For those not in the know, Peter Bernstein convenes an all-star quartet for his stunning release, Better Angels (out September 27th 2024 via Smoke Sessions Records), featuring pianist Brad Mehldau, bassist Vicente Archer, and legendary drummer Al Foster.

The most vital element in creating great jazz isn’t practice or virtuosity or compositional brilliance, though all are important – it’s relationships. Peter Bernstein has become an expert in crafting remarkable music from the bonds he’s forged over his three-and-a-half-decade career.

Bernstein’s own mastery is reflected in the hall-of-fame roster of artists for whom he’s been the guitarist of choice over the years, from legends like Sonny Rollins, Lou Donaldson, Jim Hall, David “Fathead” Newman and Dr. Lonnie Smith, to peers including Christian McBride, Joshua Redman, Eric Alexander and Nicholas Payton.

So, when the time comes to convene an all-star quartet, Bernstein has an unparalleled list of names to call on. Not that the esteem in which his collaborators is held is ever the driving motive in Bernstein’s mind – as always, the understated guitarist is simply driven to make the best music possible.

Inspiration begins with those relationships, but the ways that those converge differ from project to project. Better Angels is a a once-in-a-lifetime summit meeting of four revered artists: Bernstein, pianist Brad Mehldau, bassist Vicente Archer, and legendary drummer Al Foster.

Their collaborative efforts under Bernstein’s leadership yield striking interplay and high-wire energy derived from delving into the unknown. The album extends that combination of the comfortable and the unfamiliar to Bernstein’s choice of repertoire, which pairs well-worn standards with bold new original compositions.

1. Perpetual Pendulum
2. Ditty for Dewey
3. You Go to My Head
4. Born to Be Blue
5. Better Angels
6. Hazel Eyes
7. No Problem
8. Lament

This dutifully crafted, immaculately-honed, quite mesmerizing new recording opens on the smoothly engaging Perpetual Pendulum and then brings us the low slung, late night ambiance of Ditty for Dewey, the playfully impulsive You Go to My Head, before bringing forth the organically sculpted magnificence of Born to Be Blue.

Along next is the free flowing title track Better Angels which is itself backed by the lushly shimmering Hazel Eyes, the album rounding out on the playfully sublime No Problem, closing all too soon on the sheer musical elegance that comes forth within Lament.

Official Website

Official Purchase Link