2019 Down Beat Rising Star of the Tenor Saxophone - Dayna Stephens is also globally recognized as a composer, arranger and educator. His new album 'Closer Than We Think' ruminates on how similar we really are. Stephens has chosen a set of songs that speak to our core as conscious beings regardless of origins. It features a new quartet with Emmanuel Michael, Kanoa Mendenhall and Jongkuk Kim.