Jake Mason Trio drops new single ‘The Modern Ark feat. Kurt Elling’
ARIA-nominated Hammond organist Jake Mason returns with his acclaimed jazz trio featuring James Sherlock on guitar and Danny Fischer on drums, with the first single/video and title track from their forthcoming album The Modern Ark, due out February 13th 2026.
Jake Mason Trio‘s new single features Chicago-based two-time Grammy-winning jazz vocalist Kurt Elling, lauded “the standout male jazz vocalist of our time” by the New York Times, and “a kind of Sinatra with Superpowers” by The Guardian – the perfect voice for a composition that is both deeply grooving and a poetic reflection on the fragile state of our world. A first time collaboration between Elling, Mason and Mason’s long time collaborator Eric McCusker (Mondo Rock), the song imagines a planet so burdened by human excess that salvation requires a new ark — but the irony is clear: those who push to the front of the line may not survive the voyage.
Jake Mason says “The Modern Ark started as a conversation about where we’re heading — how we consume, compete, and think technology will save us. It’s a cautionary tale, but told through groove and melody rather than preaching. Kurt’s voice gave it that biblical gravitas and modern humanity all at once, he turned it into a sermon for the soul.”
The track builds gradually, Elling’s baritone unfolding like a narrator observing the collapse — and the calm after it. The line “We’ve drained the oceans and we’ve drowned the plains / We either keep fighting over what remains or find ourselves someplace new” lands with prophetic resonance. Recorded live to tape in Melbourne on vintage gear, the track tips its hat to the Rudy Van Gelder sound — warm, present and human — then carries that tradition forward with modern production techniques and a Dolby Atmos mix that expands the Trio’s sound into widescreen space. The accompanying lyric video, animated by Michael Mortlock and featuring artwork by Jeff Raglus, the Australian pop/surf-modern artist known for bold, graphic palettes and iconic streetwear designs (Mambo) visualises the ark narrative with striking environmental imagery.
Released through Soul Messin’ Records — the label Mason co-founded to champion Australian funk, soul and jazz — “The Modern Ark” is a taste of the full album by the same name which lands February 13 on LP, CD & Digitally. Echoes of Jimmy Smith, Brother Jack McDuff and Larry Young resonate through swinging instrumental tunes, complemented by vocal features from luminaries Kurt Elling and Australia’s own Kate Ceberano.
“The Modern Ark” out digitally on Dec. 5th 2025 via Soul Messin’ Records
