Live at Smalls David Berkman

• 1 Milestones 06:13
• 2 Body And Soul 07:31
• 3 Ghost Wife 10:57
• 4 Small Wooden Housekeeper 11:01
• 5 For Kenny 08:12
• 6 Sweet And Lovely 11:08
• Total Runtime 55:02

Info for Live at Smalls

Pianist Berkman’s seventh as a leader follows the straight ahead formula of his previous quartet recording, 2009’s Live at Smoke. While his crystalline touch on ballads and assured sense of swing on uptempo numbers define the terrain here, it’s trumpeter Tom Harrell who nearly steals the show. They open with an exuberant “Milestones” (John Lewis’ 1947 composition, not Miles Davis’ 1958 tune of the same name) with Harrell and Berkman striding in unison on the buoyant head before the trumpeter delivers a golden solo underscored by the pianist’s assertive hard-bop comping and paced by bassist Ed Howard’s insistent walking and drummer Johnathan Blake’s interactive swing feel. Berkman provides graceful accompaniment for Harrell’s achingly beautiful reading of “Body And Soul,” performed as a sparse, poignant duet. Berkman’s “Ghost Wife” travels from sparse introspection to florid rubato excursions to energized freebop while his jaunty “Small Wooden Housekeeper” has a syncopated spring in its step. The lone trio number, “For Kenny,” is the pianist’s heartfelt homage to the late, great Kenny Kirkland. This superb outing concludes with a fresh take on the standard “Sweet And Lovely” with Blake providing a “Poinciana” beat underneath and both Harrell and Berkman contributing more sparkling solos.

"Some of the best moments on these albums are the surprises, the things you don’t see coming-like when Bernstein delivers an arrangement of “Giant Steps” that could almost be a different composition. Or when, during the mysterious “Ghost Wife,” Berkman and company plunge into free jazz. In a tradition as defined as straight-ahead jazz, the unexpected is always welcome." (jazztimes.com)

David Berkman, piano
Tom Harrell, trumpet
Ed Howard, bass
Johnathan Blake, drums

David Berkman
has been an essential part of the New York jazz scene for over 30 years, as a creative and swinging voice on the piano and as a gifted composer, arranger and bandleader. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, he currently divides his time between teaching in N.Y. and performing with world renowned jazz artists at home and abroad. Berkman has performed with numerous jazz luminaries including: Sonny Stitt, Tom Harrell, Brian Blade, the Vanguard Orchestra, Cecil McBee, Dave Douglas and Chris Potter. His 10 recordings as a leader have appeared on numerous “Critic’s Best” lists. Berkman is a tenured professor at the Aaron Copland School of Music, C.U.N.Y. in New York and has published three books on jazz with Sher Music Publishing which are used in jazz schools worldwide.

“Berkman doesn’t rely on old formulas and he isn’t risk-averse. In his tunes, harmonies flow in unanticipated directions, silences open suddenly like trap doors, and quirky rhythmic displacements keep both listeners and bandmembers on their toes (His) music is also full of romance, mystery and good spirits.” — Ed Hazel, JazzIz magazine

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