Bromberg David

David Bromberg basically gave up his recording and performing career at the start of the 1980s, but in 1986 his old label, Fantasy Records, released this album of odds and ends recorded between 1976 and 1979. Since odds and ends are what Bromberg specialized in, the result was as good as any of his albums, beginning with a paean to marijuana ("The Viper"), followed by one to drinking and sex ("Loaded and Laid"). Those jazzy live tracks typically were followed by studio recordings of meticulously played acoustic ballads before Bromberg and his band returned to San Francisco's Great American Music Hall for concert staples like "Suffer to Sing the Blues" and "Make Me a Pallet on the Floor." It was enough to make you wish he'd perform a little more often.

Wood is Brian Bromberg's debut for the A440 Music Group, and it is a very strong example of his extraordinary straight-ahead jazz skills as presented in three exciting formats. In addition to the six tracks he performs in a trio setting with drummer David Bromberg and pianist Randy Waldman, Brian Bromberg duets with Waldman on the inimitable "Days of Wine and Roses" and the beautiful tribute "Goodbye (For My Father)," which was previously released on You Know That Feeling. Two amazing solo performances – "Come Together" and "Star Spangled Banner" – add further credence to Bromberg's technical and creative virtuosity as one of the premier jazz bassists of his generation.

The newly formed Vertical Jazz Records debuts with an attractive, six-CD series of straightahead trio, quartet and quintet recordings showcasing top West Coast jazz artists, many of whom had never recorded together before. Because these musicians have leaned toward pop-jazz or pursued unidentified studio work, they may surprise you with their stunning straightahead remakes of standards. These sessions, recorded under direction of executive producer/president Suzanne Severini last spring at Ocean Way Recording Studios in Hollywood, prove the label is off to a strong start.