Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life (Blue Note)
Various Artists
Released January 23, 2007
Jazzweek No1 Year End Jazz Chart 2007
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=folJ0txxK-c&list=OLAK5uy_kMdgNXOhVG71TY9KpF20KfKWzHhO2Ig3A
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/06bL3slLObxuzHxNO8CDyQ?si=0OUTGQblTVeSmpDhpVIpIg
About:
Billy Strayhorn is one of jazz’s most fabled figures. His myth gets a thorough exploration in the 90-minute documentary LUSH LIFE, and the soundtrack to that film is naturally filled with music by the famous composer, arranger, and pianist. Showcased here are 15 of Strayhorn’s compositions performed by contemporary jazz artists like Joe Lovano, Dianne Reeves, and Bill Charlap. Appearances by iconic piano legend Hank Jones and Elvis Costello add glitter to the all-star roster.
Track Listing:
1. Fantastic Rhythm (Billy Strayhorn) featuring Bill Charlap 2:35
2. Rain Check (Billy Strayhorn) feat. Hank Jones / Joe Lovano / Paul Motian / George Mraz 4:33
3. Lush Life (Billy Strayhorn) feat. Russell Malone / Dianne Reeves 4:49
4. Satin Doll (Duke Ellington / Johnny Mercer / Billy Strayhorn) feat. Hank Jones 2:44
5. Something to Live For (Duke Ellington / Billy Strayhorn) feat. Gregory Hutchinson / Peter Martin / Dianne Reeves / Reuben Rogers 4:46
6. Johnny Come Lately (Billy Strayhorn) feat. Hank Jones / Joe Lovano / Paul Motian / George Mraz 5:41
7. Day Dream (Duke Ellington / LaTouché / Billy Strayhorn) feat. Gregory Hutchinson / Rodney Jones / Dianne Reeves / Reuben Rogers 3:21
8. Tonk (Duke Ellington / Billy Strayhorn) feat. Bill Charlap / Hank Jones 2:47
9. Chelsea Bridge (Billy Strayhorn) feat. Hank Jones / Joe Lovano / Paul Motian / George Mraz 6:48
10. My Little Brown Book (Billy Strayhorn) feat. Gregory Hutchinson / Peter Martin / Dianne Reeves / Reuben Rogers 3:44
11. Valse (Billy Strayhorn) feat. Bill Charlap 2:35
12. My Flame Burns Blue (Blood Count) (Elvis Costello / Billy Strayhorn) feat. Bill Charlap / Elvis Costello/ Joe Lovano 4:45
13. The Flowers Die of Love (Billy Strayhorn) feat. Gregory Hutchinson / Peter Martin / Dianne Reeves / Reuben Rogers 2:52
14. Lotus Blossom (Billy Strayhorn) feat. Hank Jones / Joe Lovano / Paul Motian / George Mraz 6:19
15. So This Is Love (Billy Strayhorn) feat. Gregory Hutchinson / Peter Martin / Dianne Reeves / Reuben Rogers 5:52
Personnel:
Bill Charlap: piano (1,8,11,12)
Elvis Costello: vocals (12)
Greg Hutchinson: drums (5,7,10,15)
Hank Jones: piano (2,4,6,8,9,14)
Rodney Jones: guitar (7)
Joe Lovano: tenor sax (2,6,9,12,14)
Russell Malone: guitar (3)
Peter Martin: piano (5,10,13,15)
Paul Motian: drums (2,6,9,14)
George Mraz: bass (2,6,9,14)
Dianne Reeves: vocals (3,5,7,10,13,15)
Reuben Rogers: bass (5,7,10,13,15)
Produced by Robert Levi
Co-produced by George Seminara and Joshua Blum
Review:
Despite his crucial role in 20th century jazz and popular music as a songwriter, musician and arranger, Billy Strayhorn is still too often seen as a postscript to the Duke Ellington story — the two collaborated for nearly three decades. If Strayhorn had done nothing else but compose Ellington’s theme “Take the ‘A’ Train” (oddly absent from this tribute session), his place in history would still be fortified, but indeed he gave so much more. This collection features contemporary jazz musicians and vocalists interpreting 15 of Strayhorn’s compositions, some co-written with Ellington or others, some penned only by Strayhorn — most of the tracks feature one or two quartets, or a piano soloist. Those solo pieces, performed by Bill Charlap (“Fantastic Rhythm,” “Valse”) or Hank Jones (“Satin Doll”), as well as the two musicians’ frisky duet on “Tonk,” necessarily hew closely to the Ellington template, while the groups are more willing to chance modernization. But not by much — for the most part, the arrangements stay within formats that would have been recognizable to Strayhorn. Joe Lovano — accompanied by Jones on piano, George Mraz on bass and Paul Motian on drums — never strays too far afield in his sax solos, and Dianne Reeves, who provides the bulk of the vocals, similarly plays it straight, her husky tone lending warmth and richness to such Strayhorn compositions as “Day Dream,” “My Little Brown Book” (her playful scatting lifts the already enjoyable set up another notch), “Something to Live For” and a stunning “Lush Life,” on which she is supported solely by Russell Malone’s guitar. Elvis Costello doesn’t take a different approach to his guest vocal on the ballad “My Flame Burns Blue (Blood Count)” than he does on the many other jazz vocals he’d recorded by this time, but he’s still always a pleasure to hear, his nuanced reading close to perfection and as heartfelt as everything else he does.
Jeff Tamarkin (AllMusic)
