Lush Life: The Music of Billy Strayhorn cover

Lush Life: The Music of Billy Strayhorn

Released

In his final decade, Henderson recorded a number of tribute albums, but he always made the material his own. This was the first, and he approached the tunes from multiple angles: while “Isfahan” was a duo with bassist Christian McBride, “Lotus Blossom” showcased pianist Stephen Scott, and “Take The A Train” was stripped to sax and Gregory Hutchinson’s drums, three other tracks featured the full band plus trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, and the title piece is an album-closing solo excursion. It’s all beautiful, and because it’s all from Billy Strayhorn’s pen, it flows together seamlessly.

Phil Freeman

Recommended by

Suggestions
A Long Road Home cover

A Long Road Home

Lynne Arriale
Asia Minor cover

Asia Minor

Dizzy Reece
Scope cover

Scope

Buck Hill
Blues in Mind cover

Blues in Mind

Gary Husband, Christof Lauer, Michel Godard
Inner Urge cover

Inner Urge

Joe Henderson
Individuation cover

Individuation

Thomas Marriott
Rain on the Window cover

Rain on the Window

Howard Moody, John Surman