Jeff Berlin In Harmonys Way

It's albums like In Harmonys Way that remind me why I love music. It doesn't have to be jazz to be good, nor a groundbreaking new sound, just let it be musical. Jeff Berlin just happens to be one of the most lyrically expressive bassists around, so it's no wonder he attracts the kind of guest list that this CD boasts. The 9 self-penned tracks spring to life under his touch, kicking off with some Hard Bop with the legendary Gary Burton, before the bluesier Runaway Train has Dave Liebman and Mike Stern letting rip to steal the show. Richard Drexler is superb on piano (and sometimes acoustic bass) underpinned by the hard lilting swing of Danny Gottlieb's sticks.

Full brass orchestrations nestle with contemporary trio and quartet settings of the JM Que Alegria ilk (Jeff Berlin toured with JM and Trilok Gurtu in 1988). Passionate ballads tug on the sensitivities whilst tracks like the wittily named Liebman On A Jet Plane open up plenty of challenging soloing space to make the ears swoon. Recording and mixing engineer Steve Shepherd gets a look in with wordless vocals on Pale Glider before we get to skank to the Hugh Masekela / Ernest Ranglin Reggae Ricardo, and the album closes on the pretty A Place Of Know. A wonderful album of music.