Steven Bernstein - Diaspora Hollywood (2004)

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Steven Bernstein - Diaspora Hollywood (2004)

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Steven Bernstein's Diaspora series continues with Diaspora Hollywood, inspired by the great film composers who immigrated from Eastern Europe to New York and then to Hollywood, and also by the sound of cool West Coast jazz. Diaspora Hollywood has a great sound, like some kind of Jewish jazz noir with its rich, moody tones and haunting vibraphone. Pablo Calogero's woodwinds and flute mostly inhabit the low end, with delicious baritone sax, bass clarinet, and bass flute. Bernstein's playing will sound reserved to Sex Mob fans in comparison, but he's going for a very different mood here and his playing is exquisite. The songs are anchored by David Piltch's woody bass and the tasty and understated percussion of Danny Frankel with D.J. Bonebrake's vibes hanging in the air, adding cool colors throughout. It's a mostly laid-back affair that doesn't so much build in energy as it does in mood, totally immersing the listener by the end. Lovely.

Review by Sean Westergaard, Allmusic.com

Sitting somewhere between the approachable Diaspora Soul and the mysterious Diaspora Blues , Bernstein's latest offering, Diaspora Hollywood is inspired by, as Bernstein recounts, "listening to Shorty Rogers, Shelly Manne and Jimmy Giuffre. I'd been fascinated by the LA arrangers from the '50s and '60s, I wanted to figure out how they achieved those sounds. I'm lucky to have great friends in LA who are incredible musicians, and I've been waiting to record with percussionist Danny Frankel and saxophonist Pablo Calogero in this kind of situation for years, so the ensemble was obvious."

There's a certain film noire aesthetic about the record, which also features D.J. Bonebrake on vibraphone and bassist David Piltch. The material ranges from the rhythmical insistence of Bernstein's "King Kong" to the cooler vibe of "Havenu Shalom Alechum" and Bernstein's "Hollywood Diaspora," with its late-night ambience. Calogero works the bottom range of all his instruments - baritone sax, bass clarinet and bass flute, to create a rich texture that is reminiscent, not surprisingly, of Gerry Mulligan.

This is music that manages to be both ethereal and rooted at the same time. "Jehudas Bas Zion," with its light funk groove and Calogero's bass clarinet, is ominous yet strangely compelling. "Sim Shalom," with its dark and smoky feel, translates a traditional piece that is more commonly heard at an up-tempo pace into something that could be an outtake from Miles Davis' soundtrack to Ascenseur pour l'éschafaud.

What becomes immediately apparent upon sampling the disk aside, Bernstein actually articulates in the liner notes that he quite intentionally combined the improvisational style of Diaspora Blues with the more through-composed approach of Diaspora Soul , resulting in a heady mix that is the best of both worlds. Consequently, Diaspora Hollywood may be the most fully-realized and successful of the three disks and, if there is any justice, will show up on many critics' top ten lists for '04.

Whether or not Bernstein continues with the Diaspora series, there is no question that he has created a trilogy of music that manages to successfully blend Jewish themes, both traditional and inspired, with a variety of musical situations, proving that, indeed, context is everything. And that even such seemingly straightforward titles as Soul , Blues and Hollywood can have broader meaning, implications that extend beyond the obvious into more intriguing combinations of music from a variety of sources. Bernstein, with the Diaspora series, has created some of the most memorable music to come from Zorn's Radical Jewish Culture imprint proving, in no uncertain terms, that there is a wealth of possibility in interpreting this music. Far more than mere shtick, fusing music from a variety of cultures only enriches all its sources, and Bernstein's Diaspora series does nothing if not enhancing all its reference points.

Review by John Kelman, AllAboutJazz.com

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Steven Bernstein - Diaspora Hollywood (2004)

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Steven Bernstein - Diaspora Hollywood (2004)

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Steven Bernstein - Diaspora Hollywood (2004)

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