Standards II

SSC1739 2024-04-12

Track List

Over The Rainbow - 10:25
Someone To Watch Over Me - 7:57
Up Jumped Spring - 11:53
Obsesión - 8:42
Days Of Wine And Roses - 7:49
After You've Gone - 6:04
I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) - 7:45

Musicians

Noah Haidu - piano
Buster Williams - bass
Billy Hart - drums

Pianist Noah Haidu sees a certain irony in his current recorded output. “I love composing but improvisation has always been my greatest passion. When I started releasing music in 2011 I relied
on my songwriting to make a unique artistic statement, but I’ve come full circle and realized that finding my own voice on a simple, unadorned standard is a rare and necessary endeavor.” Haidu embraced that endeavor on his 2023 release Standards, and on Standards II, due out April 12, 2024 on Sunnyside Records. The new album is a breathtaking masterpiece featuring Haidu with two of the music’s most esteemed players, Buster Williams on bass and Billy Hart on drums.

“With Standards II, I’ve committed to performing with my own Standards Trio as a regular part of my touring schedule,” Haidu says. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to build a voice in this canon, and for the amazing response from audiences on our recent tours. While I’m still composing my own music and continuing with various projects outside of the American Songbook repertoire, my Standards Trio is an important statement for me and an integral part of my identity as a musician.”

The album is also the latest in a five-decade collaboration between legendary bassist Buster Williams and brilliant drummer Billy Hart. Their rhythmic partnership started on a gig in Chicago with vocalist Betty Carter, and continued soon after in bands led by pianists Herbie Hancock and McCoy Tyner, both of whom have influenced Haidu as much as Keith Jarrett and Kenny Kirkland. Haidu reminisces about the moment he realized he wanted to record with Hart and Williams:

“We were playing at Jazz Forum. I’d played with Billy, I’d played with Buster, but we’d never played together as a group. I started a piece in three-four time, but the tempo was too fast. Buster responded by superimposing different time signatures over the 3-4, never quite going into one or the other. The effect of keeping things off balance challenged everyone to play the song differently. It was like ... hold on tight, and keep up!