Mark Lewandowski: A Bouquet (for Lady Day)

A regular in the Mingus Big Band and Wynton Marsalis' quartet, New York-based Mark Lewandowski has won numerous awards for his sonorous double bass playing, which can be appreciated in settings as diverse as John Zorn's The Book of Beri'ah (Tzadik Records, 2018) and Joe Chambers's Dance Kobina (Blue Note Records, 2022). As a leader, Lewandowski previously released the joyous, highly personal Fats Waller homage Waller (Whirlwind Records, 2017) and, following his relocation from London to New York, the impressive, all-originals calling-card Under One Sky (MGL Music, 2021). For his third opus, Billie Holiday provides the inspiration.

As with Waller, Lewandowski teams up with pianist Liam Noble. Whereas that was a trio recording (with drummer Paul Clarvis) A Bouquet For Lady Day is mostly duets, with singer Heidi Vogel lending smoky gravitas to "Lady Sings The Blues" and "Left Alone," songs which also acknowledge Holiday's collaborators Herbie Nichols and Mal Waldron.

Given the reduced setting, the aim from the outset was evidently to avoid slavish reproduction or mawkish tribute. Instead, Lewandowski and Noble revel in intimate dialogues as playful as they are tender. The overarching mood is mellow, the exchanges melodious; clearly, this is a celebration of Holiday's musical gifts to the world, with little room for mournful reflection on the darker aspects of her short yet storied life.

The sunny disposition of the swinging "This Year's Kisses," the gentle blues of "P.S. I Love You" and a gossamer reading of "What a Little Moonlight Can Do," which features an exquisite bass solo, speak to the beauty of Holiday's musical soul.

It is in the imaginative deconstruction of Holiday's self-penned "Billie's Blues" and Franz Waxman & Gus Kahn's "Who Wants Love?"—where bassist and pianist flip between gnarly improvisation and walking blues figures—that the duo's bridging of old ways and modern byways is seen in starkest relief.

The spaces between the eleven tracks are threaded with brief field recordings of police sirens, rainfall, car horns and a dog barking in the distance—a nod, perhaps to Holiday's beloved canine friends. These sounds provide a noirish ambiance, though one rendered with a light touch.

"Left Alone" closes the set on the bluest of notes. To spare accompaniment, Vogel's rich tenor invests Holiday and Waldron's devastating portrait of hurt, rejection and longing with an aching which Holiday would probably have recognised all too well. It is a fine performance from the vocalist, though somewhat at odds with the album's generally upbeat vibe.

Lewandowski's heartfelt homage to Billie Holiday is full of grace, grit and soul—much like her incomparable voice. A second volume of such splendid fare would not go amiss.