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"Captivating and genuine. Music of extraordinary breath. Spacious. Their sound can startle exacting listeners as harmonic overtones of cymbals & skins leap to Rudolph’s crystalline voicings, meshed with Gress’ bottomless reservoir of strung old growth."

"Ensemble chemistry, balance, and generosity of stellar radiance.
A contemporary classic."

~ CSJ, 2009

"IT’S BEEN ABOUT A DECADE SINCE DRUMMER PHIL HAYNES, PIANIST STEVE RUDOLPH AND BASSIST DREW GRESS RECORDED DAY DREAM, THE FINE STANDARDS COLLECTION AFTER WHICH THEIR TRIO IS NAMED.

THEIR CHEMISTRY HAS LOST NOTHING TO THE INTERVENING YEARS. THIS IS A TRIO THAT TRULY IS MORE THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS, ATTAINING VIBRANCY AND COLOR THROUGH A MELDING OF GRESS’ DEEP, SHAPELY TONES, HAYNES’ PROBING, LOOSE-LIMBED ACCENTS AND RUDOLPH’S HEADY LYRICISM. THERE’S A FULLNESS TO THE PERFORMANCE THAT YOU DON’T USUALLY HEAR IN OCCASIONAL TRIOS—OR EVEN STEADILY WORKING ONES."

~Lloyd Sachs, Downbeat (May, 2020)

Connections among musicians are often alluded to as the “jazz family tree”. When I moved to NYC in 1983, the first bassist I worked with where there was an obvious mutual chemistry was Drew Gress. Since then, we have appeared together on more than 15 CDs with artists ranging from Ellery Eskelin and Paul Smoker to Mark Feldman, David Kikoski, Hank Roberts, Michelle Rosewoman, and now master pianist Steve Rudolph. After living for 20 years in my beloved Brooklyn, NY “Corner Store”, I felt a change in life challenges was in order and moved to Pennsylvania in 2003 to join my wife at Bucknell University. A new young collage of mine, bassist Joe Michals, asked me if I knew Steve Rudolph, and I had to admit that we’d never met. Joe mentioned my playing to Steve, who in turn hired to perform with him at the nearby Hilton Harrisburg - and the the rest is fortunately becoming history. Our shared love for timeless jazz standards, sensitive and creative improvisers, collective group interplay, and nuanced live improvisations have resulted in numerous concert collaborations over the past three years. From the very first few moments I played with Steve, Drew Gress entered my mind as an ideal foil for Rudolph’s swinging, lyrical and harmonically astute improvisation. Daydream represents our literal introduction to each other as a trio, captured live for Bucknell University’s Janet Weis Cabaret Series, March 25, 2009 as well as the “Studio Session” the following morning at the same Natalie Davis Rooke Recital Hall. We hope you enjoy our “New Family”, as the tree of jazz continues to nourish us all.

-Phil Haynes