 radio edit (artist link provided)
Album: Grasping for the Moon — out now and receiving notable critical attention.

For fans who live where jazz curiosity meets jam-band risk, Untethered are one to watch