That Eric Alper

As European settlers moved westward from the Atlantic coast of North America, the Mohawk people – the easternmost tribe of the Iroquois Confederacy – became known as “Keepers of the Eastern Door” for their role as guardians against invasion from the encroaching colonizers.

The outcome of that battle may seem inevitable from the historical perspective, but the tension at its heart, between those who respect and live in harmony with the land and those who view the Earth from a more rapacious perspective, persists. In “The Kutenai Duck Hunter,” the image by photographer and ethnologist Edward Curtis that graces the cover of his breathtaking new album, Keepers of the Eastern Door, acclaimed saxophonist and composer Chris Cheek sees those two parallel mindsets represented in the reflection of a canoe in the river as its occupant looks to the horizon – and an uncertain future.

These ideas lend richness and depth to Cheek’s stunning music throughout Keepers of the Eastern Door, out May 23, 2025 via Analog Tone Factory. The album features a remarkable all-star quartet, with Cheek joined by revered guitarist Bill Frisell, bassist Tony Scherr, and drummer Rudy Royston for a wide-ranging but harmonious repertoire including captivating originals and covers by everyone from The Beatles to Henry Purcell, Olivier Messiaen to Henry Mancini.

The idea for Keepers of the Eastern Door was born when Cheek was fascinated by another Curtis photograph, featuring a line of Native Americans on horseback dwarfed by the rock formations of Arizona’s Canyon de Chelly, at the St. Louis Art Museum. Cheek had grown up in the city, enjoying nature with his family. He realized that the same year that the sepia-tinged photo had been taken, the building in which he was viewing it had been built for the 1904 World’s Fair, aka the Louisiana Purchase Exposition – a celebration of the massive land acquisition that doubled the size of the United States.

“Having spent a lot of time in the outdoors growing up and then having lived in Boston and New York for many years, I found a schism between the natural world and the highly industrialized society that we live in,” Cheek says. “I started thinking about Keepers of the Eastern Door as a metaphor for people that try to preserve a way of life based on traditional values that are less materialistic and more respectful of our surroundings.”

These concepts were already stirring when Cheek was approached by fellow saxophonist Jerome Sabbagh and pianist/recording engineer Pete Rende, who had launched their new analog-focused label Analog Tone Factory in 2024 with Sabbagh’s Heart. Sabbagh and Rende suggested the idea of recording with Frisell, with whom Cheek shared a bit of history dating back to his years playing with the legendary drummer Paul Motian.

“When I discovered Bill as a student at Berklee,” Cheek recalls, “his sound and approach were so different that it changed how we heard and conceived of music. I still love Bill for how musical and honest he is. Everything he plays is an idea, never a lick or a riff. I think that’s what makes his playing so fascinating and engaging.”

With Frisell in mind Cheek invited Scherr and Royston to complete the line-up for the session. Both share storied histories with the guitarist, together and as members of two of Frisell’s longstanding trios – Scherr with drummer Kenny Wollesen, Royston with bassist Thomas Morgan. “There’s been a long tradition of horn players working with famous rhythm sections,” Cheek points out. “I wanted to play with people that were comfortable together, musically and personally, so there would be an immediate chemistry.”

Frisell, who met Cheek many years ago on a gig with Paul Motian, says,”There was a sound happening. I knew then that we had to play more. We did. And now, years later, it’s been wonderful to reconnect with him and two of my closest musical brothers. Tony Scherr and Rudy Royston. Thanks so much to Chris for bringing us all together with this beautiful music.”

The quartet convened at New York’s famed Power Station studio last November, with an approach suggesting the audiophile version of the modernist/traditional dichotomy that inspired the recording: an essentially live recording, with the band together in one room recording to analog tape, the philosophy behind Analog Tone Factory. For ultimate fidelity, the album was recorded live to two track on 1/2 inch tape at 30 ips on a custom tube Ampex 351 tape recorder, by famed engineer James Farber. It was mastered in the analog domain by the legendary Bernie Grundman.

“I think it’s a great idea,” Cheek says. “Recording to tape just sounds so much better; there’s a warmth and a depth that you just don’t get in a purely digital realm. I really admire Jerome and Pete for undertaking this.”

One of the master saxophonists of his generation, Cheek pairs strikingly with Frisell throughout Keepers of the Eastern Door. Both are melodically focused players and virtuosos who never feel the need to display their estimable chops. Their directness of expression and ability to coax vivid emotions from any material is brilliantly showcased, creating a cohesive sound even as Purcell’s 17th century art song “Lost Is My Quiet” leads into the ‘60s pop of The Beatles’ “From Me To You.” They’re ably supported by the sensitivity, deftness of touch and infallible instincts of Scherr and Royston.

Cheek’s three original compositions for the album sit comfortably alongside these masterful classics. In keeping with the “mirrored realities” notion of the album’s theme, for opener “Kino’s Canoe” the saxophonist made use of a technique that he has drawn from in the past: mirroring the melody and harmony of a popular song, then using that reversed material as the leaping off point for a new work built on unexpected phrases. An equally intriguing process rests underneath “Go On, Dear,” for which Cheek wrote a new melody based on the lyrics of a familiar standard.

Without being explicit, the music on Keepers of the Eastern Door beautifully captures a spiritual communion with the natural world and the possibility of a life in harmony with the planet that surrounds and nurtures us. “I’m reluctant to use the term spiritual,” Cheek concludes, “but that’s the term often used to describe a realm that exists but that we can’t see or quantify.” Native and traditional cultures acknowledge that dimension of reality that we’ve lost touch with today. Seeing that figure sitting in the canoe suggests to me a parallel world that supports the one that we can put our finger on, but is hard to talk about.”

Originally hailing from St. Louis, Missouri, Chris Cheek, born in 1968, is one of the most sought after saxophonists in the jazz world today, having played in the groups of legends such as Paul Motian, Charlie Haden, Steve Swallow and Bill Frisell. Known for his lyricism, and a warm, distinctive sound, he is a refreshingly individual musician, whose albums Saturday Songs (Sunnyside), I Wish I Knew, A Girl Named Joe, Vine, and Blues Cruise (Fresh Sound) have all received rave reviews internationally, and become favorites among players and listeners alike. He is also co-leader of the bands Rudder, the Bloomdaddies and Reeds Ramble. A long time member of Guillermo Klein’s Los Guachos, Chris has also recorded and performed with the big bands of Dafnis Prieto, Alan Ferber and Miguel Zenon.

Chris’ music encompasses a wide vista, firmly rooted in the jazz tradition with a foot towards the unknown. As Steve Swallow and Carla Bley put it: “On the one hand, he’s the very embodiment of gentle, graceful lyricism. But he’s unable to resist the urge to subvert. He’s a master of the sucker punch; just when he’s convinced you that things couldn’t be sweeter, he’ll play something that jolts you right back to real life, something as direct and succinct as an uppercut.” His colleague, composer Guillermo Klein says of Cheek: “[Chris] is one of my favorite people in this world. An amazingly gifted musician in constant communion with sound. For more than 20 years I’ve been blessed to share music with him, and I have to say that every note and phrase he played to date has been beautiful and meaningful.”

Analog Tone Factory is a new label that records exclusively to analog tape. Founded by saxophonist Jerome Sabbagh, and pianist and recording engineer Pete Rende, Analog Tone Factory uses the best of the technologies of today and yesterday alike to make great sounding records with some of the best musicians alive. Albums are available on all analog vinyl and reel to reel tapes, as well as CD and digital formats, including streaming. All AAA vinyl albums come with a download card for an uncompressed hi resolution 192/24 download.