This is the eighth album as leader from Miami-based pianist and composer Berg, who’s famed for accompanying numerous leading singers. Nine of the 11 numbers are originals penned by him. The other two are arrangements of Lennon and McCartney’s I’ll Follow The Sun and Leonard Bernstein’s Somewhere.
The album’s title means joy in Spanish. It was selected by Berg with the intention that each track should reflect an aspect of that experience. So, for instance, the first two numbers, Home With You and Marina Sunset, were written to reflect the happy times he and his wife have together, sharing a condominium on the waterfront of Los Angeles’ Marina del Rey.
The title track came to him when he learnt that he’d soon have a new grandchild. At Last captures the finding of a soulmate. Meatballs and Apple Pie was written for his children when they were young and playful and Red Rocks, Tall Cactus reflects the happy hours he once spent observing the changing perspectives of the sun’s reflections on the Grand Canyon.
The artists on the album are clearly experienced and adept instrumentalists. They all appear to be enthusiastic in their contribution to the concept of joy being embodied in each number. A small grouse is that the means of achieving this sense of happiness seems to be by playing dense runs of notes when fewer notes would be better. The effect is one of crowded busy-ness which can detract from the listener’s ability to follow the intended melody. To these ears, a less-is-more approach might have been preferable at times.
Discography
Home With You; Marina Sunset; Alegría; At Last; Meatballs and Apple Pie; The Joy; Bliss; When Next We Meet; I’ll Follow The Sun; Red Rocks, Tall Cactus; Somewhere (61.14)
Berg (p); Carlitos Del Puerto (b); Dafnis Prieto (d); Melvin Butler (ts, tracks 5 & 10). Background vocals on track 5 as above plus Julia Berg, Brian Camelio, Gary Galimidi, Dayne Dupree. Miami, 8-10 December 2023.
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