Haidu, Noah
Standards Ii
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 Ive 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 musics most esteemed players, Buster Williams on bass and Billy Hart on drums. Standards II is clearly not a piano date with hired gun sidemen. It showcases an evolving ensemble - seasoned by time on the road and in the studio - at its peak, nailing the essence of what a jazz trio should be and expanding its vocabulary in some of the musics most revered standards.