Jon De Lucia: The Brubeck Octet Project Strikes Again!

After his recording of The Brubeck Octet Project earned widespread approval and acclaim in 2024, saxophonist and jazz historian Jon De Lucia did not rest on those laurels; instead, he delved even more deeply into the original octet's archives and unearthed eleven little-known arrangements that form the basis of a second blockbuster album, The Brubeck Octet Project Strikes Again! And what a strike it is—every inch as perceptive and impressive as De Lucia's earlier survey of the Dave Brubeck Octet, whose five-year life span on the West Coast began in 1948 and rivaled the magnetism and excitement of Miles Davis' Birth of the Cool.

It's easy to see why that is true. The arrangements—most of which were written by members of the original octet (Dave Van Kreidt, Bill Smith and Jack Weeks)—have easily withstood the test of time and countless changes in the jazz landscape to sound as fresh and innovative as though they'd been written yesterday. To further enhance the cause, De Lucia has assembled an all-star ensemble to analyze the charts and bring them to life. Trumpeter Brandon Lee, tenor saxophonist Scott Robinson, trombonist Becca Patterson and baritone/clarinetist Jay Rattman share front-line duties with De Lucia, reinforced by a blue-chip rhythm section comprised of pianist Glenn Zaleski, bassist Daniel Drake and drummer Keith Balla .

The session opens strongly with Van Kreidt's swinging arrangement of the polytonal blues "Goodnight Eileen" (astute solos by alto De Lucia, Rattman on clarinet and Lee) and continues apace with a seldom-heard Glenn Miller hit, the buoyant "Happy in Love," in which De Lucia has used its shout chorus to insert a brief passage from George Wallington's "Godchild." Smith's clever arrangement of the standard "Tea for Two," which follows, encompasses more sagacious soloing by Zaleski, clarinetist Rattman and tenor Robinson before Lee brings it home with a powerful statement of his own.

De Lucia contributed one arrangement, "By Heart," a sharp and sunny riff on another standard, "My Heart Stood Still," with delightful solos by Zaleski, Robinson, Lee and Rattman, this time on baritone. Smith scored the relatively more well- known "Lullaby in Rhythm," a Benny Goodman staple that serves here as a luminous vehicle for Lee's bright and lyrical trumpet. De Lucia takes center stage on Hoagy Carmichael's ageless "Stardust," marvelously arranged by Smith as a showpiece for the original octet's alto saxophonist, the great Paul Desmond. Van Kreidt wrote five fugues for the octet, only one of which—"Fugue for Bop Themes"—was recorded and released. De Lucia's ensemble performs his flag-waving "Fugue II," a light-hearted charmer that dances merrily forward on the wings of De Lucia's glistening solo and typically impressive work by the octet as a unit.

Patterson gets her shot on Johnny Green's amorous standard, "Body and Soul," and makes the most of every moment in the sun. Yet another blazer, Van Kreidt's radiant "Chorale," gives Lee,  Robinson, De Lucia, Rattman (baritone) and Zaleski yet another chance to brandish their formidable chops, and they reappear to do the same on Van Kreidt's light-hearted and Latin-centered "Kon-Tiki," which leads to the ebullient finale, Jack Weeks' superlative arrangement of Ray Noble's venerable "Cherokee." 

There aren't many albums, jazz or otherwise, that leave a listener clamoring for more. Strikes Back! is one that does. Not only is it well-designed, it swings relentlessly from start to finish. While it's hard to imagine that a third Project—if indeed there is to be one—could possibly equal the pleasure and excitement of the first two, it is also hard to discredit what De Lucia may do for an encore. He is, after all, on a decisive two-album winning streak.