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.