CD: Better Angels

For his impressive album Better Angels, Bernstein has assembled an all-star quartet consisting of pianist Brad Mehldau, bassist Vicente Archer and legendary drummer Al Foster.

The most important element in creating great jazz is not practice or virtuosity or compositional brilliance, although all of these are important - it's relationships. Peter Bernstein is an expert at making remarkable music from the connections he has forged over his three and a half decade career.

Bernstein's own mastery is reflected in the list of famous artists for whom he has 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 colleagues like Christian McBride, Joshua Redman, Eric Alexander and Nicholas Payton.

So when it comes time to assemble an all-star quartet, Bernstein has an unparalleled list of names to fall back on. Not that appreciation of his peers is ever the driving motive in Bernstein's thinking - as always, the unassuming guitarist is simply striving to make the best music possible.

Inspiration begins with these relationships, but the way they come together varies from project to project. Better Angels is a unique summit meeting of four revered artists: Bernstein, pianist Brad Mehldau, bassist Vicente Archer and legendary drummer Al Foster. Their work together under Bernstein's direction results in an impressive interplay and a highly exciting energy that arises from the exploration of the unknown. This combination of the familiar and the unfamiliar is also reflected in Bernstein's choice of repertoire, which combines well-known standards with bold new original compositions.