Bob Berg was a heavyweight player, tapped to take the tenor chair in the great Eastern Rebellion collective led by the "Magic Triangle" of Cedar Walton, Sam Jones, and Billy Higgins. He played with the best, because he was at that level himself as a musician. Thus, it baffles me that he could listen to a playback of this track, with the kind of plastic keyboard sounds that you'd hear if you walked into a guitar center on a Saturday afternoon, and think "yeah...that's just what this Gershwin classic needed." Maybe his producer made him release it, for the Sunday jazz brunch radio shows that were so popular at the time.
Dude get your head out of your ass. Not everything has to be furious hardcore heavy-hitting jazz (which Bob berg also recorded plenty of). Sometimes it's refreshing to just hear him play some more easy-listening stuff. One of the things I like about Bob Berg is that he does add elements of other genres outside of jazz to his recordings, and he's not afraid to just play something "nice" (at the risk of some jazz snob calling it corny etc). Also, putting aside the keyboard sounds, the actual keyboard lines are pretty hip.
US sax players: who's overrated/underrated Overrated David Murray: howl without any rhythm, it's pretty much heard what he can do. Charles Lloyd: out of tune boring minor pentatonic scales all around Archie Shepp: he could not play in 1964 and has never been able since Kamasi Washington: high school level with horrible sound Shabaka Hutchings: it feels like 100 years of jazz never happened. Here we are back in 1899 in Jamaica Sonny Rollins: his ego destroyed his playing at 36, sorry for him Lee Konitz: has never been able to play with the minimum energy for his sax to sound good John Coltrane after ALS: belief does not justify this self-indulgence Wayne Shorter: record some beautiful compositions wasted by a sloppy game should have been sanctioned Ornette Coleman: as he said himself before a concert in Paris in 1988, he is especially known 'for playing the saxophone badly' James Brandon Lewis: like almost all US tenor saxophones, he wants to be Trane in 1966. But he can't. Next one. Joshua Redman: mannered, mechanical with a repulsive sound. Composition without interest. Matana Roberts: the title of one of his albums is 'coin-coin', everything explains itself. Mark Turner: even if everyone repeats that it's good, my opinion will not change: it's boring Tony Malaby: 25 albums of 'Squeak squeak'...Ok man.. Joe Lovano: the first time I heard it on a disc with Motian and Frissel I stopped the CD. The other times too. John Zorn: I'm told he's a genius...Ok then I'm a sardine. Underrated Rahsaan Roland Kirk: these albums are remembered as unforgettable festive moments. Gato Barbieri: opened the mind to the dimension, capacity and beauty of the instrument. James Carter: exuberant and spectacular technique bearing the heritage of its predecessors. Albert Ayler: a lit spirit that pierces through a sound and unique compositions from the depths of the ages Sidney Bechet: who had this technique and this power before him? Earl Bostic: an alien player who chose popular music but educated many sax stars Michael Brecker: He enhanced the basic technique of the tenor sax based on the Afro-American tradition. Which earned him a lot of jealousy among his peers. Guys, you had to do it yourself !Gary Thomas: crushing sound and sci fi compositions, the complete package Pharoah Sanders after Coltrane: left to himself, Sanders was capable of some of the most satisfying music ever to come out of a saxophone. Maceo Parker: powerful sound and flawless sense of rhythm, a model of joy and cheerfulness that has shaped RnB since the 70's David Sanborn: who can boast of having created the sound of modern pop alto sax with such magnificent highs? Steve Coleman: when he doesn't get lost in endless improvisations, he's a magnificent player who knows his BIRD from top to toe, coupled with a very powerful conceptualist Arthur Blythe: a sound that attracts the listener like a magnet Eric Dolphy: so individualistic and personal that no one has ever been able to imitate his tone and playing Bob Berg: beast mode non stop! Jim Pepper: should be canonized just for his album Comin' and Goin'
So dreamy
Bob Berg was a heavyweight player, tapped to take the tenor chair in the great Eastern Rebellion collective led by the "Magic Triangle" of Cedar Walton, Sam Jones, and Billy Higgins. He played with the best, because he was at that level himself as a musician.
Thus, it baffles me that he could listen to a playback of this track, with the kind of plastic keyboard sounds that you'd hear if you walked into a guitar center on a Saturday afternoon, and think "yeah...that's just what this Gershwin classic needed." Maybe his producer made him release it, for the Sunday jazz brunch radio shows that were so popular at the time.
Dude get your head out of your ass. Not everything has to be furious hardcore heavy-hitting jazz (which Bob berg also recorded plenty of). Sometimes it's refreshing to just hear him play some more easy-listening stuff. One of the things I like about Bob Berg is that he does add elements of other genres outside of jazz to his recordings, and he's not afraid to just play something "nice" (at the risk of some jazz snob calling it corny etc).
Also, putting aside the keyboard sounds, the actual keyboard lines are pretty hip.
♥
US sax players: who's overrated/underrated
Overrated
David Murray: howl without any rhythm, it's pretty much heard what he can do.
Charles Lloyd: out of tune boring minor pentatonic scales all around
Archie Shepp: he could not play in 1964 and has never been able since
Kamasi Washington: high school level with horrible sound
Shabaka Hutchings: it feels like 100 years of jazz never happened. Here we are back in 1899 in Jamaica
Sonny Rollins: his ego destroyed his playing at 36, sorry for him
Lee Konitz: has never been able to play with the minimum energy for his sax to sound good
John Coltrane after ALS: belief does not justify this self-indulgence
Wayne Shorter: record some beautiful compositions wasted by a sloppy game should have been sanctioned
Ornette Coleman: as he said himself before a concert in Paris in 1988, he is especially known 'for playing the saxophone badly'
James Brandon Lewis: like almost all US tenor saxophones, he wants to be Trane in 1966. But he can't. Next one.
Joshua Redman: mannered, mechanical with a repulsive sound. Composition without interest.
Matana Roberts: the title of one of his albums is 'coin-coin', everything explains itself.
Mark Turner: even if everyone repeats that it's good, my opinion will not change: it's boring
Tony Malaby: 25 albums of 'Squeak squeak'...Ok man..
Joe Lovano: the first time I heard it on a disc with Motian and Frissel I stopped the CD. The other times too.
John Zorn: I'm told he's a genius...Ok then I'm a sardine.
Underrated
Rahsaan Roland Kirk: these albums are remembered as unforgettable festive moments.
Gato Barbieri: opened the mind to the dimension, capacity and beauty of the instrument.
James Carter: exuberant and spectacular technique bearing the heritage of its predecessors.
Albert Ayler: a lit spirit that pierces through a sound and unique compositions from the depths of the ages
Sidney Bechet: who had this technique and this power before him?
Earl Bostic: an alien player who chose popular music but educated many sax stars
Michael Brecker: He enhanced the basic technique of the tenor sax based on the Afro-American tradition. Which earned him a lot of jealousy among his peers. Guys, you had to do it yourself
!Gary Thomas: crushing sound and sci fi compositions, the complete package
Pharoah Sanders after Coltrane: left to himself, Sanders was capable of some of the most satisfying music ever to come out of a saxophone.
Maceo Parker: powerful sound and flawless sense of rhythm, a model of joy and cheerfulness that has shaped RnB since the 70's
David Sanborn: who can boast of having created the sound of modern pop alto sax with such magnificent highs?
Steve Coleman: when he doesn't get lost in endless improvisations, he's a magnificent player who knows his BIRD from top to toe, coupled with a very powerful conceptualist
Arthur Blythe: a sound that attracts the listener like a magnet
Eric Dolphy: so individualistic and personal that no one has ever been able to imitate his tone and playing
Bob Berg: beast mode non stop!
Jim Pepper: should be canonized just for his album Comin' and Goin'