Gregory Tardy | "If Time Could Stand Still"

Gregory Tardy was born in New Orleans and is endowed with a sound burnished in the bands of Elvin Jones, Andrew Hill, Tom Harrell, Dave Douglas, Nicholas Payton, Bill Frisell, Rashied Ali, Elio Villafranca, Todd Marcus, Omer Avital, Brian Lynch and many others. On his new album If Time Could Stand Still, Tardy convened Willie Jones III (drums, producer), Alex Norris (trumpet), Keith Brown & Alex Claffy for an impassioned recording that reflects on the changing seasons of life, and surges with his love of swing and the tradition. Tardy explains that, “the title track is an emotional ballad written as a reflection on some changing seasons in my life. My kids are older teens now, my oldest leaving for college this fall, and my parents are in their 80s. As a musician you spend a lot of time on the road, so some precious moments are spent away from loved ones. I have moments now where I wish time could stand still, to savor these moments. For others it might be a situation they are enjoying, a job, gig or something that they want to last, but I keep reminding myself it’s never too late. I know our best hope is to have gratitude and fully appreciate the time we have, before they become memories.”

Tardy’s recorded output as a leader stretches all the way back to 1992 and the release of his first album, Crazy Love (1992 also being the year that he joined the Elvin Jones Jazz Machine; a relationship that lasted several years). Tardy moved to NYC in 1994 towards the end of the “young lion” movement in jazz, quickly becoming a highly sought after New York sideman, and landing a major label contract with Impulse!/GRP Records (releasing Serendipity). Tardy has been featured prominently on several DownBeat Magazine “Albums of the Year,” and also several Grammy nominated recordings; including a Grammy winning CD with Brian Lynch in 2006. The artist has also been voted a “Rising Star” in DownBeat Magazine’s Annual Critics and Readers Polls multiple times. After fifteen albums as a leader, with each project building upon the excellence and merit of its predecessor (including Serendipity, Hidden Light on J-Curve Records, Abundance on Palmetto, followed by no less than nine recordings for the SteepleChase label), Tardy is, “on track to help write the next chapter in jazz history” (Jim Santella, AllAboutJazz. With If Time Could Stand Still (produced by Willie Jones III for WJ3 Records), Tardy’s prestige and eminence as a leader catches up to, and even surpasses, his storied career as a first-call sideman.

Tardy often composes utilizing recent influences or concepts, but much of the music for this project was written with his love of swing and the tradition in mind. Having experienced being a member of many amazing bands over the years, people often associate his recorded work with his “voice”, but that is not necessarily true. “In my writing, I try to explore new things. I really respect the tradition, and it’s always in the back of my mind, but I try to not let it prevent me from exploring new ideas that I hear,” explains Tardy. He has seven original compositions on If Time Could Stand Still, many focused on the joy in swinging, all with an abundance of profundity and humanity. “Music is an expression of the soul and I always try to speak through my horn. I once heard an older musician say ‘it is better to be felt than to be heard’. I never forgot that. That is my approach to writing and playing any style of music,” says Tardy.