| Jazz |
Steve Rudolph on piano, Drew Gress on bass, and Phil Haynes on drums present us with an album that is compelling not simply for its focus on the works of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, but more so for the unique vision these three musicians have brought to these pieces. They avoid mere replication, choosing instead to revitalize each track on these two discs through modern arrangements. What makes this effort especially fascinating is their selection of compositions, which spans multiple eras of jazz.
Steve Rudolph, a central figure in Pennsylvania’s jazz scene with over five decades of experience, is a self-professed disciple of Bill Evans and began his career touring with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. Haynes and bassist Drew Gress, both around a decade younger, emerged from New York’s avant-garde scene in the 1980s and have closely collaborated for nearly forty years. Their careers have led them into an impressive variety of musical contexts. Gress has ventured beyond convention with trailblazing artists like Tim Berne, Dave Douglas, and Uri Caine, and has recorded with esteemed pianists such as Fred Hersch, Marc Copland, and Bill Carrothers. Meanwhile, Haynes’s relentless eclecticism has led him to experimental trumpeter Paul Smoker and to lead diverse ensembles like the dynamic 4 Horns & What?, the Americana-influenced Free Country, and the exploratory trio No Fast Food with saxophone legend Dave Liebman.
In this brilliant album—recorded live at Bucknell University, where Haynes is a longtime faculty member—the trio performs pieces written by or associated with Ellington and Strayhorn. The ten selections are largely well-known classics, including *Take the A Train*, *Sophisticated Lady*, *Lush Life*, and *Perdido*, though here they are rendered almost unrecognizable, as the trio invites us entirely into their own world. It’s clear that they have dreamed of these pieces, absorbed them wholly, and transformed them into “their” music. The original compositions lend themselves to this creative exercise; Ellington himself understood that music, and jazz especially, could never remain static. Their choice to limit the program exclusively to Ellington’s works was not made lightly.
Their rendition of *Day Dream* offers a rare moment, as the trio has previously released three albums containing nearly all the repertoire they’ve played together. Tours have been nonexistent, and they’ve performed only a few select concerts, aside from a private show the night before recording *Dukes & Strays*. If there is magic in this recording, it lies in the alchemy among the three musicians, who play with rhythms and occasionally seem to thumb their noses at convention. Nothing in their interpretations feels confined or rigid; they intuitively bring out melodic lines with a clear aim to bridge the past, present, and future—a goal once perfectly realized by Frank Sinatra with his double album *Past, Present, Future*. At the time, many thought that album would be his last, though it was *L.A. Is My Lady*, produced by Quincy Jones, that proved to be his swan song.
Here, no such finality lingers. There is a delightful surprise in seeing these seasoned artists, who might easily lean into a more academic style, instead take an alternative approach—one that serves as a powerful lesson for younger generations, a choice that can only be called intelligent. A triple album could have been tempting, yet the discerning selection of tracks affirms the thoughtfulness and artistic vision behind this recording. For once, though we typically refrain from celebrating albums of covers, this one deserves a place on our list of 2024’s essential recordings as we near year’s end.
Thierry De Clemensat
USA correspondent – Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, November 6th 2024
Follow PARIS-MOVE on X
:::::::::::::::::::::::