Warren Bernhardt - So Real (2020) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. Autumn Leaves
02. Never Let Me Go
03. Brigas Nunca Mais
04. Somewhere
05. I Mean You
06. On the Lake
07. Don't Explain
08. I Should Care
09. So Real

"So Real" consists of nine tunes all of which were first takes except for Autumn Leaves which was the second take because Warren didn't like the tempo of the first take. There is not an edit or a fix in the entire album, just great playing by some of the finest musicians on the planet.

There are two ways of explaining the CD title, So Real: It’s the only original tune by pianist Bernhardt, or the fact that not one edit exists on the album. Eight of the nine cuts were first takes. Bernhardt recorded “Autumn Leaves” again because he was dissatisfied with the tempo.

Considering the “time is money” concept that short-changes so many sessions, DMP must be as delighted as Bernhardt, bassist Jay Anderson and drummer Peter Erskine. They have all created a memorable collection of chamber jazz: intellectual swing, intelligent interaction, tasteful choices, dynamic self-control, with stereo separation and clarity seldom heard these days.

As usual, the ballads separate the men from the boys and underscore the claim that Bill Evans was Bernhardt’s mentor. (Reinforcing that are the recordings Bernhardt made with Eddie Gomez.) Why “Never Let Me Go” is not done more often is a mystery. It’s given a prayerful treatment here. Another ballad, Erskine’s “On the Lake,” has a visual loveliness, fragile as a film cue. Curiously, the semitango of Erskine’s brushes shouldn’t work, but it makes sense. Knowing its West Side Story origin, “Somewhere” shouldn’t work as a waltz, but it does. Contrasting all the seriousness, Monk’s quirky “I Mean You” showcases the trio’s versatility.

Perhaps it’s the unexpected that makes this CD so successful, like the swinging solo brushes on the slow “Don’t Explain” or Bernhardt’s quote from “Straight, No Chaser” on a fast “I Should Care” or how “So Real,” which is so bluesy, can sound so free.

Warren Bernhardt, piano
Jay Anderson, double bass
Peter Erskine, drums

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