WE remember how monstrously Covid hit New York City. Its lockdown months of agony and isolation were finally broken in mid-2021, when at last its musicians could play again in open-air performances.

One significant venue was Summit Rock in Central Park, formerly the highest point of Seneca Village, a settlement founded in 1825 by free black Americans, which in 1857 was destroyed to create the park.

On June 20 2021, the New York trio of saxophonist Abraham Burton, drummer Eric McPherson and bassist Dezron Douglas performed live and free at Summit Rock to passing New Yorkers now released from lockdown.

This brilliant and longed-for session is now released on producer and photographer Jimmy Katz’s GiantSteps Arts label.

I ask Burton, also a long-time member of the Mingus Big Band, about the performance.

“It was a very emotional time for us all,” he says, “a full spectrum of emotions, an enormous feeling of joy and relief filled the air that day.

“The enthusiasm of reuniting with family and friends for the first time since lockdown, the numbing flow of adrenaline racing through me as we prepared to perform, thankful to be performing with such exceptional musicians and sharing the journey with a live audience again — the privilege to partake in the simple act of being together.

“Equally important were those difficult moments, sharing stories of lost loved-ones and friends. We listened to one another in support and solidarity.

“There was a deep connection between musicians and audience — listeners and passers-by, walking past, standing still, joyous to hear live music again and feel that sense of normalcy.

“Colour, religion, age, gender, sexual identity, economic status — we were just people under the sun, grateful to be alive and together, celebrating life.”

A memorable track is the powerful and riveting Seneca Blues. What did the trio feel, playing such a historically vital theme?

“Seneca Village was a very special place, the first free black settlement in New York City, representing a great sense of historical pride for the African-American community.

“During those times they were still fighting their way through severe repression, physical and mental abuse and inequality with people sacrificing their lives for human rights.

“We’re still learning from them.

“Seneca Village had a functioning community. African-Americans owned property: there were hospital facilities, schools, churches.

“It was a way of life that was removed from relentless oppression that was routine elsewhere. So for us, performing there was an amazing experience, an honour, coming at the perfect time when we needed to be reconnected as a people, a brilliant idea organised by Jimmy Katz.

“We felt the positive energy that still surrounds the site of Seneca Village to this day.”

What about his trio-mates? What creates their closeness and musical trust?

“Eric and I have known each other for over 40 years. We grew up together. We played together from the beginning and throughout our lives. Our musical concepts are based on many of the same sources.

“We met Dezron when he was very young and he’s been with us since he was 18.

“We have a lot of history together and connect as people as well as musicians, travelling worldwide together, going through many situations good and bad. It’s what makes our music strong.”

The last time I heard Burton was when he was part of the Mingus Big Band, playing at Ronnie Scott’s in 2019.

He played a long, beautifully serpentine solo on Mingus’s tribute to Lester Young, Goodbye Pork Pie Hat.

It’s Mingus’s centenary this year. What did he think the great bassman would have made of the last few years — the Black Lives Matter movement, the mass international protests triggered by the murder of George Floyd, against Trump and his racism?

“I think Mingus would have been right in the middle of it! He showed no fear in voicing his opinion and standing up for what is right — all those compositions aimed directly at injustice! He’d be marching now, protesting and writing more music about it.”

The Trio’s Summit Rock Session is an epochal album. Tracks like Seneca Blues and Will Never Be Forgotten define our times, and there is compelling lyrical artistry on the ballad If You Could See Me Now and Jackie McLean’s Dance Little Mandisa.

Just three musicians playing like troubadours in the air, to the open sky, to passing humans grasping new freedoms — beautiful! Get hold of it!

The Summit Rock Session At Seneca Village by the Burton/McPherson Trio featuring Dezron Douglas is released by GiantStep Arts Records.