Following their recent performance at Newport Jazz Festival, Oregon brothers Dana & Alden officially release their adventurous new album Papa’s Boat via Concord Jazz. Featuring an eclectic cast of collaborators including Brazilian legend Marcos Valle, Mei Semones, Melanie Charles, Zaza Desiderio, Mirella Costa and Cinya Khan, the album transforms family history, global travel and a deep sense of curiosity into an expansive musical journey.
Alongside the album’s release, the duo have unveiled a new music video for “Napa 86,” directed by Weston Borg and filmed at Adventure Land theme park in Narragansett, Rhode Island. The playful setting offers a subtle visual nod to the adventurous spirit that runs throughout Papa’s Boat and the nautical travels that inspired its story.
More than a tribute to their late maternal grandfather, Papa’s Boat is an attempt to carry his spirit forward. The album traces the places he traveled and the experiences that shaped his life, translating that wanderlust into a colorful collection of songs that values community, human connection and the pursuit of new experiences.
“Papa was a really special guy,” Dana says of their grandfather. “I think so much of what Alden and I are doing comes from just watching him live his own unique life. His emboldened, passionate personality gave us permission to be our own selves, to be unconventional and draw outside of the box.”
That philosophy is reflected in the album’s expansive musical vocabulary. Recorded across London, New York and Brazil, Papa’s Boat absorbs influences from each location, moving fluidly between indie rock, samba, bossa nova, jazz, rap, pop and other sounds.
The brothers’ international recording journey was shaped by guidance from influential figures including Yussef Dayes, Gilles Peterson and Marcos Valle, with each destination contributing another layer to the album’s sonic identity. Rather than treating those influences as separate styles, Dana & Alden weave them together into an eclectic sound that feels rooted in exploration and collaboration.
The album was recorded with the duo’s backing band, whose members also played key roles as collaborators and producers throughout the project. Andrew Mitchell contributes bass, Ebba Dankel handles vocals and keys, Eli Torgersen adds vocals and guitar, and Salim Charvet contributes saxophone and synths.
The final recordings were engineered by Malcolm Catto at his Quatermass Sound Lab studio in Dalston, helping bring the album’s wide-ranging instrumentation and organic character together.
With Papa’s Boat, Dana & Alden turn a deeply personal family story into something much larger: a celebration of movement, discovery and the people encountered along the way. Its international influences mirror the travels of the grandfather at its center, while its collaborative spirit reflects the values the brothers inherited from him.
The album’s release also sets the stage for the duo’s biggest headline run to date. Beginning September 10 in Vancouver, the Papa’s Boat Tour will take Dana & Alden across North America for 39 shows through November, bringing the album’s adventurous blend of jazz, Brazilian music, indie and contemporary songwriting to stages across the continent.
Dana and Alden: Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Website | YouTube