Ted Nash, Steve Cardenas, and Ben Allison Release “Somewhere Else”
The trio of saxophonist Ted Nash, guitarist Steve Cardenas, and bassist Ben Allison have teamed up once again for a new recording called Somewhere Else. The album reimagines the music of West Side Story into their three-piece format, with room for experimentation. It’s the second release from them that honors a specific composer, but the impetus for the album came from a performance at the Havana Jazz Festival.
“Our set, comprised of songs from West Side Story, was foremost a celebration of Leonard Bernstein’s centennial, but also an opportunity for the trio to continue the tradition we have created interpreting wonderful songs by composers we love. (Our previous release, Quiet Revolution, was dedicated mainly to the music of Jim Hall and Jimmy Giuffre,)” Nash wrote. “We were welcomed this particular evening equally by a persistent humidity and an enthusiastic crowd, many of whom lingered at the edge of the stage to connect with us as we gathered our gear a little later. ‘You have to record this music,’ the group implored. And it is because of their insistence we bring the songs to you on this album.”
Nash, Cardenas, and Allison cover much of the music from West Side Story, including “America,” “Jet Song,” “Something’s Coming,” and more. Check out their version of “Tonight”:
Somewhere Else is available now on CD and as a digital download (iTunes and Amazon MP3).
Somewhere Else Track List:
- Jet Song
- A Boy Like That
- Maria
- On Hand, One Heart
- Tonight
- America
- I Have a Love
- Something’s Coming
- Cool
- Somewhere
- Somewhere (Reprise)
