Bernstein in Vienna

Musicians from the Vienna University JAM Music Lab pay tribute to Leonard Bernstein († 1990) and invite Peter Erskine as producer and soloist. There has always been an exchange between jazz and the melodies of musicals and revues. With his attractive creations such as "West Side Story", Bernstein continued this tradition, a fusion of light classical music, jazz and pop songs. This ORF concert recording under the direction of Danny Grissett naturally emphasizes the jazz aspect with straight-ahead improvisations, to which Erskine gives a lot of drive with a swinging, heavy beat. His concise thematic drum solos are the energetic highlights. The promising saxophonist Unterköfler, the harmonica player Mayer and the violinist Friedel in particular bring color contrasts to the whole. And Marcus Ratka's "Calls and Hollers" stands out from the routine with a clever arrangement.