Search - David Berkman :: Start Here, Finish There

Berkman stays the course--and scores big

Jan P. Dennis | Monument, CO USA | 03/05/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"With his fourth outing for Palmetto, pianist David Berkman has chosen the quartet format. This band (Dick Oatts, saxes; Ugonna Okegwo, bass; and Nasheet Waits, drums) has been together several years, and it shows--lightening quick response, deep conversation, total commitment to and understanding of the particular vibe going down. For me, one of the strongest recent developments in jazz is the reemergence of Real Bands. On a pretty consistent basis, the best jazz lately is coming from groups that have spent a fair amount of time playing together, traveling, and recording. One thinks of, for example, The Jazz Standards Trio, The Dave Holland Quintet, The Bad Plus, Dave Douglas's Quintet, the Claudia Quintet, Nicholas Payton's Sonic Trance, The Brad Mehldau Trio, Fly, EST, The Scot Ray Quintet, and many others. Even many glorious one-off projects, like the Frahm/Mehldau duo, Don't Explain, or the marvelous new George Cables recording, Looking for the Light, feature players who've know each other and played with each other for years.The music here pretty much covers the waterfront. Everything from the haunting, ballad-like delicacy of "Cells," with its faintly Latin sensibility and oddly beautiful melody and Bill Evans-ish solo from Berkman, to dancing sambas ("Stone's Throw" and "Quilt"), to "Triceratops," a down-n-dirty blooze, to the cleverly titled "Penultimatum," sounding very much like Charlie Parker's famous "Barbados," as it moves freely between bop and calypso, slyly updated for the new millennium, to "Iraq," (my favorite number) a tune that manages to sound Middle Eastern and Native American at the same time, to the sprightly nu bop number, "Old Forks." The two solo numbers, "English As a Second Language" and "Mean Things Happen in This World," seem like throwaways, but since together they're only a little over four and a half minutes long, one need not be overly concerned.All the players are first rate, with Waits making the strongest impression. He is one son of a jazz father who has clearly eclipsed his dad, Chico Freeman being the other. Alternately very subtle or rather demonstrative as called for, he constantly stakes out clever and engaging rhythmic soundscapes. Ugonna Okegwo, who came up through Bobby Watson's great group Horizon, is a monster on bass, getting that huge woody tone and Charlie Haden-esque presence from his instrument. Dick Oatts, never a favorite player, acquits himself entirely admirably, displaying deft unison lines, smart solos, and hip ensemble voicings. A small program note: The inside sleeve has the tunes mixed up. Their correct order is listed (with times) on the back of the jewel box. David Berkman here proves he is another young--well, maybe NOT so young; his photo shows a balding, grey-bearded fellow--jazz pianist/composer/bandleader who merits careful listening. Probably under regarded in relation to his peers, his Start Here, Finish There (wrongly rendered on Amazon as Start Here, Finish Here) is a wonderful place to encounter him."