MIKE DE SOUZA - SCHISM

RELEASE DATE: Dec 12, 2025

Label: Self-Released

UPC/EAN: 199954533198

TRACK LISTING:

Schism_06:51_UKU7D2500001

Body and Soul_05:56_UKU7D2500002

Song for Diana_06:12_UKU7D2500003

Westview Drive_07:20_UKU7D2500004

PERSONNEL:

Mike De Souza - electric guitar

Tom Barford - tenor saxophone

Rick Simpson - piano

Huw V Williams - double bass

Jay Davis - drums

About the EP

Schism is the new EP from London-based guitarist and composer Mike De Souza, recorded at Fish Factory Studios in summer 2024 with the support of crowdfunding donations. The release features four tracks: three new original compositions and a solo-guitar version of Body and Soul, marking De Souza’s first released interpretation of a jazz standard and signalling a deepening connection with the jazz tradition. The EP’s title comes from the opening track Schism, built around a 7/4 groove and a harmonised guitar–sax melody influenced by the John Scofield/Joe Lovano recordings. Its form draws inspiration from Madison Cunningham’s “Our Rebellion”, with a Weather Report - influenced bridge section.

De Souza’s arrangement of Body and Soul presents the standard in an intimate, atmospheric setting, using lightly overdriven guitar tone, reverse delay, Freeze pedal textures and flurries of tapping to complement the melody. Rooted in the harmonic and melodic language of the jazz tradition, the arrangement incorporates modern guitar colours to create a personal and contemporary reading of the tune. Song for Diana is a lyrical ballad influenced by the arc and contour of Kurt Rosenwinkel’s “Under It All”, and features improvised solos from Williams, De Souza and Simpson.

Westview Drive is a contemporary swing composition and De Souza’s first recorded work in this style. The track features a time-no-changes improvisation from Simpson, followed by a guitar solo on the form and a concluding drum solo from Davis. Influences include Gateway’s “Homecoming” and Kit Downes’ arrangement of Ruth Goller’s composition “M7".

Musically, the EP extends the world established on De Souza’s previous album Chrysalis (Fresh Sound New Talent). While Chrysalis explored transformation through layered textures and electronic soundscapes, Schism focuses more directly on acoustic ensemble interaction and the nuances of live performance.

Artist Bio

Mike De Souza is a London-based guitarist, composer and educator, and a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music and Leeds College of Music. He has released several projects as leader, including Slow Burn, Road Fork and Pond Life with Big Bad Wolf, which was ranked 3rd in Jazzwise Magazine’s “Top 10 Albums of the Year” in 2017. His collaborators include Byron Wallen, Alex Paxton, Phil Meadows, Joy Ellis, Belle Chen and Twospeak, and he holds a weekly residency at Grow in Hackney Wick with the band Stratos. He has been a jazz guitar tutor at Leeds Conservatoire since 2020. De Souza has appeared at major European venues and festivals including Elbphilharmonie (Hamburg), Donau115 (Berlin), Jazz Juniors (Krakow), Jazzwerkstatt (Graz), Radar Festival (Varna) and the Ni CaJazz! and EGA Jazz Festivals in northern Spain. He was also a finalist in the 2021 Jarek Śmietana International Jazz Guitar Competition in Krakow.

CREDITS:

Recording Engineers:

- Sonny Johns (tracks 1, 3, 4 – Fish Factory Studios, 31/07/24)

- Alex Haines (track 2 – Basement 10 Studio, 29/07/24)

Mixing: Sonny Johns

Mastering: Tom Leader

Composers:

- Tracks 1, 3, 4 by Mike De Souza (PRS).

- Track 2 by Johnny Green (1930).

Artwork: Hamley Jenkins www.hamleyjenkinsart.co.uk

Press for Chrysalis

ALL ABOUT JAZZ ★★★★ UK VIBE ★★★★

MARLBANK ★★★★ THE JAZZ MANN ★★★★

“There’s such considered sound design. Every bar seems to open out into

a new world” Soweto Kinch (BBC Radio 3)

“Burgeoning guitar talent” - Jazzwise Magazine

“Masterly...highly impressive” - Jazz Journal