The quartet heard here was formed in 2003, and originally billed as the Ethan Iverson/Mark Turner Quartet. When Billy Hart asked if it could be his band for a gig in his hometown of Montclair, New Jersey, the other members unanimously voted to give it him permanently. As the Billy Hart Quartet, the four musicians have continued to play a number of dates each year, often at New York's Village Vanguard. In 2005 the group recorded a well-received debut album for hard-bop label High Note. Since then, as Ethan Iverson notes, the music has become more free and spacious, qualities that fit well with ECM's priorities. "All Our Reasons" was recorded in June 2011 at New York's Avatar Studios, with Manfred Eicher producing.
Billy Hart – Drums
Mark Turner – Tenor Saxophone
Ethan Iverson – Piano
Ben Street – Bass
Mark Turner, who found his own style after exhaustive study of the musical methodologies of Coltrane and Marsh, has become one of the most influential saxophonists of his generation. After recording leader dates (for Warner Brothers and Criss-Cross), Turner co-founded the trio Fly with Larry Grenadier and Jeff Ballard in 2004 and has continued to tour widely with the group.
Ethan Iverson is well-known as a member of "avant-garde populist" group The Bad Plus, praised by New York magazine for its "alchemist's blend of earnestness and wit". He has also played with Lee Konitz, Dewey Redman, Tim Berne, Paul Motian and others. Iverson writes about music and its contexts on his blog Do The Math.
Ben Street studied bass with Dave Holland and Miroslav Vitous. He has performed and toured with Danilo Perez, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Roswell Rudd, Sam Rivers, Paul Motian, Lee Konitz, David Sanchez, James Moody, Frank Foster, Clark Terry, Junior Cook, and others.
Billy Hart's rich history includes stints with Wes Montgomery, Jimmy Smith, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner and many others. A vast discography incorporates sessions with Miles Davis for "On The Corner" and "Big Fun".
