“Analogy of the Sun” is a new album from West Virginia University Director of Jazz Jared Sims, out on Friday Feb. 26.

For this collaboration with jazz stars Rufus Reid and Matt Wilson, Sims drew inspiration from the sixth book of Plato’s Republic, in which Plato defines goodness in the world.

“I was really trying to do two things when putting this album together,” Sims said. “First, to try to find joy in the world and provide tunes that are both introspective and structurally organic and also give the players a launch pad to explore their playing.”

Defining goodness in the world is the underlying theme of Sims’ music and his original compositions on "Analogy of the Sun" serve to express that which cannot be easily expressed by words.

“I think listeners will be intrigued by the sound of the instrumentation of the lead players,” Sims said. “I can only think of a very small number of albums that have a flute and trombone or a baritone saxophone and trombone as the front line of horns. Perhaps most importantly, I hope listeners know there is a seriousness to the music, but we enjoy playing and hope that some of the moods of the tunes resonate with them when they hear it.”

A live stream performance of “Analogy of the Sun” at 7 p.m. Feb. 26 will celebrate the album’s release. To stream, visit http://bit.ly/simsstream. To purchase “Analogy of the Sun,” visit www.mcgjazz.org.

Sims will be joined for the livestream by an all-star Pittsburgh band including Reggie Watkins on trombone, Alton Merrell on piano, Jeff Grubbs on bass and David Throckmorton on drums.