1. Billie's Bounce
2. Stella by Starlight
3. Lullaby of Birdland
4. Quiet Nights
5. Blues for Jimmy "Cry Cry"
6. Blues March
7. No greater Love Trio
8. Over at Jack's Place
9. Theme From Shaker Square
10. Lucky
11. She
12. The Velvet Dancer

Washington has built, for us, a bridge that spans the divide between the two banks of music that have been seemingly separated by time; Be Bop and Modern African American Music. With Bridging the Gap, he shows us the interconnectedness of Jazz from the fifties until now. In short, he’s bridged the gap between the past and the present.

With Bridging the Gap, Washington creates a collective that brings together a gathering of musicians. First, there are the old tigers like Curtis Peagler, Art Hillary, Ernie Fields, Roy Brewster and Washington Rucker who have their roots in Be Bop and Swing. Next, there are the graying panthers like Ndugu Chancler, Oscar Brashear, John Boliver, John B. Williams, Greg Poree, as well as Kevin Brandon, their influences lay in the pop and modern jazz movement of the seventies and eighties. They are followed by the young lions like Rastine Calhoun and Elliot Douglas. Finally, there are the consummate song styling of the “singer’s singer” Ms Claydene Jackson Edwards who provides the vocal link between the Jazz and Pop worlds.

The Be Bop numbers on this CD were all recorded live Over at Jack’s Place giving further authenticity to the era. Washington’s original popular pieces were recorded in the studio, thereby joining two engineering techniques as well.

1. My Ballerina
2. Body Dancing
3. The Colors of the Faire
4. Don't you wanna dance a little bit longer
5. A Drummer's Lullaby
6. Live Jones
7. Lucky
8. Midnight Sun
9. She
10. She (Different Version)
11. Forest Dance
12. Lucky (w/ Clydene Jackson feat. Curtis Peagler

"Over the years I have played with some of the greatest singers of my generation. In doing so I have always had a desire to express myself in word and melody as well as from behind the drum set. I have secretly wanted to be one of the ones who holds the mike and sing the songs that I wrote. Now is the time.

Many songs in this collection are the result of experiences, thoughts, or just a desire to say something in melody. Most of my songs are inspired by "hearing" rhythms and adding melodies to them.

I have the pleasure of working with many of the great pop musicians throughout my career and have asked some of them for input into my songs. They have all enthusiastically helped me to put forth this presentation of my material. Larry Farrow, Marlo Henderson, the late Charles Mallory,Randy Randolph and King Errison are among the several arrangers/musicians that I owe a great amount of gratitude. These are all first class musicians/arrangers who helped me realize my dream. Larry and Marlo and King have graced the tracks of music of most of the great artists in the pop/jazz era Ndugu Chancler cracked the whip more than once to encourage me to do this as well as to show case my talent with the art of playing brushes. Enjoy my songs and know that there is a story behind each of them and hopefully there are more to come."
Washington I. Rucker

Washington Rucker is an award winning jazz musician who was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in 1998.
In addition to being the author of a published book “Jazz Road” (which is an Autobiography), he also lectured at UCLA (Jazz and Jive) and is director of Jazz For Wee People, a historical visit through jazz for secondary, primary, high schools and colleges/universities.
Too, he lectures and teaches the Master Class at U.S.C: The Art of Brushes.