Description
New York, N.Y. is a high point for influential jazz composer and arranger George Russell. Russell, was an early proponent of "modal jazz," which featured fewer chord changes and encouraged soloists to improvise on the melody not on the harmony.
For this 1959 classic Russell assembled an all-star orchestra, including pianist Bill Evans (a frequent participant on Russell's recordings), Art Farmer, Bob Brookmeyer, John Coltrane, and Milt Hinton, among others. Singer Jon Hendricks provided a beatnik-style stream of consciousness narration that opened and closed the truly unique performance.