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Dave Burrell / Sam Woodyard: The Lost Session, Paris 1979
ByDave Burrell
pianob.1940

Thelonious Monk
piano1917 - 1982

Billy Strayhorn
piano1915 - 1967

Duke Ellington
piano1899 - 1974
Burrell made his mark in the revolutionary 1960s New Thing movement alongside

Archie Shepp
saxophone, tenorb.1937

Pharoah Sanders
saxophone, tenor1940 - 2022

David Murray
saxophone, tenorb.1955
Central to Burrell's artistic identity is Windward Passages, an opera he began writing with librettist and wife Monika Larsson in 1978. Throughout his career, he has continually returned to this deeply personal material, first recording it solo in 1979 for Hat Hut Records and later exploring it with various partners.
That same year, Burrell and drummer

Sam Woodyard
drums1925 - 1988
The drowsy blues "On A Saturday Night" opens the set, Burrell's contemplative piano accompanied by Woodyard's whispered brushwork. The music gradually builds steam through boogie-woogie passages that

Pete Johnson
piano1904 - 1967

Scott Joplin
piano1868 - 1917
The duo's approach to Ellington-Strayhorn standards proves revelatory. Their "Lush Life" and "Sophisticated Lady" receive the reverent treatment these masterpieces deserve, while

George Gershwin
composer / conductor1898 - 1937
Windward Passages tells Burrell's own storymuch of it lived in Hawaii before relocating to Boston, then New York. He ingeniously merges his island heritage with American musical traditions in pieces like "Punaluu Pete" and "My Dog Has Fleas/Meneghune Messages," blending island rhythms with ragtime and sacred music.
This Paris recording captures Burrell and Woodyard refining the musical elements that would define Burrell's artistic vision for the next five decades. With Woodyard's masterful support, the pianist crystallized the diverse threads that make Windward Passages such a distinctive personal statement. The recovery of this lost session provides invaluable insight into one of jazz's most versatile and underappreciated masters at a crucial creative moment. ">
Track Listing
On a Saturday Night; A.M. Rag; Lush Life (Strayhorn); Punaluu Peter; Sarah's Lament; Stepping Out (or, Monday Night Death Rehearsal); Embraceable (Gershwin / Gershwin); Black Robert; My Dog Has Fleas / Menehune Messages; Sophisticated Lady (Ellington).
Personnel
Dave Burrell
pianoSam Woodyard
drumsAlbum information
Title: The Lost Session, Paris 1979 | Year Released: 2025 | Record Label: NoBusiness Records
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