Peter Bernstein’s New Quartet Album

Cover of the album being discussed (courtesy of DL Media)

My last encounter with guitarist Peter Bernstein was in March of 2022, when Smoke Sessions Records released Perpetual Pendulum, a trio album with Bernstein performing with Larry Goldings on organ and drummer Bill Stewart. I was particularly taken by the impact of the trio’s “cool disposition.” That disposition can now be encountered in a new Smoke Sessions release with Bernstein leading a quartet, whose other members are Brad Mehldau on piano, bassist Vicente Archer, and Al Foster on drums. The title of the album is Better Angels, which is also the title of one of the four tracks composed by Bernstein.

I suppose what draws me most to this album is the clarity with which Bernstein delivers his thematic lines, often through an interaction with Mehldau. As might be guessed, Mehldau is given ample opportunity to improvise; and his capacity for engagement is consistently enjoyable. Nevertheless, no attentive listener would accuse him of “upstaging” Bernstein. To the contrary, there are any number of give-and-take episodes that will sustain the attention of anyone interested in jazz improvisation.

I have been following Smoke Sessions releases for almost three years. I am glad that they “have my number,” because I am seldom (never?) disappointed. The production team for these albums seems to appreciate the needs of those dedicated to listening to jazz attentively; and there are no end of engaging turns for such attentive listening over the course of Perpetual Pendulum. It often seems as if those opportunities are getting increasingly rare when I go out to listen to jazz performances, so I am deeply indebted to a recording label that satisfies my needs so well. Now that I have had my second encounter with Bernstein on this label, I am looking forward to what will come next!