Long-awaited debut of ace tenor saxophonist hit home, regardless of late ’70s sound.
Personnel
Bob Berg (tenor saxophone), Tom Harrell (trumpet), Cedar Walton (piano, electric piano), Mike Richmond (bass), Al Foster (drums), Sam Figueroa (congas, percussion)
Recorded
on May 12, 1978 at RCA Studios, New York City
Released
as Xanadu 159 in 1978
Track listing
Side A: You’re My Thrill/Pauletta/Neptune
Side B: This Masquerade/Magic Carpet/Shapes
A bad loss. Berg still had a lot to offer lovers of jazz. In hindsight, the Brooklyn, New York-born tenor saxophonist may be defined as a bridge between two eras. When Berg was a young lion in the early 1970’s, fusion and rock jazz were the predominant genres, when he was a veteran, neo-bop was on the rise. Berg exemplifies a generation that worked off the friction between tradition and crossover.
Berg’s career path is intriguing. Impassioned by the late, “spiritual” career periode of John Coltrane, Berg roamed the sidewalks of Baptist Street and Jupiter Avenue, stopping along the way in Betelgeuse Alley. But gradually, Berg embraced the mainstream field, in his own adventurous way, so to speak. He played in Horace Silver’s group from 1973-76 and with Cedar Walton. His features on the revered Eastern Rebellion 2-4 albums on Timeless (replacing George Coleman) are career highlights.
He played and recorded with Randy Brecker, Chick Corea, Tom Harrell, Eddie Henderson. It would be unfortunate to overlook his excellent records on the Japanese Denon label from 1987 to 1993.
Most famously, Berg played with Miles Davis from 1984 to 1986. He’s part of You’re Under Arrest.
Now there’s a curriculum vitae. Major-league. It took more time than you’d expect to record as a leader. But the time finally came in 1978, and the end result, New Birth, doesn’t disappoint, although I’ve never been a fan of the Xanadu sound (nor the 1970’s sound in general) and alternations between piano and electric piano. But ultimately it’s the outstanding musicianship and repertoire, vivid and Latin-ish post-bop, that sticks.
New Birth is recorded in 1978 and features Cedar Walton on piano and electric piano, Tom Harrell on trumpet, Mike Richmond on bass, Al Foster on drums and Sam Figueroa on congas. The album highlight is an Afro-Cuban version of You’re My Thrill, that’s booming, thriving on the full-bodied ensemble sound of Berg and Harrell, featuring contributions with relentless forward motion and creativity by Berg and Harrell and a sublime part by Walton, a roaring waterfall.
Listen to New Birth on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aqSdNiqavY