[-88-]

After doing the search thing, I was amazed at the lack of information on Bob Berg recordings. I don't mean discography, sidemen, and those details as there is a lot of that and a complete discography at Bob's site. What I DO mean, is just try and find a copy of 'New Birth', or even 'Back Roads'.

Does anyone have a favored source for out of print CD's where I might find the older Berg discs? Does anyone want to sell their Bob Berg CD's? Anyone know of coming re-issues? Any favorite cuts from preferred albums? Any Berg transcriptions?

 

[chknbon]

I just bought "Remembering Bob Berg" at Best Buy. Savoy Jazz, SVY 17518. 2005. Tracks from "Short Stories", "In the Shadows", "Enter the Spirit", "Backroads", "Virtual Reality", "Cycles", "Another Standard".

 

[chknbon]

Another great recording is "The Jazztimes Superband". Concord Records, CCD-4889-2. 2000. Bob Berg, Randy Brecker, Dennis Chambers, Joey DeFrancesco.

 

[madgrocer]

I am a Bob Berg fanatic, and have a fairly extensive Bob Berg collection ... built from several sources..
1. EMUSIC- downloads.. that's where I started. Jazz Times Superband, Riddles, Another Standard, New Birth and Enter the Spirit.. Along with some other sideman stuff.. Steps Ahead -Live in Europe, Antonia Farao - FarOut, Carl Filipiak- Hotel Real and Right on Time, Tom Harrell- Stories, Randy Brecker - Live at Sweet Basil and Sam Jones- Changes and Things
2. Amazon- I have been able to secure most of the solo CD's from there from varying Amazon seller sources. A lot have been used copies, for a couple bucks.. Short Stories..In the Shadows....Backroads.. Virtual Reality..Cycles..I got all them at Amazon.
I also just found a DVD called The Geneva Concert at Amazon also.
I've also been able to pick up most of the stuff he did with Mike Stern from Amazon.

For my next quest, I'm going for the Cedar Walton stuff from the
70's. The Horace Silver stuff is not available anywhere, (although I have 4 cuts that some found digitally somewhere that are AWESOME) those 3 CD's haven't been re-released Yet.. hopefully someday soon.
3. CD Quest - also has some, some of which are imports and rather costly.
Another great CD, no-one knows about is I think his last recording, done with an Austrian guitarist named Gerald Gradwohl called ABQ. It's incredible... you gotta hear Giant Steps on that one!!! You can buy that one here...
http://www.guitar9.com/abq.html

 

[-88-]

Everyone's comments are interesting to me. Thanks. I want to determine for myself what, as precisely as I can frame it, is the shift from his first two albums, New Birth (which I haven't been able to find) and Steppin': Live in Europe and the album he put out five years later: Short Stories.

I just managed to get a copy of Short Stories. Does anyone know, perhaps MadGrocer, where I can get copy of Berg's 1987 album, Steppin': Live in Europe, that is reasonably priced? His European album seems radically different (from the few moments I've heard from online clips) from his next albums.

There's no question Berg could blow.

Madgrocer: yes, Cedar is one regal player.

 

[madgrocer]

Steppin is available used on Amazon for about $35. I know that's not reasonable.. but that's the only copy I see available right now.

 

[-88-]

Thanks, but . . . wow!

 

[-88-]

Madgrocer: two questions for you:

1) care to take a stab at describing Berg's work on the Steppin' recording?
2) out of all your Berg discs, what are the one's you get the most out of?

 

[madgrocer]

88...
The only consolation I can give you on the price of that one is.. there are other CDs for $2 to $3... so if you order a $3 and and $30, you get 2 CD's for the basically what you would spend on 2 new Cd's.. so you can cost average it with some cheap ones, and make yourself feel better.. that's what I try to do.

Bob's playing on that recording, I would have to describe as remarkably INTENSE... beyond belief. The stuff I've read say's that period was when he was trying to kick his addiction. The stuff I've heard of Bob playing Live is simply the best. On this recording, he just seems to leave his soul on the bandstand. It is very spirtual. I would compare it to the spiritualness of A Love Supreme. I don't mean to say its anything like A Love Supreme, I'm just trying to say that if you look at what that album represents in the Coltrane collection, I think Steppin is that album for Bob Berg.
I think Bob has an incredible amount of soul and inspiration in his playing. That's what I love about it... yeah he has a lot of the Brecker style licks in his playing, but they just come off completely different, with a soul and emotion that I just don't get from a lot of other players.

Of his other solo albums, I really enjoy Short Stories followed by Cycles. From top to bottom, I enjoy the tunes on these albums (particularly Short Stories)
Today while searching for Steppin for you, I found Chroma, "Music on the Edge", which was a band that only recorded one album... the band uncluded Bob, Randy Brecker, and Mike Stern... and I also found a Horace Silver DVD with Bob on it, and ordered them both.

If you really want some insight into Bob, shoot a PM to Tim Price. Tim knew Bob, and has nothing but admiration for the guy. He could better articulate the true essence of Bob's playing.

 

[-88-]

Hey, Thanks! Can I order a copy of Chroma: Music on The edge too? Can you tell me the source/details?

I just bought that copy of Steppin' that Amazon had.
The price was 'reduced' to $34. Gad!

It's a bit off subject, because his playing is so different from Berg's, but . . . Mal Waldron on piano and Nicolas Simion on tenor do some beautiful things together. The Big Rochade is their duo album cut in europe. Pensive.

 

[dirty]

Hey, so I was listening to Bob's "Another Standard" album today and needed to rave a little bit. This man is UNBELIEVABLE! What an incredible sound. Not what I personaly want to sound like, but definitely a beautiful, full-bodied, expressive tone played with passion. Kind of like Brecker, but different. I'm still trying to take it all in, but I can't believe that I haven't listened to this album for six months!

Tip: There are four of his albums on eMusic, for those who are interested. You might even be able to get them using all of your free "trial period" downloads. It's not as good as having the real albums, but it's better than not hearing these! This way, you can have the music to listen to at your leisure and pick up the albums when you can find them at a reasonable price.

 

[madgrocer]

Hey, Thanks! Can I order a copy of Chroma: Music on The edge too? Can you tell me the source/details?

I found it on Amazon... I think there was another copy.. used

 

[14470]

I own three of his CDs and listened to them a lot for a while and then stopped after I saw him live at Yoshi's, which I hate to say was a big disappointment. He probably just had an off-day. Anyway, he is a great saxophonist with a distinctive voice, so why are his recordings unavailable? It is hardly as if he is/was an unknown entity. Under-appreciated like just about anyone in jazz with a few exceptions but hardly to the point where there shouldn't be a market. Is the some sort of royalty issue? My CDs are on the "label" Denon (receivers, etc). I suppose I could email them and ask but I doubt anyone there will know about it.

...to the original question, all three CDs that I have are great but if I had to choose I would probably pick "In The Shadows" over "Back Roads" and "Virtual Reality".

 

[-88-]

Dirty:
Yeah, Another Standard. Well named! Thanks for the great eMusic suggestion. I am going over there to investigate.

By the way, didn't you recently change your handle or am I not paying attention?

 

[-88-]

I found it on Amazon... I think there was another copy.. used

Amazon!?! Okay, I'll go look more thoroughly. Thanks.

 

[-88-]

I own three of his CDs and listened to them a lot for a while and then stopped after I saw him live at Yoshi's, which I hate to say was a big disappointment. He probably just had an off-day. Anyway, he is a great saxophonist with a distinctive voice, so why are his recordings unavailable? It is hardly as if he is/was an unknown entity. Under-appreciated like just about anyone in jazz with a few exceptions but hardly to the point where there shouldn't be a market. Is the some sort of royalty issue? My CDs are on the "label" Denon (receivers, etc). I suppose I could email them and ask but I doubt anyone there will know about it.

...to the original question, all three CDs that I have are great but if I had to choose I would probably pick "In The Shadows" over "Back Roads" and "Virtual Reality".

I know what you mean about that live disappointment, but I don't blame the artist. I give them the benefit of having off days. . .even very off days. I just hope those days don't fall on their live performances. Heard Shirley Horn at Yoshis one evening, after hearing her mainly for years on recordings, and I had to realize that she had entered a different phase of her career and I needed to respect that.

I much appreciate your comments. I will get copy of In The Shadows.

 

[14470]

I know what you mean about that live disappointment, but I don't blame the artist. I give them the benefit of having off days. . .even very off days.

Same here. I guess it came off sounding harsh, which wasn't the intention. I will definitely get the Savoy recording and look for his other CDs after being prompted by this thread - thanks a lot.

Kind of like Brecker, but different.

I listened to Berg today and I guess I am missing out on something because to me his sound, frasing an repertoire is distinct from Brecker. What am I missing?

 

[-88-]

Madgrocer:
I guess Music on the Edge is gone from Amazon.

 

[-88-]

Brasscane: I just ordered a copy of In The Shadows. Thanks.

 

[tomsch]

Bob's playing is great on Cedar Walton's First Set, Second Set, and Third Set recordings.