Professor Emeritus of Jazz Studies (Eastman College of Music, Univ. of Rochester) Harold Danko pays homage to Be Bop’s song-smith Duke Jordan here in an inaugural meeting with New York’s rising star cornetist Kirk Knuffke. Duke Jordan’s distinctive melodies receive Danko/Knuffke duo’s refined and creative reading and mingle naturally with their free tunes in between. “… (Harold Danko’s remarkable authority and heartfelt approach have been nothing short of an inspiration” (C. Andrew Hoven – AAJ) “This is a fascinating showcase for Kirk Knuffke's versatility. He can apply his cornet to a dazzling variety of settings ...” (Jerome Wilson – AAJ on “Witness” SCCD 31859)

Perry and Danko have been closely working together for almost 30 years. As evident in their first duo album “Cancoes do Brasil” (SCCD 31463), they are in total empathy and harmony again here on this new duo programme. “Rich Perry is that rarest of tenor saxophonists—a complete musician with an understanding of space and timing, a palpable sense of color and humor and absolutely no need to showboat or compromise .… he makes jazz that’s adventurous and highly listenable… .playing standards not frequently performed and in new ways of playing in the tradition… . ” (Donald Elfman – Allaboutjazz) “Danko's a mature player who knows the power of economy, melodic sense and a refined touch; wasting not a note, his improvisations always tell a compelling story.” (Steve Futterman – JazzTimes)

Pennsylvania, 1947) go way back into the late 1970s when the two young musicians cut their teeth in the Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Orchestra. Although they have performed together in all types of groups and bands over the years, this is the first time they perform in a duo setting where “there is never a dull or wasted moment as two minds connect in perfect harmony.” (Mark Gardner from the linernotes)

Here’s the 11th output by the pianist whose steady collaboration with this label was described by the Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD as “The move to SteepleChase has been nothing but positive for Danko. Producer Nils Winther has an intuitive feel for piano players and he gives Harold a well-rounded, spacious sound that enhances his increasingly positive and resonant playing.” Trilix comprises nine jazz compositions including Duke Jordan’s classic “Flight To Jordan” immaculately performed.

What modesty forbids Harold Danko from saying is that he interprets and handles this diversity of material in a most personal and refreshing manner which would surely please the composers, who also were/are all working instrumentalists. The Danko/Formanek/Hirshfield coalition is a unit that functions with unanimity. While Harold may have opted for a solo piano approach his two companions worked beautifully around that stance to achieve a wholly integrated blend. (from Mark Gardner's liner notes)

Piano - bass duo format has been a significant part of the SteepleChase label since its inception in the early 70s. Many of the “duo” albums have become the flagship of the label and this latest version with Harold Danko and Ron McClure will certainly be one of them. “… stimulating meeting of two razor-sharp musical minds.”(Mark Gardner).

Harold Danko renders his most personal pianistic insight into the music of Earl Hines precisely 100 years after the great piano man’s birth. “… The CD should make everyone dig out their Hines sides and listen again to the pieces and personality that made such an indelible imprint on the jazz muse.” (Mark Gardner) Of the Harold Danko Trio’s 2004 release Trilix (SteepleChase SCCD 31551), Steve Futterman of JazzTimes wrote, “… Danko’s a mature player who knows the power of economy, melodic sense and a refined touch; wasting not a note, his improvisations always tell a compelling story.”

Harold Danko’s trio is in fact Harold Danko Quartet without Rich Perry – thus the album title “Unriched”. This latest Harold Danko Trio was cut right after the Quartet session fully warmed up and is rich with intense creativity and sophistication. Harold Danko has been a mainstay of SteepleChase label since the early 80s producing a number recordings in various settings with highest quality.

For pianist/leader Harold Danko, the trio with Formanek on bass and Hirshfield on drums has been an essential vehicle for his resonant expression for the past several years. Thomas Conrad of JazzTimes comments on Danko trio’s release Times Remembered SCCD 31612, “For someone in the market for a jazz-piano recording, there are few safer investments than a Harold Danko album …. Every Danko recording I’ve ever heard has had clarity and depth and a specific reason to exist.”

With his quartet of almost 10 years’ close working relationship, Harold Danko gets the chance to engage his talent both as performer and as composer to the fullest. In this latest album composer Harold Danko invites us into his impressionistic night. “Harold Danko’s Nightscapes are drawn with insight and beauty and with his own distinctive touch of mystery….” (Mark Gardner – from the liner notes.)

Pianist/Leader/Composer/Educator are a few of the hats worn by Harold Danko. Here he leads his quartet (with special guest Dave Ballou on trumpet) as an interpreter of Eric Dolphy's music. In its seventh recording for SteepleChase, the Harold Danko Quartet explores nine tunes penned by Dolphy. Danko's previous effort for SteepleChase ("Night Scapes" SCCD 31490) has received much praise from critics everywhere. "A hauntingly beautiful collection of eight lambent vignetts" (Chuck Berg, Jazz Times, June 2001) "Danko's solos are wonderfully evocative and impressionistic throughout." (Ron Netsky, Rochester City News, March 2001) "Danko is a thoughtful composer/player whose tasteful themes are awash in musical riches" (Jack Bowers, Cadence Magazine, September 2001).

Pianist Harold Danko brings back his successful “Trilix” trio to present another essential trio treats here. On “Trilix” Donald Elfman of All About Jazz wrote, “When a piano trio—or any jazz group, for that matter—is at the top of its game, all of the qualities that make its individual members shine come to the fore but also work in the service of both the tunes and the larger aesthetic of the group. Danko, Formanek and Hirshfield make a vitally engaging, intelligent and musical trio album. “

Harold Danko, the mastermind of this two-saxophone quintet project has dreamed of uniting Rich Perry’s tenor with Dick Oatts’ alto for at least quarter of a century. Danko was already an established member of Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra when Dick and Rich joined them as new saxophone wonders, “who made a lasting impression on everyone who heard them…” (Harold Danko)

A sequel to the highly successful SCCD 31588 “Oatts & Perry I”, on which Thomas Conrad of JazzTimes commented, “…Harold Danko played with Oatts and Perry in the Thad Jones–Mel Lewis Orchestra and always wanted them in his own band. This album is a true sleeper, a blowing date on which the blowing is epic and the date is beautifully planned and recorded.” "Rich Perry is that rarest of tenor saxophonists — a complete musician." (Donald Elfman , Allabout Jazz–NY) "… Dick Oatts is an uncompromising jazz musician, one who possesses monster chops without trumpeting them… " (Owen Cordle, JazzTimes)

A good part of pianist/composer/educator Harold Danko’s strength lies in his creative intelligence in composition of originals as well as in recasting or reinventing the existing melodies like in this new release. “Danko's approach is one of subtlety and sophistication, not of pyrotechnics (though his technical facility is formidable). He often takes a recognizable tune and changes the setting and mood to produce performances that are pleasantly surprising.” (Francis Lo Kee, AAJ on Escapades SCCD 31674)

Harold Danko concludes his liner notes entitled “Arriving at The Unknown” on this “Triple Play” album, stating, “I hope … listeners of this CD are prepared to join us as we take off to undiscovered region.” Ever subtle and transcendent pianist/composer Danko and his congenial co-players Jay Anderson and Jeff Hirshfield are unfolding a unique universe of improvising in and on the recognizable repertoire to pleasant surprises. “Danko plays with the kind of finesse and heartfelt emotion that has always marked his work. Bravo! (C. Andrew Hovan – AAJ on SCCD 31471 This Isn’t Maybe…)