There are albums made to show you what a musician can do, and then there are albums made because the musician simply had to make them. Usein Bekirov’s Dedication is very much the latter — although, with this ridiculous lineup of players, there’s certainly no shortage of virtuosity along the way.
The Ukrainian Crimean Tatar pianist, composer and bandleader created Dedication following the death of his father, Riza Bekirov, in the spring of 2026. Riza was a classically trained cellist and pianist who first introduced his son to music, so it makes sense that Bekirov processes that loss through the language they shared best.
Thankfully, this isn’t eight tracks of somber piano music. Dedication has far too much life in it for that.
Produced by Randy Jackson, Robert L. Smith and Victoria Kohana, the album surrounds Bekirov with the kind of personnel list that makes jazz fans do a double take: Vinnie Colaiuta, Chris Dave, Hadrien Feraud, Keyon Harrold, Kenneth Whalum, Rick Braun, Eric Marienthal, Wayne Escoffery and more. That could easily turn into an all-star flex, but Bekirov never lets it. The songs remain the stars.
Across tracks including “Bear Mountain,” “Skybins Portrait,” “Delusion,” “June,” “Crazy Heads,” “Today,” “Zurag” and “Maiden Voyage,” Bekirov moves freely between contemporary jazz, fusion, funk and more reflective territory. One moment the record is introspective; the next, the rhythm section is practically daring you to sit still.
That sense of movement is important because Dedication isn’t really interested in portraying grief as one long, sad emotion. There’s tenderness here, certainly, but there’s also energy, curiosity, tension and genuine joy. It feels less like an elegy than a conversation with someone who is no longer physically in the room.
Bekirov’s Crimean Tatar and Ukrainian musical roots give that conversation even greater depth. Rather than simply dropping traditional influences into otherwise conventional jazz compositions, he allows those musical languages to inform the melodies, rhythms and structures themselves. The result feels wonderfully borderless without ever becoming anonymous.
And for all the heavyweight names attached to the project, Bekirov remains firmly in command. His piano and keyboards provide the center of gravity while his writing gives everyone enough room to bring their personality to the table. Colaiuta and Chris Dave offer their unmistakable rhythmic fingerprints; the horns bring fire and color; and Hadrien Feraud does what Hadrien Feraud tends to do — remind everyone that apparently the laws of bass guitar are merely suggestions.
What makes Dedication work, though, isn’t technical fireworks. It’s the warmth underneath them.
Bekirov has spent decades building an impressive career, collaborating with everyone from Mike Stern and Randy Brecker to Dennis Chambers and Ibrahim Maalouf, but this record feels different. The musical sophistication is still there, only now it’s serving something intensely personal.
His father gave him music. Bekirov took that gift, carried it across countries, genres and generations, and turned it into a language entirely his own.
Dedication brings that journey full circle. It’s an album born from loss that somehow feels remarkably alive — adventurous, soulful, occasionally explosive and ultimately celebratory.
Riza Bekirov may be the person being remembered here, but the beautiful thing about Dedication is that he never really feels absent.
Listen on all streaming services HERE.
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