Noah Haidu: Standards III

INFINITE DISTANCES (RELEASED JUNE 6, 2025)

The third installment in pianist Noah Haidu’s Standards series is a mixed bag. Four of the tunes were recorded in 2023 (perhaps for the Standards I session) and the remaining seven tunes were recorded specifically for this session. As a result, various groups appear on Standards III. Bassist Buster Williams and drummer Billy Hart, who appeared on Standards II, join Haidu for “Things Ain’t What They Used to Be,” “A Child is Born” and “Stevie W,” a tune with a nod to Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely.” Drummer Lewis Nash, bassist Peter Washington and alto saxophonist Steve Wilson, who appeared on Standards I, breathe new life into “Slipstream,” a Haidu original that was the title track for his debut recording in 2011. The remaining tunes, from the 2025 session, are a showcase for Haidu’s new trio of bassist Gervis Myles and drummer Charles Goold on a range of Great American Songbook classics including “Yesterdays,” “Lover,” “Alone Together,” “Old Folks” and “Teach Me Tonight.” Although many of the trio cuts are reminiscent of Bill Evans or Keith Jarrett, with Haidu’s bluesy and knotty solos and strong intuitive interaction with bass and drums, “Lover“and “A Child is Born” are a bit more abstract with the trio unraveling the tunes until they resolve on the familiar melodies later in the performances. The only tunes that don’t fit in with the Standards theme are: Haidu’s original “Slipstream,” an up-tempo angular piece with Wilson soaring over the trio; “Casual,” a pop song from Chappell Roan, which lacks the beauty and charm of the real standards; and the aforementioned Stevie W with ist cliché soulful sound. The short piano intro to “Teach Me Tonight,” titled “Tonight … Teach … Me,” which is treated as its own track) adds little to the trio’s performance of “Teach Me Tonight.” Although he isn’t given much solo space, Myles shows his prowess on his introductory solo to “Old Folks” and a catchy bass line he adds to “Alone Together.” Simply stated, the third time is not a charm for Haidu’s Standards series. Let’s hope he returns to the winning formula he had in Standards I and II and features his new trio exclusively on Standards IV!

BOTTOM LINE: Standards III has a lot going for it— various configurations of musicians,
various recording dates and various tunes, some that simply don’t live up to the “standards” criteria. On a positive note, Standards III introduces Haidu’s new trio of Gervis Myles on bass and Charles Goold on drums. Hopefully Standards IV will give them an opportunity to fully demonstrate why Haidu selected them as bandmates.