Luciano Biondini, Michel Godard, Lucas Niggli: Lawns

Since Carla Bley's passing in 2023, the growing fascination with her songbook—which had already been steadily building for years—has increased exponentially, as more and more musicians turn to her unique blend of melodic clarity and emotional ambiguity. And so, by now, pieces such as "Ida Lupino" and "Lawns" have cemented their place in the pantheon of modern standards, embraced by artists drawn to Bley's knack for memorable themes that feel at once simple and mysteriously open-ended.

With its suspended melody, slow-moving sustained bass lines and low-simmering groove, the openness of "Lawns" lures improvisers into a vast landscape—one explored in recent years by musicians ranging from Kurt Elling and Rachel Eckroth to Walter Smith III, the Ben Allison—Steve Cardenas—Ted Nash Trio and the Pierrick Pedron—Gonzalo Rubalcaba duo—ideal for creative reinterpretation.

Among the most original renditions of "Lawns" is the version by the trio of Luciano Biondini, Michel Godard and Lucas Niggli—three musicians equally fluent in Renaissance music and contemporary improvisation, and gifted with the kind of storytelling instinct that allows Bley's composition to unfold like the soundtrack to a late-summer open-air meditation. One can easily imagine Carla Bley raising an amused and approving eyebrow at the thought of her music being reimagined by a trio featuring accordion, serpent and percussion.