''Stranger in Paradise'' is an album by

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

guitarist Peter Bernstein.

Background

Bernstein and pianist

Brad Mehldau Bradford Alexander Mehldau (; born August 23, 1970) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. Mehldau studied music at The New School, and toured and recorded while still a student. He was a member of saxophonist Joshua Redman's Quar ...

had recorded together several times previously, and bassist

Larry Grenadier Larry Grenadier (born February 6, 1966 in San Francisco) is an American jazz double bassist. Early life Grenadier's father, Albert, was a trumpet player, and his two brothers, Phil and Steve, play trumpet and guitar, respectively. Grenadier be ...

and drummer Bill Stewart had played with the guitarist on his '' Heart's Content'' album.

Music and recording

Three of the tracks are Bernstein originals. The album contains "elements of hard bop and post-bop, including an intriguing, slightly off-center approach to 'Stranger in Paradise' and an intricate, moving interpretation of 'This Is Always'". Also covered are "a greasy arranging of Babs Gonzales' 'Soul Stirrin' ' and a breezy take of 'That Sunday, That Summer'".

Reception

The Penguin Guide to Jazz ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which were (at the time of publication) currently available in Europe or the United States. The first nine editions were compiled by ...

'' commented that this and Bernstein's previous album, ''Heart's Content'', "work at every level".

Track listing

#"Venus Blues" (Bernstein) #" Stranger in Paradise" (

Alexander Borodin Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin ( rus, link=no, Александр Порфирьевич Бородин, Aleksandr Porfir’yevich Borodin , p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr pɐrˈfʲi rʲjɪvʲɪtɕ bərɐˈdʲin, a=RU-Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin.ogg, ...

, George Forrest, Robert Wright) #" Luiza" (

Antônio Carlos Jobim Antônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim (25 January 1927 – 8 December 1994), also known as Tom Jobim (), was a Brazilian composer, pianist, guitarist, songwriter, arranger, and singer. Considered one of the great exponents of Brazilian mu ...

) #"

How Little We Know "How Little We Know" is a song written by Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer for the 1944 film ''To Have and Have Not'', where it is performed by the character "Slim" played by Lauren Bacall. A young Andy Williams recorded the song for the film as ...

" (Springer) #"Bobblehead" (Bernstein) #"Just a Thought" (Bernstein) #"This Is Always" (

Harry Warren Harry Warren (born Salvatore Antonio Guaragna; December 24, 1893 – September 22, 1981) was an American composer and the first major American songwriter to write primarily for film. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song ...

) #"Soul Stirrin'" (

Babs Gonzales Babs Gonzales (October 27, 1919 – January 23, 1980), born Lee Brown, was an American bebop vocalist, poet, and self-published author. His books portrayed the jazz world that many black musicians struggled in, portraying disk jockeys, club owner ...

) #"

That Sunday, That Summer "That Sunday, That Summer" is a swing ballad, written by Joe Sherman and George David Weiss and published in 1963. Nat King Cole recording The highest charting version is by Nat King Cole. It was recorded on May 16, 1963 at Capitol Records in Los ...

" ( Joe Sherman,

George David Weiss George David Weiss (April 9, 1921 – August 23, 2010) was an American songwriter and arranger, who was a president of the Songwriters Guild of America. He is an inductee in the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Biography Weiss was born in a Jewish fa ...

) #"Autumn Nocturne" (

Josef Myrow Josef Myrow (February 18, 1910 – December 24, 1987 in Los Angeles, California) was a Russian Empire-born composer, known for his work in film scores in the 1940s and 1950s. He was twice nominated for an Academy Award: in 1947 for the song "You Do ...

)

Personnel

* Peter Bernstein – guitar *

– piano *

– bass * Bill Stewart – drums

References

{{reflist 2004 albums Peter Bernstein albums