Planet D Nonet - Doctor Professor Leonard King in Tribute to Joe Williams

On a Sunday afternoon, December 17, 2023, Dr./Prof Leonard King drove to Cadieux Cafe on Detroit’s east side to hear the PD9 (aka Planet D Nonet) perform. Usually, he would have recorded music playing in the van within five minutes of pulling out of the driveway, but that day, for some reason, he drove several minutes in silence. It wasn’t long before he began innately hearing the melody to one of Joe Williams’s recordings. At that moment, he decided to ask RJ Spangler if the PD9 would want to collaborate with on a Joe Williams project. Of course, RJ and the guys were receptive! As far as the material was concerned, Leonard wanted the selections to primarily focus on the life of Joe Williams AFTER his departure from the Count Basie Orchestra, with one exception-- The Comeback.