This is a superb and delicious work played as masterful as delicately by a totally acoustic trio. Besides the extraordinary perform of the trio, it is very notable the beautiful interpretation of the perfectly balanced and controlled pianist Allan Pasqua, whose compositions, besides, are really beautiful and stupendous too. Simply, a master work of the contemporary jazz.

Six of the 11 selections on this CD feature Joe Lovano on tenor in a quartet with pianist Werner, bassist Marc Johnson, and Erskine; Lovano (who would soon hit it big) already sounds quite mature and creative. Three of the other numbers have slightly larger groups (with guitarist John Scofield, tenor saxophonist Bob Mintzer, and trumpeter Randy Brecker appearing on some of the cuts), Dave Brubeck's "In Your Own Sweet Way" is taken by the Werner-Johnson-Erskine trio, and the brief "But Is It Art?" is a drum solo. Throughout the date, the solos uplift the material and make this CD a worthy purchase for listeners who enjoy challenging but sometimes accessible post-bop music.

Anyone familiar with György Kurtág's practices will probably expect his Kafka-Fragmente, Op. 24 (1985-1986), to be another of his open-ended works, pieces that exist in a state of potential revision that are intermittently subjected to changes. Yet for all its looseness of design and apparent mutability – one can easily imagine these extremely short movements rearranged in several different orders and for various instruments – this setting for soprano and violin of phrases from Franz Kafka's letters and diaries is complete and unlikely to be configured in any other version.

This second solo album shows the versatility of Peter Erskine at its best: beautiful varied compositions (highlights being Corazon and King Richard II Suite) with an inspired cast of well-known musicians like Joe Lovano, Bob Mintzer, Marc Johnson and Kenny Werner. Moreover the masterful material is recorded with an unbelievable clarity of sound. One of, if not THE best solo effort of Peter Erskine and a recording that stands tall in the incredible discography of Peter Erskine.

Carlo Gesualdo's name will always conjure up a special image: When he discovered that his wife had been unfaithful, he had her and her lover murdered and left on his palace steps, impaled on the same sword. Ghastly, but gripping–and, oddly enough, his harmonies, dissonances, upsetting chromatic passages, and general complexity can also be seen as "ghastly but gripping." Gesualdo was wealthy enough that he never had to depend on a patron; he could therefore write whatever he pleased, in whatever, far-out (to this day), experimental style he chose.

Ludovico Einaudi is a minimalist Italian composer, often associated with film, who has enlivened his style with electronic effects drawn from the worlds of techno and ambient music. He sometimes goes by his last name alone. The combination has proven commercially potent in Europe, and given the attraction of Steve Reich and the other minimalists among aficionados of electronic music on the pop side, it's surprising more musicians haven't explored the combination. Live in Berlin mostly draws on Einaudi's album Divenire, which is scored for piano and orchestra.

David Benoit - Professional Dreamer (1999) {GRP Records GRD-9942}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 307 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 112 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 5 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1999 GRP Records / Universal Music | GRD-9942
Jazz / Contemporary Jazz / Crossover Jazz

The pairing of smooth jazz's premier veteran pianist and trumpeter/producer Rick Braun is remarkable. The six tracks produced by the latter offer a unique contrast between thick, hip-hoppy bass grooves and Benoit's peppy, angst-free ivory musings. On the in-your-face "Rejoyce," Benoit's swirling, high-register melody combines with Pat Kelley's Wes Montgomery-like electric licks (and Benoit's own Hammond B-3 harmony coloring) for a floating ride above a jumpy retro-soul rhythm. The underpinnings are even chunkier on "Jump Start," which finds Benoit's piano and Andy Suzuki's playful alto making light, bluesy conversation over a throbbing hip-hop pattern. Braun also gives Benoit space here for some lower-toned piano improvisations.