Bob Berg [Another Standard]
It's the sixth month of the year, and this is the sixth Jazz disc finding its way onto my Blog this year, i need to get into Jazz even more, i've had this disc for roughly five years, it doesn't get extensive play, and it's certainly not one of my favourites, but gradually i'm warming to it, basically it's a Quartet, [Saxophone, Piano, Bass, & Drums], with tracks 5 & 9 including Trumpet, and track 7 with Guitar, making Quintets, it's er... fairly standard stuff, but i really enjoyed it.
Bob Berg was an American Jazz Saxophonist, born in 1951, he was tragically killed in a car accident in 2002, he was 51 years old, this disc was recorded in 1997, the visuals for this disc are very good [photography by Armen Kachaturian], so many Jazz discs really lack in this department.
Well the tracks that hit me were 1 & 8, Berg plays both Tenor and Soprano Saxophones, and i think i like his Soprano work the best, i certainly find this with Branford Marsalis, i wish he would do a Soprano Saxophone record, on this listen, and for this reason, it's track 8 'It Was A Very Good Year', that i find the better of the two, starting of with a Bass solo [Ed Howard], the first part is not particularly inspired, but the Pianist [David Kikoski] gets things going well, when bob Berg comes in [1:08-2:06], his tone is excellent, i just love that Soprano Sax, and the Drummer [Gary Novak] is very inventive, he has these certain chops [wood blocks or something?], playing behind the Saxophone, and he continues into the beginning of the Pianist solo [2:05-4:06], and i must admit the Drummer is really busy, he's certainly not an accompanist, building up a fervent heat, especially when Bob Berg returns again [4:04-5:39], a real Hard Bebop lather is created, it's nice to hear Berg do the reprise of the theme [5:39+], a nice moment of resolution, and it's recorded great too.
Here's Bob Berg playing track 3 'Michelle' on YouTube.
