Day Dream: Duke & Strays Live

The Day Dream trio's album Duke & Strays Live is a two-CD release recorded at Bucknell University in September 2023. It is a sparkling exploration of the timelessness embedded in Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn's music. Lead by drummer Phil Haynes along with pianist Steve Rudolph and bassist Drew Gress, the trio deftly navigates the familiar Ellington-Strayhorn catalogue, offering a fresh examination of these standards without ever lapsing into well-worn paths. It breathes new life into the classics, creating an atmosphere that blends tradition with the immediacy of contemporary interpretation.

CD 1 opens with "African Flower," first recorded by Ellington along with Charles Mingus and Max Roach for the 1963 United Artists Jazz release Money Jungle. The number begins with an oblique and mysterious approach from Haynes and Gress to set the mood. As he enters the number, Rudolph retains the aura with his fluid and elegant touch. The Juan Tizol classic "Perdido" strolls along, filled with Rudolph's pianistic playfulness, which is inherent in the composition's structure. Gress continues to show that he improvises with great fluency and creativity.

The Strayhorn piece "UMMG (Upper Manhattan Medical Group)" percolates joyfully, aided in no small measure by Haynes' shuffling brushwork. Rudolph's keyboard approach has a crisp touch and sparkling style, and his trades with Haynes speak to their inherent chemistry. The disc closes with "Lush Life." Gress shows his virtuosity by laying out the number's melodic lament on the arco bass. Once Rudolph steps in to flesh out the line, Gress continues to support the interpretation with playing that is both embodied and abundant.

CD 2 begins with "Come Sunday" by Ellington, which was part of Ellington's Black, Brown and Beige suite. As Haynes has shown through the sessions, he is a drummer with a subtle swing who creates intricate, delicate textures, as in the opening of this number, with its pervading cymbal strokes. He sustains the number aloft in a supportive and dynamic fashion, with Rudolph's piano brimming with improvisations. Haynes keeps the rhythms moving effortlessly on" Rockin' in Rhythm." Exchanges among Haynes, Rudolph, and Gress fuel the number.

The performance ends with a doubleheader, "My Little Brown Book/Take the 'A' Train." The trio is not merely paying homage to Ellington and Strayhorn, but also engaging in dialogue with the music, as these two numbers demonstrate. From the reflective approach of the former to the celebratory up-tempo take on the latter, they have created an interplay demonstrating a reverence for the material yet never being constrained by it.

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