Bob Berg - New York Journey

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:07
Size: 113,1 MB
Art: Front

(7:24)  1. Scrunch
(7:43)  2. Waiting for Birth
(4:13)  3. Israel
(8:36)  4. Swiss Moon
(8:28)  5. Agadir
(5:07)  6. Cocotte's Waltz
(7:32)  7. Blues for Christine

Tenor saxophonist Bob Berg channeled the bold dynamics of hard bop to emerge as one of contemporary jazz's most expressive and resourceful improvisers, honing a richly articulated sound bolstered by flawless technical command. Born in New York City on April 7, 1951, Berg grew up in Brooklyn, initiating piano lessons at age six. At 13, he moved to alto saxophone, first discovering jazz when a high school teacher introduced him to the music of Cannonball Adderley and Horace Silver. After dropping out of New York's High School of Performing Arts, Berg enrolled in a special non-academic curriculum at the Juilliard School of Music. In 1968, he made his professional debut touring behind Brother Jack McDuff, and by the time the 1960s drew to a close, he specialized in tenor saxophone, his subsequent creative path profoundly shaped by John Coltrane. After a brief flirtation with free jazz Berg renounced the avant-garde in favor of postwar bop. On the recommendation of fellow saxophonist Michael Brecker, he joined Silver in 1973, remaining with his boyhood hero for three years, when he replaced George Coleman in Cedar Walton's Eastern Rebellion. In 1978 Berg stepped out to record his debut LP, New Birth, and after leaving Walton in 1981 he cut his sophomore effort, Steppin': Live in Europe; he rose to new levels of renown upon joining Miles Davis in 1984, a three-year stint that set the stage for his 1987 breakout session, Short Stories. Berg closed out the decade in the band he led with co-founder/guitarist Mike Stern, cutting a series of LPs including 1988's Cycles and 1990's In the Shadows. In 1992, he signed on with Chick Corea's acoustic quartet, and that same year led his own quartet on a U.S. Department of State-sponsored tour of the Caribbean. Upon releasing the 1997 solo date Another Standard, Berg joined an acoustic reincarnation of the group Steps Ahead, and in 2000 he also joined the cooperative project the Jazz Times Superband, collaborating with Randy Brecker, Joey Defranchesco, and Dennis Chambers. Berg next surfaced alongside vibraphonist Joe Locke in the group 4 Walls of Freedom. Sadly, their eponymous debut set did not appear until after the saxophonist's death in an auto accident near his home on Long Island on December 5, 2002. ~ Jason Ankeny https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bob-berg-mn0000759694/biography

Personnel:  Bob Berg (saxophone), Moncef Genoud (piano), Jean-luc Lavanchy (drums), Ivor Malherbe (bass)

New York Journey

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Bob Berg - Short Stories

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1987
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:30
Size: 127,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:28)  1. Friday Night At Cadillac Club
(7:17)  2. Words
(5:56)  3. Snakes
(8:09)  4. Kalimba
(7:57)  5. The Search
(7:18)  6. Maya
(6:04)  7. That's The Ticket
(7:18)  8. Junior

Bob Berg's third release as a leader (released on a Japanese Denon CD) was his first fairly commercial date. Doubling on tenor and soprano but not sounding too distinctive on either, Berg performs eight funky group originals with a sextet also including keyboardist Don Grolnick, guitarist Mike Stern, bassist Will Lee, drummer Peter Erskine and Robby Kilgore on additional keyboards; altoist David Sanborn drops by to add some heat to "Kalimba." 

The R&B-ish music is very much of the period and sounds a bit dated now, but has its moments of interest due to the high musicianship of the players. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/short-stories-mw0000197671

Personnel:  Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Bob Berg;  Alto Saxophone – Dave Sanborn;  Bass – Jeff Andrews;  Bass, Percussion – Will Lee;  Drums, Percussion – Peter Erskine;  Guitar – Mike Stern;  Keyboards [Additional] – Robby Kilgore;  Producer, Organ, Synthesizer, Piano [Acoustic] – Don Grolnick

Short Stories

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Kenny Drew - Lite Flite

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:07
Size: 117.0 MB
Styles: Bop, Piano jazz
Year: 1977/1992
Art: Front

[5:08] 1. Yesterdays
[6:49] 2. Only You
[8:15] 3. Precious Lady
[6:21] 4. All Your Words
[8:00] 5. Bossa Mood
[8:13] 6. Lite Flite
[8:18] 7. Precious Lady (Alternative Take)

Bass – George Mraz; Drums – Jimmy Cobb; Flugelhorn, Cornet – Thad Jones; Piano – Kenny Drew; Tenor Saxophone – Bob Berg. Recorded February 6, 1977 at CI Recording Studios N.Y.C.

A talented bop-based pianist (whose son has been one of the brightest pianists of the 1990s), Kenny Drew was somewhat underrated due to his decision to permanently move to Copenhagen in 1964. He made his recording debut in 1949 with Howard McGhee and in the 1950s was featured on sessions with a who's who of jazz, including Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Milt Jackson, Buddy DeFranco's quartet, Dinah Washington, and Buddy Rich (1958). Drew led sessions for Blue Note, Norgran, Pacific Jazz, Riverside, and the obscure Judson label during 1953-1960; most of the sessions are available on CD. He moved to Paris in 1961 and relocated to Copenhagen in 1964 where he was co-owner of the Matrix label. He formed a duo with Niels-Henning Orsted Pederson and worked regularly at the Montmartre. Drew recorded many dates for SteepleChase in the 1970s and remained active up until his death. ~ Scott Yanow

Lite Flite mc
Lite Flite zippy

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Valery Ponomarev - A Star For You

Styles: Trumpet Jazz 
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:50
Size: 123,6 MB
Art: Front

( 6:10)  1. Commandments From A Higher Authority
( 6:02)  2. First Draft
( 9:54)  3. Dance Intoxicant
( 7:19)  4. A Star For You
( 5:58)  5. Uh Oh
(10:40)  6. We'll Be Together Again
( 7:47)  7. Blues For Elena

Valeri Ponomarev, one of the most underrated trumpeters in jazz, has a style based in the hard bop tradition of Clifford Brown, Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard, yet he keeps an open mind toward newer developments. On this CD, he is teamed with tenor saxophonist Bob Berg (whose soulful post-bop style has long been influenced by Michael Brecker), the little-known but talented Philadelphia-based pianist Sid Simmons, bassist Ken Walker, and drummer Billy Hart. The quintet performs six of the trumpeter's tricky yet swinging originals and a reharmonized rendition of "We'll Be Together Again." Ponomarev's very impressive range (hitting high notes with little difficulty), full sound and inventive ideas clearly inspire his sidemen. Berg puts plenty of passion into his solos, and Simmons makes one wish that he were recorded more extensively. Easily recommended to modern straight-ahead jazz collectors. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/a-star-for-you-mw0000664171

Personnel: Valery Ponomarev (trumpet); Bob Berg (tenor saxophone); Sid Simmons (piano); Billy Hart (drums).

A Star For You

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Karrin Allyson - By Request: The Best Of Karrin Allyson

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:47
Size: 153,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:26)  1. Night And Day
(6:02)  2. Moanin'
(5:55)  3. What's New
(3:54)  4. O Pato (The Duck)
(4:07)  5. Sous Le Ciel De Paris (Under Paris Skies)
(4:15)  6. Life Is A Groove (Jordu)
(6:44)  7. Everything Must Change
(4:20)  8. A Felicidade (Happiness)
(6:11)  9. Sweet Home Cookin' Man
(6:20) 10. Nature Boy
(3:44) 11. And So It Goes
(3:48) 12. Cherokee
(4:54) 13. Next Time Around (Soultrane)

Straight-ahead jazz vocalist Karrin Allyson came from Kansas City to the world at large, becoming as popular as any singer of her generation. These 12 selections plus one previously unissued track, done over a span of 11 recordings and 15 years, show why she has become likable, marketable, and admired within certain circles of the mainstream standard-bearers. She also writes a little, plays some piano, interprets others' lyrics to well-known standards, and tosses in a considerable amount of seductive Brazilian or French tunes done in their native language. Allyson's controlled voice never soars skyward or through wispy clouds, but her sensible style is one that easily attracts regular nightclubbers, as well as festival crowds who just want to hear good music professionally performed. Her sophistication through the years has grown considerably, but she has never been the cutesy singer who needed to grow up, and has remained as poised and polished as the first day she chose to sing for a living. This recording also displays a mix of the many collaborators she has worked with, including many of her friends from home. She's very comfortable with the blues, as the Bobby Timmons evergreen "Moanin'" displays, going from a scatted intro to the famous Jon Hendricks lyric. She uses two guitarists for the light samba take of "Night and Day," the perky "O Pato," and the convincing, heartfelt "Nature Boy." An accordion accompanies the waltz "Sous le Ceil de Paris," and she sings well in Portuguese on the happy, bouncy "A Felicidade." Working separately and together with the wonderful singer Nancy King, Duke Jordan's "Jordu" is turned into "Life Is a Groove" with Allyson's swinging lyrics, while her original "Sweet Home Cookin' Man" is a fan favorite about an imaginary sweetheart gourmet chef, with the modal piano of Paul Smith keeping the griddle sizzling. In retrospect, her version of the ballad "What's New?" is especially poignant and bittersweet to hear, considering that the late tenor saxophonist Bob Berg and pianist James Williams are backing her up. Both died far too young, making this statement a forever unanswered question. "Cherokee" is the most unusual arrangement, jamming the gears from idle neutral to furiously fast sixth gear at the drop of a flag like a drag race. Certainly there are those who would choose different tracks, but this is a very good overview of what Allyson has done in her relatively short career and there's much more to come. ~ Michael G.Nastos http://www.allmusic.com/album/by-request-the-best-of-karrin-allyson-mw0000816546

Personnel: Karrin Allyson (vocals, piano, shaker); Nancy King (vocals); Danny Embrey (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Rod Fleeman (acoustic guitar); Carter Brey (cello); Randy Weinstein (harmonica); Gil Goldstein (accordion, piano); Kim Park (alto saxophone); Bob Berg (tenor saxophone); Paul "Scooby" Smith, Mulgrew Miller, James Williams , Bruce Barth (piano); David Finck, John Patitucci, Bob Bowman (acoustic bass); Todd Strait (drums, percussion); Lewis Nash (drums); Michael Spiro (pandeiro, shaker, surdo).

By Request: The Best Of Karrin Allyson

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Cedar Walton - Reliving the Moment: Live at the Keystone Korner

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 65:44
Size: 121,4 MB
Art: Front

( 0:12)  1. Opening Remarks
( 9:43)  2. Midnight Waltz
(11:56)  3. Jacob's Ladder
( 8:37)  4. For All We Know
(11:05)  5. Byrdlike
(10:22)  6. Ugetsu
(13:46)  7. Impressions

The “moment” in question occurred in late 1977; the event was the Rahsaan Roland Kirk Memorial Jazz Festival at San Francisco’s Keystone Korner. The Cedar Walton Quartet, co-headlining with Leon Thomas and Bobby Hutcherson, were joined by Walton’s old Jazz Messengers compatriot Freddie Hubbard, returning to a straight-ahead context in the wake of the trumpeter’s controversial plunge into jazz-funk fusion. Judging by what’s here, these were three nights of hard-charging swing and unfettered creativity. 

Walton’s piano lines, complex and multi-textured yet resolutely straight-ahead, are powered by a percussive impetus that both complements and goads drummer Billy Higgins’ dexterous punctuations; when tenorman Bob Berg weighs in with his astringent tone and Trane-like roils and flurries, he brings a bracing element of rawness and emotive unpredictability into the mix. We first hear Hubbard on Walton’s “Ugetsu,” a tune that dates back to the pair’s ’60s-era tenure with the Messengers. The aggression with which Hubbard fires out his hard-bop lines-blunt and confrontational, despite that soft-edged flugelhorn tone-suggests that he may have been sending a message to the purists who’d been accusing him of fusionist apostasy. (He sounds less combative but no less fired up on “Byrdlike,” his tribute to Donald Byrd, another postbop icon who’d been castigated for selling out to Mammon.) “Jacob’s Ladder,” Latin-tinged and soulful, invokes Horace Silver, a connection Walton makes clear with a quote from “Song for My Father” (one of numerous witty quotes scattered throughout). The final workout on “Impressions” transforms Coltrane’s standard into a free-swinging jam-session set piece-a perfect capstone to a set that proclaims joy, discovery and new beauty from first note to last. ~ David Whiteis https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/cedar-walton-featuring-freddie-hubbard-live-at-the-keystone-korner-reliving-the-moment/ 

Personnel: Cedar Walton (piano); Bob Berg (tenor saxophone); Billy Higgins (drums).

Reliving the Moment: Live at the Keystone Korner

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Dieter Ilg - Summerhill

Styles: Jazz Fusion
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:39
Size: 102,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:27)  1. It's getting better
(5:48)  2. Springfever
(7:33)  3. The shadows of the fall
(9:14)  4. Summerhill
(5:54)  5. All childrens love song
(4:04)  6. Somersault
(5:36)  7. Under the skin of the earth

Bassist Dieter ILG is the nominal leader on this '91 session, but it is guitarist Mike Stern and tenor saxophonist Bob Berg who are in the forefront. ILG has a firm, solid tone, plays nice accompaniment and takes an occasional well-constructed solo, but is not the kind of dashing or virtuoso player who makes hearing unaccompanied bass something out of the ordinary. 

The title track ranks as the best musical workout and is the only one where the ensemble and individual sections are equally accomplished. Otherwise, you get either fine playing on humdrum writing or good arrangements and less than exemplary execution. ~ Ron Wynn http://www.allmusic.com/album/summerhill-mw0000095371

Personnel: Dieter Ilg (bass), Bob Berg (saxophone), Randy Brecker (trumpet), Jim Beard (keyboards), Mike Stern (guitar), Peter Erskine (drums).

Summerhill

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Joe Chambers - Phantom of the City

Styles: Jazz, Straight-ahead/Mainstream
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:01
Size: 135,4 MB
Art: Front

( 6:23)  1. Phantom of the City
( 6:27)  2. Fun
( 8:11)  3. For Miles
(10:38)  4. Nuevo Mundo
( 8:45)  5. El Gaucho
( 8:18)  6. You've Changed
(10:15)  7. In and Out

Drummer Joe Chambers works with an intriguing lineup on this 1991 quintet set. Young lion trumpeter Phillip Harper teams with journeyman Bob Berg, who holds his own with the lyrical, energetic Harper. Chambers never hurries or crowds the soloists, and he interacts easily and fully with pianist George Cables and bassist Santi Debriano. ~ Ron Wynn http://www.allmusic.com/album/phantom-of-the-city-mw0000095319

Personnel: Joe Chambers (drums); Bob Berg (tenor saxophone); Philip Harper (trumpet); George Cables (piano); Santi Debriano (bass guitar).

Phantom of the City

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Bob Berg - The Best Of Bob Berg On Denon

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:25
Size: 156.6 MB
Styles: Bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 1995/2009
Art: Front

[ 5:24] 1. Friday Night At The Cadillac Club
[ 8:06] 2. Kalimba
[11:16] 3. Pipes
[ 7:25] 4. Mayumi
[ 7:19] 5. In The Shadows
[ 4:55] 6. Autumn Leaves
[ 8:07] 7. Silverado
[ 4:06] 8. When I Fall In Love
[ 6:23] 9. Amazon
[ 5:19] 10. Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man

Tenor saxophonist Bob Berg channeled the bold dynamics of hard bop to emerge as one of contemporary jazz's most expressive and resourceful improvisers, honing a richly articulated sound bolstered by flawless technical command. Born in New York City on April 7, 1951, Berg grew up in Brooklyn, initiating piano lessons at age six. At 13, he moved to alto saxophone, first discovering jazz when a high school teacher introduced him to the music of Cannonball Adderley and Horace Silver. After dropping out of New York's High School of Performing Arts, Berg enrolled in a special non-academic curriculum at the Juilliard School of Music. In 1968, he made his professional debut touring behind Brother Jack McDuff, and by the time the 1960s drew to a close, he specialized in tenor saxophone, his subsequent creative path profoundly shaped by John Coltrane. After a brief flirtation with free jazz Berg renounced the avant-garde in favor of postwar bop. On the recommendation of fellow saxophonist Michael Brecker, he joined Silver in 1973, remaining with his boyhood hero for three years, when he replaced George Coleman in Cedar Walton's Eastern Rebellion. In 1978 Berg stepped out to record his debut LP, New Birth, and after leaving Walton in 1981 he cut his sophomore effort, Steppin': Live in Europe; he rose to new levels of renown upon joining Miles Davis in 1984, a three-year stint that set the stage for his 1987 breakout session, Short Stories. Berg closed out the decade in the band he led with co-founder/guitarist Mike Stern, cutting a series of LPs including 1988's Cycles and 1990's In the Shadows. In 1992, he signed on with Chick Corea's acoustic quartet, and that same year led his own quartet on a U.S. Department of State-sponsored tour of the Caribbean. Upon releasing the 1997 solo date Another Standard, Berg joined an acoustic reincarnation of the group Steps Ahead, and in 2000 he also joined the cooperative project the Jazz Times Superband, collaborating with Randy Brecker, Joey Defranchesco, and Dennis Chambers. Berg next surfaced alongside vibraphonist Joe Locke in the group 4 Walls of Freedom. Sadly, their eponymous debut set did not appear until after the saxophonist's death in an auto accident near his home on Long Island on December 5, 2002. ~bio by Jason Ankeny

The Best Of Bob Berg On Denon

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Bob Berg - Another Standard

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:14
Size: 128.8 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 1997
Art: Front

[6:07] 1. You And The Night And The Music
[4:36] 2. Summer Wind
[6:35] 3. Michelle
[6:57] 4. Just In Time
[7:29] 5. My Man's Gone Now
[5:34] 6. All The Way
[6:24] 7. No Trouble
[6:29] 8. It Was A Very Good Year
[6:01] 9. I Could Write A Book

"In order for a tune to become a standard," says Karen Bennett in her liner notes, "it has to have enough appeal and substance to keep both musician and listener engaged on many levels for many years." Late Miles alumnus Bob Berg's Another Standard asserts that status for a lineup of familiar but not front-line tunes: "You and the Night and the Music," "Summer Wind," the Beatles' almost unrecognizable "Michelle," "Just in Time," "My Man's Gone Now" from Porgy and Bess, "All the Way," "It Was a Very Good Year," "I Could Write a Book," and his own "No Trouble."

Most of this is a "standard" quartet date, featuring Berg on tenor and soprano, David Kikoski on piano, Ed Howard on bass, and Gary Novak on drums. Randy Brecker chimes in with trumpet and flugelhorn on the Gershwin tune and "I Could Write a Book," and Berg enlists Mike Stern's guitar on his own track.

Berg is a devout and thoroughgoing Coltraneian. He attacks "You and the Night and the Music" as if it's "Giant Steps," adding a few Impulse!-era phrase resolutions involving tinges of keening and honking; on "Summer Wind" he appends little commenting tags to his completed phrases, just like the man who recorded all those dates for Prestige. "Michelle" and "Just in Time" are more individual for the most part, but both eventually arrive in Sheets-of-Soundville before it's through. The liner notes explicitly compare his soprano interplay with Kikoski on "It Was a Very Good Year" to Coltrane and Tyner on "My Favorite Things," but the xerox machine was evidently set to copy light. A good bit of this — try "All the Way"— sounds like the lost seventeenth disc from Trane's mammoth Prestige box set. As far as I know, that box is still in print. "My Man's Gone Now" sounds like the lost movement of A Love Supreme, which is certainly an original take on Porgy and Bess. Brecker sounds here a good bit like Wynton Marsalis playing the Coltrane masterpiece, although the Gershwin strains come through strongly in his impassioned solo. The original, "No Trouble," betrays a more Ornetteish flavor than Berg shows otherwise; it could be an outtake from Coltrane's venture into Ornette Land with Don Cherry on The Avant-Garde.

Bob Berg is clearly a virtuoso instrumentalist. When Miles Davis hired him, he knew what he was doing (maybe all the way down to the Coltrane inflections.) Berg's command is total and flawless. His mates, Kikoski in particular, are fine, although the rhythm section sounds a little dulled, what with thirty years of rock and disco between us and Coltrane's quartet with Elvin Jones. One may hope that in his next outing he leaves aside his homage to Coltrane and lets listeners hear a little more of his own voice. After all, in an improviser's art, that's what it's all about. ~Robert Spencer

Another Standard

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Bob Berg, Randy Brecker, Dennis Chambers, Joey Defrancesco - The Jazz Times Superband

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 65:28
Size: 149.9 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz, Bop
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[6:16] 1. Dirty Dogs
[8:25] 2. Silverado
[6:07] 3. Jones Street
[5:36] 4. Oleo
[4:46] 5. Friday Night At The Cadillac Club
[7:14] 6. Soho Sole
[6:15] 7. The Ada Strut
[6:24] 8. Blue Goo
[6:07] 9. Seven A.M. Special
[8:12] 10. Freedom Jazz Dance

Marking its 30th anniversary, JazzTimes magazine convened an all-star band to play an energetic and entertaining set of soul jazz. Bob Berg, Randy Brecker, Dennis Chambers, Joey DeFrancesco, and guest guitarist Paul Bollenback aptly form this superband, each bringing his unique talents to the musical table. Berg is at his intense, wailing best on the self-composed "Silverado" and groovy, party maker "Friday Night at the Cadillac Club." Brecker is bright and playful on his own "Dirty Dogs" and "Jones Street." Chambers and DeFrancesco provide their customary and exemplary support, whirling, swinging, and effectively carrying tunes like the Latin-tinged "The Ada Strut" and the blistering cover of Sonny Rollins' "Oleo." Although this album does not represent the deep musical communication and emotional story telling that characterizes the best, most cohesive working bands, it is a clean, enjoyable jam session conceived by great jazzmen. The most interesting track is the finale, a cover of Eddie Harris' "Freedom Jazz Dance." The superband clearly respects the "free" portion of this dance, indicating a direction in which they might successfully explore as they clock more musical miles together as a functioning unit. ~Brian Bartolini

The Jazz Times Superband

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