Search - Anders Bergcrantz :: Live at Sweet Basil

So so

Ozzie | Brugge, Flanders | 09/13/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Swedish trumpeter Anders Bergcrantz is surrounded by an extremely talented group of American musicians on this live recording, which somehow doesn't quite live up to expectations. I'm not sure it was such a good idea to record this band live; in my view a studio date would have produced better results. For one thing, a studio recording might have prevented the "longueurs" a live setting seems to invoke. The shortest track lasts for barely under 8 minutes. Standards like "Stella by starlight" are perhaps a little too oft-covered to sustain any real interest any longer, and recording a tune like "Body and soul" is traditionally where the boys are separated from the men, and on this occasion at least, Bergcrantz finds himself on the wrong side of the fence. Unfortunately, this entire set doesn't do Bergcrantz justice. He's produced far better albums than this one, most of which were for the Dragon-label from Stockholm, Sweden. Perhaps this recording just happened to catch the band on a less inspired night. It is certainly true that great musicians like Richie Beirach (piano), Ron McClure (bass) and Adam Nussbaum (drums) seem to go through the motions some of the time. Saxophonist Rick Margitza's individual style is a welcome presence in this band, but even his playing doesn't really catch fire most of the time. Perhaps this album should be deemed a missed opportunity for Bergcrantz, who's really a much better trumpeter than would appear from this recording. Any of his studio recordings should prove far more satisfying for the average listener."