CD Review: Jeff Berlin/High Standards

Talk about those savant style players who can reinvent the invention...That potential possibility was never in better hands than in the capable musicianship of Jeff Berlin-bass, Richard Drexler-piano, and Danny Gottlieb-drums. Jeff and his group have taken the American Songbook to as his CD cover fascia states to ''high standards.''  Statements like prodigious, amazing, astounding, stunning, etc don't even come close to the musical power contained in their combined impovising and player prowess.

The true definition of 'horn line' applies to the soloing style of Jeff Berlin. All that said, the group maintains a very strong individuality that remains unimpaired throughout the execution of each players solo delivery. This is a true example of a group musical personality and signature. Jeff and his group weave us a musical texture of music that can only be described to emerge from the ethereal, far removed from the tumult of non-listenable jazz music to the more intellectual and contemporary style of mainstream jazz. On a personal scale, I hear a fugal understated symphonic 'poem' of sorts in what these three unique musicians are capable of creating that is most impressive, splendid, and totally lyrical in delivery. Keep smokin' guys!!