- Nick Suttle
- Hudson, left to right: Larry Grenadier, Jack DeJohnette, John Scofield, John Medeski
As regular readers may be aware, Hudson Valley music is my beat. So when a new local band pops up I’m always interested. But when it’s a jazz super group made up of locally residing, internationally renowned legends that’s named for and inspired by our beautiful region? Count me extra-intrigued. And such is the case with Hudson, the new project comprised of drummer Jack DeJohnette, keyboardist John Medeski, bassist Larry Grenadier, and guitarist John Scofield, which marks this month’s release of its debut album with a North American tour.
Officially launched in honor of DeJohnette’s upcoming 75th birthday (on August 9), the quartet originally came together at the 2014 Woodstock Jazz Festival. “There is a kindred spirit in the Hudson Valley,” says DeJohnette. “And there are many musicians who live in the area who represent a variety of genres. In recent years, we have only been able to collaborate locally on occasion due to our individual musical obligations, but the fact remains that there’s a common language that we all speak—something that emerges from our shared environment and our shared surroundings.”
On their self-titled debut, the unit references their surroundings not only in abstract ways but also by the inclusion of a piece by Woodstock’s most famous son, Bob Dylan: a transcendental version of his “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall.” Here’s a promotional trailer for the album:
Hudson’s initial tour begins June 9 in San Francisco. The band will perform at the Bardavon in Poughkeepsie, New York, on October 4. Hudson is out June 9 on Motemam Music. For more information, visit https://hudson-music.bandcamp.com/releases.
This article appears in June 2017 Isuse.
