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. Saxophonist Owen Broder shifts the spotlight to focus more intently on the legendary altoist as a soloist, composer and bandleader in his own right. With two full-length albums and four additional singles, Broder and his quintet of collaborators on the world stage explore compositions associated with the Rabbit (the nickname that Hodges earned early in his career). The repertoire culls from the Ellington canon as well as from the saxophonist’s often overlooked catalogue of small group albums.

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.