For the
members of the Day Dream trio, finding the opportunity to come together has
proved far more challenging than simply wishing it so in a moment’s whimsy.
Pianist Steve Rudolph, bassist Drew Gress and drummer Phil Haynes have convened
exactly three times over the course of the last decade – each time, thankfully,
captured for posterity. The first became their debut, Day Dream, a gorgeous,
lyrical ballad date; the second, they supplied graceful backing for vocalist
and songwriter Nick Horner’s album New Standards.
The results
of their third meeting now appears as the elegant and witty, thrilling and
investigative Originals, due out March 27, 2020 via Corner Store Jazz. That
unadorned title refers quite simply to its contents; as opposed to its predecessor,
on which the trio explored aptly chosen standards, this session flows entirely
from the pens of Messrs. Rudolph, Gress, and Haynes. “The band had such great
chemistry and such a beautiful sound the first time around,” Haynes says.
“Drew’s dark sound, my sound and Steve’s touch go together in a distinctive way
not common with piano trios. Compositionally, I wanted to see the band stretch
a little bit, especially since everybody writes so beautifully.”
But, though
each of them would likely demur from such claims, it also precisely describes
these three stellar musicians, each of whom has honed a singular and
distinctive voice untethered from dogmatic distinctions of genre or style. How
else to explain the uncanny chemistry shared by the trio? In part, it’s due to
the deep relationships that underpin the group, which hinge on Haynes. He and
Gress have worked together for well over three decades, dating back to their
respective early days in New York City in the mid-80s. Haynesmet Rudolph
shortly after the turn of the millennium, when he uprooted himself to Central
Pennsylvania, taking up residence at Bucknell University.
“We have a
very sympathetic approach to music,” explains Rudolph. “Phil and Drew are two
of the best listeners I know. You have to really be in the moment and be able
to react, and they’re about as good as it gets. I’ve had a lot of fun playing
with them.”
The
uniqueness of the Day Dream configuration is due to the triangulation of three
unique personalities and visions, which come across as clearly in the
compositions on this album as through the playing of them. Rudolph brings an
unparalleled elegance to the proceedings, a romantic disposition deep in
emotion but free of sentimentality. Gress has long been a bassist of choice for
great pianists (Fred Hersch, Marc Copland, Bill Carrothers) in search of a
partner able to venture into wide-ranging regions, but is also an ingenious
composer, fond of crafting elaborate sonic architectures. Haynes is an
eclecticist by nature, with a prismatic curiosity that finds expression in
unpredictable combinations – of approaches, of genres, of collaborators. He
possesses a keen sense for concocting unlikely mixtures, as evidenced by his
introduction of Gress and Rudolph, as well as the ways in which his pieces for
the record create bridges between their respective sounds that prove deviously
thorny, but thrillingly enjoyable, to navigate.
Together
these disparate fashions complement each other perfectly. Rudolph’s refined
agility doesn’t so much smooth out the rough edges of his more avant-tinged
bandmates as gild them with delicate filigree. Gress’ harmonic experimentation
creates windows in the music that open onto alluring, fathomless mystery.
Haynes’ oblique strategies add a trenchant grit that subtly grounds the
pervasive airiness.
“It’s just
so easy to make music with Phil,” Gress says. “We’ve always had a really strong
time hook-up; I love the sonic choices he makes and the spirit he plays from.
And Steve is a really refined and mature player with his own, very subtle
language. We’re all adults just following our ears and reacting without much of
an agenda.”
Rudolph
opens the album with the wistful solo treatise “Zebra,” a moving tribute to one
of his mentors, Indianapolis mainstay Claude Sifferlen. That leads into the
graceful “Wedding Waltz,” penned for a friend’s daughter’s nuptials but
possessed of an alluring openness that allows the trio to marry their
respective sounds with the fluidity of an intimate dance. The pianist’s heart-wrenching
“Last Lullaby” is a twilit croon lamenting the end – of what, exactly, remains
open to question, but its bittersweetness is left in far less doubt. “Bossa 21”
is tied to a far happier occasion: the 21st birthday of Rudolph’s younger
daughter, whose love for Latin music inspires a lively and loving Bossa Nova.
Haynes’
ricocheting solo fanfare opens “Beloved Refracted,” a Cubist portrait of his
wife, which turns the letters of her name into the notes of a cascading,
roiling melody. The brusque funk groove of the drummer’s “Spell” casts a
magical backdrop for Gress’ virtuosic expressiveness, which wends its way
around the tune’s sharp-angled curves. The tender “Paul-Christian,” which
showcases Haynes’ brisk yet sensitive touch, is based on a reharmonization of
Bill Evans’ “Blue in Green”, undertaken in homage to two of the drummer’s
closest friends, who passed away within weeks of one another: his mentor,
trumpeter Paul Smoker, and Christian Kvech, producer of Haynes’ Free Country.
Gress’
pieces start with the intriguing, mysterious “Afterward,” which evokes a
feeling of uncertainty amid possibility. “Vesper” takes its title from
recollections of evening prayer the bassist’s Roman Catholic upbringing, though
its spirituality is more amorphous in nature. Finally, the fractured bop of
“Let Fly” closes the album on a soaring, celebratory (if somewhat off-kilter)
note.
Phil Haynes
A veteran
drummer with an adventurous spirit, Phil Haynes is featured on more than 65
releases on numerous American and European record labels. His recording credentials include many of the
seminal musicians of this generation: saxophonists Anthony Braxton, Ellery
Eskelin, and David Liebman; trumpeters Dave Douglas, Herb Robertson, and Paul
Smoker; bassists Mark Dresser, Ken Filiano, and Drew Gress; keyboard artists
David Kikoski, Denman Maroney, and Michelle Rosewoman; vocalists Theo Bleckman,
Nicholas Horner, and Hank Roberts; violinist Mark Feldman, and the composers
collective Joint Venture. In addition to Day Dream, Haynes’ own ensembles
include his romantic “jazz-grass” string band, Free Country; and the saxophone
trio No Fast Food with NEA jazz master David Liebman.
Drew Gress
Bassist/composer
Drew Gress performs extensively with artists on the cutting edge of
contemporary improvised music. Along with Phil Haynes, he was a founding member
of the cooperative quartet Joint Venture, producing three albums in the early
1990s for Enja. When Drew is not leading his own ensembles, he can be heard
within those of Ralph Alessi, Tim Berne, Uri Caine, Gerald Cleaver, Ravi
Coltrane, Marc Copland, Fred Hersch, John Hollenbeck, Tony Malaby, and Mat
Maneri. In a previous musical life, he grounded the performances of Buddy
Hackett, Phyllis Diller, Zoot Sims, Cab Calloway, and Pia Zadora. He has
received a SESAC Composer's Award in addition to grants from Chamber Music
America, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Meet the Composer.
Steve
Rudolph
Yamaha
artist Steve Rudolph has had an inspiring career in his 50 years of
professional music-making. Jazz Improv magazine states, “Rudolph is a savvy,
swinging, glimmering heavyweight… ...simply outstanding.” The winner of the
Jazziz Magazine Piano Competition at the Seven Springs Jazz Festival in 2000,
he was also awarded two Jazz Composition Fellowships from the PA Council on the
Arts. With eleven acclaimed CDs as a leader, he has served as producer,
arranger and performer on many recordings including albums with Johnny Coles,
Bill Goodwin, Ali Ryerson, Matt Wilson and Vinny Valentino. His vast experience
encompasses concert performances with numerous jazz masters including Louie
Bellson, Clark Terry, Terry Gibbs, Rufus Reid, Buddy Tate, Al Grey, the Mills
Brothers, and Cal Collins.
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