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Brian Landrus: AGRA

By John Chacona
July 14, 2024
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The palette of

Duke Ellington

piano
1899 - 1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Duke Ellington, jazz's first notable colorist—and arguably its greatest—drew on a range of instrumental hues that might still be unmatched in jazz history. Picking one as the essential pigment in the Orchestra's sound is a fool's errand. But here goes: it was

Harry Carney

saxophone, baritone
1910 - 1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Harry Carney's baritone saxophone, without which the Ellington sonic signature is inconceivable. So it makes perfect sense that

Brian Landrus

saxophone, baritone
b.1978

" data-original-title="" title="">Brian Landrus, a baritone specialist, drew from the deep well of Ellingtonia for Plays Ellington and Strayhorn (Palmetto Records/Blue Land, 2024). "Agra," an often-overlooked movement from 1967's "Far East Suite," was a feature for Carney's burly and bighearted lyricism, but Landrus' reading is more tender than tough. The arrangement for a fragrant ensemble of woodwinds, all played by the leader, is lovely, but the most outstanding contribution comes from the peerless

Billy Hart

drums
b.1940

" data-original-title="" title="">Billy Hart, a Washingtonian whose atmospheric mallet work recalls

Sonny Greer

drums
1895 - 1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Sonny Greer and

Sam Woodyard

drums
1925 - 1988

" data-original-title="" title="">Sam Woodyard, and just might be overseen by the shade of his hometown's—and America's—most distinguished musical son.

Contact John Chacona on All About Jazz.
John Chacona is a freelance journalist, content writer and producer in Cleveland.

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