Continuation

Guitarist Peter Lerner hasn't reached Broom's level of recognition, but he surely has outdone himself with his newest release, Continuation (Origin Records). Though he sounds strong in solo passages, it's the band he leads and the strength of his compositions that make the deepest impression here. With pianist Willie Pickens playing a leonine role throughout the recording and Robert Irving III serving as producer, "Continuation" unfolds as a tour de force of ensemble playing. From the driving power of the opening "Willie n Me" to the rhythmic sway and translucent textures of "Once Upon a Chance Encounter" to the pastels Lerner and Pickens achieve in "When Sunny Gets Blue" (in Pickens' deft arrangement), "Continuation" moves from strength to strength. Joined in various combinations by bassist Marlene Rosenberg, drummer Charles Heath, saxophonist Geof Bradfield, flugelhornist Victor Garcia, trombonist Andy Baker and percussionist Joe Rendon, Lerner has made a formidable and lasting statement with Continuation.