Peter Bernstein – Better Angels (Smoke Sessions)

Guitarist Peter Bernstein recently recorded a new album with a group of all-stars, including Brad Mehldau playing piano, Vicente Archer playing bass, and the legendary Al Foster behind the drums. Together, the quartet tackles four of Bernstein’s originals, along with the Coots/Gillespie standard “You Go to My Head” and Duke Jordan’s “No Problem.” On “Born to be Blue” and “Lament,” Bernstein goes it alone. “Perpetual Pendulum” might sound familiar to DCB listeners, as it was previously featured on a recent release that featured him in his longstanding trio with Larry Goldings and Bill Stewart. “Ditty for Dewey” is a jaunty swinger.” “Better Angels” in particular, shows just how potent of a team Mehldau and Bernstein make together, and Al Foster’s playing here reminds me of Paul Motian’s work with Bill Evans. He’s constantly alert, probing and pushing the groove forward. Of course, having a rock solid bassist like Vicente Archer in the mix as well only adds to the musicality on display throughout these eight tracks. Better Angels is simply a lovely album from top to bottom.

Dafnis Prieto Si no Si Quartet – 3 Sides of the Coin (Dafnison Music)

Cuban drummer and composer Dafnis Prieto has been busy for quite some time as a sideman, and as a leader, too. His latest album features his Si o Si Quartet with Peter Apfelbaum on saxophones, Martin Bejerano at the piano and Ricky Rodriguez playing bass. If you’re expecting the classic Afro-Cuban sounds, influenced by Salsa and Timba (two more modern forms of Afro-Cuban music), Three Sides of the Coin is not your album. This is first and foremost a modern Jazz album, with Jazz harmonies, and the twists and turns expected from an innovative Jazz combo in 2024. That said, these songs still have a heart that beats out the clave, however subtly, and that makes Three Sides of the Coin a fascinating listen. “Alba,” “Caprichos Cubanos” and the pairing of “Humanoid” and “Funky Humanoid” are my standouts, but with an album this good, I’m sure that anyone that takes some time to absorb these songs will find favorites of their own.

Brandon Sanders – The Tables will Turn (Savant Records)

West Coast drummer Brandon Sanders has recently released his second album, The Tables Will Turn, and it’s an impressive effort. Following the same basic template as his previous album, Compton’s Finest, Sanders has put together a solid and swinging band – Chris Lewis on saxophones, Warren Wolf on vibes, Keith Brown at the piano bench, David Wong playing the bass. Much like Compton’s Finest gave us two standout tracks with Jazzmeia Horn, here, we get two excellent songs fronted by Christie Dashiell. Her takes on “Human Nature” and “Prelude to a Kiss” are highlights on the album. That said, this album is chock full of highlights. Sanders contributes three songs to the disc. The opening “Miss Ernestine” is a mid-tempo, swinging toe-tapper, “The Tables Will Turn” is a boogaloo ripped straight out of 1966 New York and “Central and El Segundo” is a fine example of aggressive modern Jazz. The songs written by other folks here are all right in the pocket, and stylistically speaking, all over the place. From the quirkiness of Monk’s “Four in One” to the reinvention of Poinciana that is Tony Williams’ “Sister Cheryl,” the lovely performance of McCoy Tyner’s “Aisha” to the straight up be-bop of Charlie Parker’s “Moose the Mooche,” The Tables Will Turn proves that Sanders and Co. can play whatever they want, and they’ll be up to the task.