As Good As It Gets (1997)

New York City. Melvin Udall, a cranky, bigoted, obsessive-compulsive writer, finds his life turned upside down when neighboring gay artist Simon is hospitalized and his dog is entrusted to Melvin. In addition, Carol, the only waitress who will tolerate him, must leave work to care for her sick son, making it impossible for Melvin to eat breakfast.

New York City. Melvin Udall, a cranky, bigoted, obsessive-compulsive writer, finds his life turned upside down when neighboring gay artist Simon is hospitalized and his dog is entrusted to Melvin. In addition, Carol, the only waitress who will tolerate him, must leave work to care for her sick son, making it impossible for Melvin to eat breakfast.

These are bold, incisive readings full of youthful ardor. No wilting-violet Schubert here. Ashkenazy, Zukerman and Harrell play with imagination and commitment in both works; there is never a hint of routine, of three virtuosi just going through the motions for the sake of producing a star-studded recording. This has lately become my favored recording of these impoderably and inexhaustibly beautiful trios.

Japanese fusion bassist Tetsuo Sakurai, carved a niche in the industry as a fleet fingered player that could hit the groove with authority, his slap technique was as good as it gets. He has dozens of recordings to his credit as a member of the long time fusion band Casiopea, Jimsaku, and more recently as a solo artist. The music on this cd will remind of a heavier version of Casiopea, with more progressive tendancies, that remind of the band Fragile also some looping and dubs are added for a fresh contemporary sound. Lot's of heavy bass accentuations are present throughout, and the music relies on an aggresive approach. Sakurai proves to be a versatile bassist on every song, he is not one to stay in the funk realm, as he shows he has a melodic edge to him as well.