PETER BERNSTEIN

BETTER ANGELS

Smoke Sessions Records

Peter Bernstein, guitar/composer; Brad Mehldau, piano; Vicente Archer, bass; Al Foster, drums.

Peter Bernstein can pick up the phone and dial an onslaught of legendary musicians. He’s well respected in the music business, and well connected. For this new album, he has gathered an extraordinary, multi-generational quartet of talented ‘cats’ to join him in the studio.

Propelled by the iconic Al Foster on drums, Bernstein opens this project with his original composition, “Perpetual Pendulum.” Foster keeps the time like a well-oiled grandfather clock, and Vicente Archer walks his double bass like the pendulum itself.  After Bernstein establishes the melodic structure, he ventures into the atmosphere with a stunning improvised solo, Brad Mehldau enters next, on piano, with his own improvisation.  This original song is a great way to kick off an album that represents, “Better Angels.”

Surprisingly, these quartet members have convened for the first time to make this album. The second song is another Bernstein original composition.  “Ditty for Dewey.”  It gives Mehldau a platform to show-off his piano ‘chops’ and he improvises wildly. The song was written with Bernstein’s family in mind.

“I wanted to document some new tunes while they’re still fresh. To hear these guys react to music that’s new, and then reacting to their reactions is really the fun of it for me,” explained Bernstein about why he added original works.

However, he also threw in some wonderful standard tunes like “You Go to My Head,” “Born to Be Blue” and J.J. Johnson’s “Lament,” that closes the album out with Bernstein soaking up the spotlight during a solo journey on his guitar.

On “You Go To My Head” Bernstein introduces this tune on his guitar, inviting Mehldau to solo on piano during the moderate tempo-swing arrangement.  After Mehldau completes his solo, Bernstein is off and running with a string of creative ideas that sing from his guitar in unique and emotional phrases.

I loved hearing Peter Bernstein play “Born to Be Blue” a ’Capella and letting his guitar mastery shine like a beautiful comet cruising across the night sky.  Bernstein’s original title tune waltzes across my listening room like a gorgeous girl in a pretty dress. I was intrigued by Duke Jordan’s tune, “No Problem” where the brilliance of Al Foster on drums is prominent.  This quickly becomes another favorite of mine, with it’s blend of blues, Straight-ahead and bolero all wrapped into a single awesome package held together by Foster’s drum licks.

This is an album of jazz beauty, that features the composer skills of Peter Bernstein along with his amazing technique on guitar and his hand-picked musicians who are each a star in their own right.

Above is a quartet gig at the Porgy & Bess Club, with Bernstein and a different quartet, but it’s such a wonderful blues, I had to add this flavor to my review.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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