As influential as he’s been on the history of the jazz saxophone, Johnny Hodges is usually discussed wholly in light of his key role in the Duke Ellington Orchestra. On his second release as a leader, saxophonist Owen Broder shifts the spotlight to focus more intently on the legendary altoist. With Hodges: Front and Center, Vol. 1, Broder and his gifted quintet explore nine compositions associated with the Rabbit (the nickname that Hodges earned early in his career and the source of several conflicting stories), culling pieces both from the Ellington repertoire as well as from the saxophonist’s often overlooked catalogue of small group albums.Due out October 14, 2022 via Outside In Music, Hodges: Front and Center is hardly an exercise in nostalgia. On his acclaimed 2018 debut, Heritage, Broder offered striking new interpretations of American roots music from Appalachian folk to early blues, spirituals to bluegrass. He takes a similar approach to Hodges’ music here; the interpretations are not radically altered, but Broder’s insightful arrangements honor the beauty and elegance of the originals while lending them a deeply felt modern vibrancy.