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Billy Lester: High Standards
ByBilly Lester
piano
Tom Harrell
trumpetb.1946
Test yourself and be honest. Play the recording randomly and then say, "What is this coming from?" Unless the listener is a musician, and a pretty good one, chances are, the result will be 0 for 8 (Or perhaps 1 for 8, because Lester does play a head for mere mortals once). But otherwise, the average jazz enthusiasteven the above-average enthusiastis apt to be lost. Intervallic motifs, tritone substitutionsthe panoply of an improvising jazz player's toolkit is what is at play here. And to understand that requires sustained, serious study. Alas, it will be beyond many listeners, but that does not mean it is not worth hearing. In fact, one suspects that an ambitious listener (or a music major!) could take much of Lester's playing as a challenge. It is not a casual pursuit, no, but jazz people have always prided themselves on their superiority to the hoi polloi. Ready to give it a go?
This recording is not for everyone. If someone is inclined to ask the achingly cliche question, "But where is the melody?" look elsewhere. But let players like Lester have the space they need and deserve, something well beyond middlebrow. ">
Track Listing
There Will Never Be Another You; Somebody Loves Me; What Is This Thing Called Love?; I’ll Remember April; You Go to My Head; Just Friends; Out of Nowhere; Lover, Come Back to Me; Free Improvisation.
Personnel
Album information
Title: High Standards | Year Released: 2025 | Record Label: Ultra Sound Records
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