"The Night Sky" by Robert Jospé Quartet
The Night Sky (released 1/11/26) is a jazz album by the Robert Jospé Quartet, which includes drummer Robert Jospé, pianist Daniel Clarke, bassist Paul Langosch, and guitarist Chris Whiteman. The album features nine original compositions and two covers, working to blend together traditional jazz with Latin melodies and rhythm.
Reviews:
WTJU Charlottesville (1/05/2026)
Percussion master Robert “Jos” Jospé and his Central Virginia-based quartet have released a fine set of eight Jospé originals plus one by extraordinary pianist Daniel Clarke and two covers… It’s been a while, but worth the wait – this is Jos’s best work in a while – beautiful tunes well-played, featuring an underlayment of rich polyrhythms from the kit with steady rhythmic and melodic support from veteran bassist Paul Langosh with the welcome addition of Chris Whitman on guitar.
– Russ Perry (WTJU)
jazz2love (2/25/2026)
"The Night Sky from the Robert Jospé Quartet features nine original compositions and two interpretations of jazz standards. Led by drummer-percussionist-composer-educator Robert Jospé, the quartet includes Daniel Clarke on piano and keyboards, Christ Whiteman on guitar, and Paul Langosch on acoustic bass. Their music has a strong Latin flare in the samba grooves of "Samba Sunrise" and the festive shimmies of "Pyramids," both original works by Robert Jospé. His cool jazz tune "Desert Dream" fuses smooth blues with a classic jazz strut, cradled in Whiteman's funky guitar pumps and the sleek threads of Clarke's keys. The title track weaves an adult contemporary vibe, hitching glistening keys to a light, frolicking beat. The soft bluesy swells of Leonard Bernstein's memorable "Some Other Time" brandishes a lullaby rustle, and the quartet's interpretation of Billy Strayhorn's iconic piece "Take the A Train " highlights the dynamic movements. The meditative thumbing of "Silver Lining" resonates a wispy island billow. Written by Jospé., the track closes the recording with a sweet, serene dreamscape. The Robert Jospé Quartet began their partnership on April 22, 2022, with their first concert at the Prizery Theater in South Boston, Virginia. Three and a half years of collaborating has culminated into a tightly knit unit, as though the quartet has been performing together far longer."
Jazz Weekly (3/23/2026)
"Drummer Robert Jospe’ forms a quartet with Paul Langosch/b, Chris Whiteman/g, and Daniel Clarke/p-prod on a mix of rich originals and clever covers. The percussion percolates on the Latin grooves of “Crooked Mile” , with Whiteman chiming away on the deep digs of “Samba Sunrise”. Langosch and Jospe’ give a nice funky backbeat on “Flashback” with Clarke going dark and splashy on The Night Sky. There’s a pretty poppish feel to the easy tempo of “The Golden Hour” with Clarke’ getting dreamy on a lush take of Leonard Bernstein’s “Some Other Time”. A version of “Take The ‘A’ Train is a sizzler with Jospe’ laying down tracks, while song hand quicker than the eye work is delivered by Robert Jospe on his solo work on the hand pans. A sparkling night vision."
– George Harris (Jazz Weekly)
Making A Scene (3/30/2026)
"The Latin strains of melodic beauty and infectious rhythm from the Robert Jospé Quartet immediately encourage me to find a dance floor. The very first tune they play fills my listening room with spark and spice. Jospé’s drum beats, including his over-dub of congas, brings joy and excitement to this arrangement. A tune called “Crooked Mile” is a straight line towards musical success and excellence.
The quartet’s energy does not let up. Track #2 titled “Samba Sunrise” points the spotlight directly at band leader and drum master, Robert Jospé. As he propels the band ahead, Daniel Clarke is masterful on piano. These musicians embrace the Latin theme with wide arms and excitement. “Desert Dream” Chris Whiteman is boldly featured on guitar. “Flashback” scratches the surface of fusion jazz, showing the diversity of Jospé and his tight-knit bandmates. The Night Sky arranged in a contemporary jazz style. But it’s the drum solo by Jospé that sparkles and shines. “Some Other Time” (a Leonard Bernstein treasure) where Langosch sings the beautiful ballad’s melody on his bass instrument with tenderness and passion.
The beauty of Robert Jospé playing solo Hand Pan on the closing tune of “Silver Lining” is a lovely way to end a delightful album that features fifty-minutes of magnificent music."
– Dee Dee McNeil (Making a Scene)
Extracted from Paris-Move (4/03/2026)
“The album is polished, undeniably professional, and often pleasant… its textures are consistently appealing… it is accessible, well-recorded, and easy to imagine in a live setting where its grooves and textures could resonate more immediately… listenable, well-crafted”
Wisconsin Bookwatch (4/15/2026)
"The Robert Jospe Quartet consists of Robert Jospe on drums, Daniel Clarke on piano, Paul Langosch on bass, and Chris Whiteman on guitar. Together they present The Night Sky, an album featuring arrangements of nine original creations and two covers of classic favorites. A fine balance of jazz and world music, The Night Sky is immersive, mind-expanding, inspirational, and highly recommended."
– James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief, Midwest Book Review
Jazzword (4/26/2026)
"On The Night Sky, the Robert Jospé quartet treats rhythm as a distinction that matters. The album’s coherence comes from a groove logic so strong that it organizes identity, form, and momentum across all eleven tracks. Style shifts from track to track with Afro-Cuban motion, samba lift, funk pressure, fusion backbeat, ballad space, swing buoyancy, and calypso sway, but the governing principle stays the same. Rhythm is the central core."
– Nolan DeBuke (Jazzword)
All About Jazz
"Virginia-based drummer Robert Jospé leads an able quartet on The Night Sky, the ninth recording under his name. The music, much of which was written or co-written by Jospe, is for the most part robust and rhythm-heavy with Jospe's assertive drum kit and Daniel Clarke's busy keyboards front and center.
The mood changes abruptly—delightfully so—on Track 8, wherein bassist Paul Langosch takes the lead on Leonard Bernstein's wistful "Some Other Time" (from the 1944 Broadway musical On the Town) before resuming its lively course with Clarke's persuasive arrangement of the Billy Strayhorn classic, "Take the 'A' Train." Clarke composed and arranged the assertive "Southern Doodle Dandy," which leads to the album's offbeat finale, "Silver Lining," on which Jospe plays unaccompanied hand pan.
Jospe and Clarke are dominant early on, driving the group securely forward on "Crooked Mile," "Samba Sunrise" and "Pyramids" before easing back and granting Chris Whiteman's mellow guitar the melodic lead on the shuffling "Desert Dream." Whiteman solos again to good effect on Jospe's scampering "Flashback," which precedes the strapping title song and one more Jospe original, "The Golden Hour," before Bernstein takes center stage with "Some Other Time."
Jospe, who holds the interesting title of Senior Lecturer in Groove Percussion at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, has been touring with this quartet since 2022, and the chemistry is admirable, as is each member's input. A solid session from fore to aft in which rhythmic give-and-take plays the leading role."
– Jack Bowers (All About Jazz)
