Noah Haidu - Standards (2023) [Hi-Res]

Rising star pianist/composer Noah Haidu’s resplendently expressive Standards (June 23, 2023, Sunnyside Records) celebrates the 40th anniversary of the release that launched Keith Jarrett’s great Standards Trio and arrives on the heels of Haidu’s two recent acclaimed Sunnyside albums, most notably 2021’s SLOWLY: Song for Keith Jarrett. Featuring Haidu with bassists Buster Williams and Peter Washington, drummer Lewis Nash and guest saxophonist Steve Wilson, Standards is, in part, the soulmate to SLOWLY, which DownBeat called “a stunning and heartfelt tribute.” After Haidu, Buster Williams and Billy Hart recorded its last two songs – “But Beautiful” and “Georgia on My Mind” – Williams said, “Those two standards were beautiful, got any more?”

The next step in the evolution of Standards happened not in the studio but on the road. After recording SLOWLY, Haidu felt drawn to the format used by Jarrett, DeJohnette, and Peacock for their Standards Trio. When Nash, a drummer who was already ubiquitous when Haidu was first falling in love with jazz in his teens, joined Haidu and Williams during their 2021 tour, the connection was electric. “When Buster, Lewis and I played for the first time we played a lot of standards and I could feel that there was something special happening that I wanted to document,” says Haidu. “It felt as though every song had emotional depth, every note we played mattered. The 40th anniversary of the most celebrated ensemble to play standards in my lifetime seemed like the perfect moment to make my own statement on this music.”

Noah Haidu - piano
Buster Williams - bass (1-4)
Lewis Nash - drums (1-7, 9-11)
Peter Washington - bass (5-7, 9-11)
Steve Wilson - alto saxophone (6-7, 10-11)