Joe Elefante’s Return of the Light Named #1 Most-Added Jazz Album in the U.S.

Florham Park, NJ — Pianist, composer, and bandleader Joe Elefante has made a radiant return with Return of the Light, the second album from his quintet Wheel of Dharma. In its first week at radio, the record was the #1 Most-Added Jazz Album nationwide on both the JazzWeek and NACC charts and debuted at #16 on the Roots Music Report Top 50 Jazz Albums Chart.

The album fuses modern post-bop vitality with spiritual depth, featuring Freddie Hendrix (trumpet), Erena Terakubo (saxophone), Sameer Shankar (bass), and David Heilman (drums). Return of the Light carries forward the lineage of artists like Herbie Hancock and Charles Lloyd while articulating Elefante’s distinct compositional voice.

“This project is about renewal,” says Elefante. “I wrote and recorded it during a dark stretch, and the music became a way to find light again. To see it connect so quickly with both listeners and radio programmers has been incredibly gratifying.”

Since its October 24 release, Return of the Light has reached listeners in 76 countries, earning 2,385+ streams, 426 saves, and 122 playlist adds in the first few days on Spotify—evidence of deep listener engagement alongside strong radio support.

Album Release Event

Shanghai Jazz (Madison, NJ)
Saturday, November 8 • 7:00 PM & 9:15 PM
Reservations recommended. (Visit www.shanghaijazz.com to book a table)

Listen: Return of the Light on Spotify
More info: joeelefantemusic.com
Press contact: joe@joeelefantemusic.com