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Fellowship Spotlight: Trifon Dimitrov, Forefathers

After months of recording, collaboration, and careful craft, Trifon Dimitrov has released Forefathers, the album he set out to make when he applied for the 2024 Great Performances Artist Fellowship. Rooted in lineage, legacy, and deep respect for the jazz bass tradition, the project moved from vision to reality with Fellowship support. “The Fellowship Award was a perfect jump starter for realizing my project,” Trifon says. “It gave me the financial comfort to start.”

While the vision remained clear, the path to completion required more time than originally expected. “Timewise it was harder to complete the project,” Trifon explains. “And the only reason is because to make the best and most of it, I went as far as I could to have legendary names on the project. That of course requires more time to schedule recordings and fit in their schedule.”

That commitment paid off. By September 2025, the music for the album was fully recorded, marking a major milestone. Editing, mixing, and mastering followed, completed in collaboration with a multi-Grammy-winning studio. From there came the final layers: artwork, physical production, and preparing the album for release.

One of Forefathers’ most extraordinary moments comes from a duet between Trifon and his longtime teacher, Ron Carter, a living jazz legend whose influence on the music is immeasurable. Carter is a NEA Jazz Master, a multi-Grammy winner, and holds the Guinness World Record for most recorded bassist in jazz history. For Trifon, the collaboration is both personal and symbolic, bringing the album’s title full circle.

Looking back on the process, Trifon describes the creative work as only the beginning. “Now the real work begins!!!” he says. “Working on the album, recording, rehearsing and finishing it was the fun part.” What follows, he explains, is the demanding and often invisible labor of sharing the work with the world. “In order for an album to reach listeners and to lead to more reputable venues and festival performances, there is a ton of PR work to be done. That includes endless research, communication and efforts to put it out there.”

We wish him the best of luck as the album makes its way into the world. We’re proud to have supported him through the Great Performances Artist Fellowship and excited to see where the music takes him next.

Get your copy of Forefathers here.

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