Danny's Groove by Jonathan Russell

Ron Drotos suggested that I compose a tune for our new CD. I thought it would be fitting if I wrote a piece in honor of Daniel Pearl, both because I was inspired by his efforts to bridge the barriers that separate people and because I was recording the CD on one of the Daniel Pearl Memorial Violins.

I started off writing "Danny's Groove" by thinking of a bebop-like melody. When Ron came to look at it, he thought the solos might work well with a funk feel. I realized this added a nice touch because (perhaps as Daniel would have wanted it) it bridged two worlds of jazz ... and it turned out to be a really good jam tune!