Kevin Hays - New Day

Kevin Hays s New Day marks the celebrated pianist and composer s return to the studio and first release as bandleader in over four years. The hiatus has provided Hays ample time to further his own craft of songwriting and performing, his main vehicle being his New Day Trio, featuring bassist Rob Jost and drummer Greg Joseph, musicians well versed in rock and folk as well as the jazz tradition.

One tendency that Hays has more recently been relying on is the increasing use of his voice. This element has lent a more tuneful bent to his music, both vocal and instrumental. The focus on songwriting has led to a certain amplification of singer as songwriter and on his new recording, New Day, Hays enlisted fellow singer-songwriter (and jazz bassist) Tony Scherr on guitar and the wonderfully expressive Gregoire Maret on chromatic harmonica.

There have been times in the pianist's life when self-searching and personal development have taken priority and performing was largely on the shelf. During these reflective periods lyric writing would become a connective and enriching activity for Hays. Though he still wrote for instruments initially, he would frequently find himself writing lyrics to tunes, even those he continued to play as instrumentals. He began to look at lyrics as quality control for his melodies, as he could judge the melody s integrity by its singability, a sentiment not far from that hinted at by Sonny Rollins when Hays received a cassette tape of vocal versions of tunes to learn when the master saxophonist employed him. Rollins s reason, I want you to hear how the songs really go. Implying a musician should know the words to a song in order to interpret it best.

Another important source of direction in the inception of New Day was producer Matt Pierson, who helped arrange and assisted on the ensemble s two days of recording at the Clubhouse in Rhinebeck, New York. Hays had known Scherr for some time, as he gave the guitarist his first job in New York (as a bassist), and the two have continued to play in various situations, including work with Pierson. Hays had also worked with Maret on a handful of projects and was keen to include the tasteful harmonica player on the new recording.

The music that was recorded for New Day highlights the various influences that have become a part of Hays s music. The jazz influences are impossible to summarize, as many of the pieces are harmonically complex and have virtuosic displays of improvisational genius. There are also the more song-driven elements taken from the blues, folk and rock, further augmented by Hays s inclusion of guitar and harmonica in the band, creating rootsy music aimed at the gut.