Sunday, December 6, 2009

CD of the Day - "Anders Bergcrantz Quartet"

CD of the Day
"Anders Bergcrantz Quartet" (Dragon) 1997

Anders himself says that "In This Together," a studio date from 1995, remains as his personal favorite album in his discography. But I still prefer this electrifying acoustic CD, recorded live during a Swedish tour between October 3-11, 1996, for the Stockholm-based label Dragon.
It's interesting to note that Bergcrantz plays cornet in most of the album, except for two tracks on trumpet and one on flugelhorn (the haunting ballad "I Won Her Heart").
Besides creative originals like "C" and "Renfield," the quartet -- Richie Beirach (piano), Ron McClure (bass) & Adam Nussbaum (drums) -- offers adventurous readings of the standards "Stella By Starlight" (Victor Young) and "Footprints," the Miles Davis classic.
Bergcrantz is such a great musician that he is able to add new colors even to "Footprints." This man, one of the world's top 5 trumpeters in the contemporary jazz scene, does musical miracles!

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