Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Jax Jazz Collective: Lotus Blossom: The Music of Billy Strayhorn

9

Jax Jazz Collective: Lotus Blossom: The Music of Billy Strayhorn

By

View read count
Jax Jazz Collective: Lotus Blossom: The Music of Billy Strayhorn
Duke Ellington (1899-1974)—Americas's finest bandleader, America's finest composer—released his own tribute to Billy Strayhorn, his partner in music and tune smithing. It was called ...And His Mother Called Him Bill (RCA, 1967). Ellington and Strayhorn's music was so intertwined that the Duke's less that fanatic fans might think that "Lush Life," "Take the A Train" and "Lotus Blossom" are Ellington tunes. But those classics, and many more, came from the prolific and always elegant pen of Strayhorn.

Now the Jax Jazz Collective, under the leadership of pianist Joshua Bowlus, offers up Strayhorn in a small group outing with Lotus Blossom: The Music Of Billy Strayhorn.

The group—two saxophones, one trumpet and the rhythm section—opens with an inspired take on "Take the 'A' Train." Bowlus' left hand lays down a solid, gathering-momentum, rolling- down-the tracks rhythm. A celebration of the tune ensues—exquisite ensemble work and brief, torrid solos inside the beautiful structure of the song before Bowlus' left hand brings the train back into the station.

"Ishfahan," from the Duke's wonderful but somewhat overlooked Far East Suite, features a smooth delivery some lovely three horn harmony, and "Raincheck" rolls with a percolating, saucy groove, as the Collective modernizes the classic Ellington/Strayhorn sound.

The group is every bit as adept at ballads as it is at burners. "A Flower is a Lovesome Thing" finds a moody and ruminative mood, a gray misty day with Bowlus supplying the raindrops to the delicate flower pedals.

Lotus Blossom: The Music of Billy Strayhorn, by the top notch Jax Jazz Collective, shines a bright light on new facets on the Billy Strayhorn songbook.

Track Listing

Take the 'A' Train' Isfahan; Raincheck; A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing; Johnny Come Lately; Upper Manhattan Medical Group; The Intimacy Of The Blues; Lotus Blossom.

Personnel

Jax Jazz Collective
band / ensemble / orchestra

Mike Emmert: alto saxophone; Juan Rollan: tenor saxophone; Ray Callender: trumpet (1, 5, 6, 8); Alphonso Horne: trumpet (2, 3, 4, 7); Josua Bowlus: piano, Fender rhodes; John 'Lil John" Lumpkin: drums; Stan Piper: bass.

Album information

Title: Lotus Blossom: The Music of Billy Strayhorn | Year Released: 2014 | Record Label: J-Bo Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

Near

More

Eternal Moments
Yoko Yates
From "The Hellhole"
Marshall Crenshaw
Tramonto
John Taylor

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.