Bright Cloud Mountain is a genre-blurring quartet that weaves together elements of West African music and jazz-influenced improvisation, creating a sound that is earthy and adventurous all at once.
Featuring Dave Kobrenski on flute and ngoni, Jed Wilson on piano, Mike Sakash on saxophone, and Tim Gilmore on drums, the group’s music is marked by lyricism, rhythmic depth, and an irresistible sense of joy. Their debut album, Remaking the World, will be released in March 2026.
Featuring Dave Kobrenski on flute and ngoni, Jed Wilson on piano, Mike Sakash on saxophone, and Tim Gilmore on drums. Lobby opens at 5:00 p.m. Dinner seating begins at 6:00 p.m.
Above photos by Bob Manley. Taken on October 2, 2025 at The Loft at Hermit Woods.
Live at the Loft at Hermit Woods, October 6, 2022
Live at the Loft at Hermit Woods, October 6, 2022
Jed Wilson has been an active performer since his teenage years in Portland, Oregon. He received a bachelor’s degree in jazz performance from the New England Conservatory, where he formed a long-standing musical partnership with jazz vocalist Dominique Eade. The two have toured widely, and in 2006 released a critically acclaimed CD that appeared on many of the year’s top-ten album lists. More recently, Jed has performed extensively with singer/songwriter Heather Masse. The association with Masse has resulted in a host of appearances across North America, including multiple appearances on NPR’s “A Prairie Home Companion.”
Dave Kobrenski is a multi-instrumentalist who has been leaving audiences speechless for two decades with his expressive playing of the Fulani flute, a unique three-holed woodwind with an earthy, raw sound that has been described as “the voice of Africa itself taking flight on the wind.” He also plays the kamale ngoni (a 12-string, bluesy harp/lute from Mali), the calabash, and the djembé.
Mike Sakash holds a Master’s degree in Jazz Studies from the Eastman School of Music. He has studied saxophone with Lynn Klock and Raymond Ricker, improvisation with Yusef Lateef, and jazz composition and arranging with Fred Sturm. Before settling in New Hampshire Mike was Associate Professor of Music at Washington & Jefferson College (PA). Currently, he is the arts department chair at Fryeburg Academy, in Fryeburg, ME, where he directs the instrumental ensembles and teaches courses in music theory, guitar, and jazz improvisation. He records and performs widely, and serves as a clinician and guest artist throughout the country.
Tim Gilmore studied composition and performance at Berklee College of Music. He is a member of the Harry Skoler Jazz Quartet and has performed with many ensembles, including the Cape Ann Symphony, Symphony by the Sea, Boston Percussion Ensemble, and the Cambridge Harmonic Orchestra. Tim has shared the stage with Lester Bowie, Marion McPartland, Tower of Power, Tiger Okoshi, and Warren Vache, among others.
Use the form below to inquire about bookings.
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Coming soon! Remaking the World will be available in March 2026. Join us for a special album release concert at Stone Mountain Arts Center in Brownfield, Maine on Friday, March 6.
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