Album Review: Heart Mind and Soul from Randy Bernsen
Album: Heart Mind and Soul Artist: Randy Bernsen Label: Jerico Jams Website: randybernsen.com Randy Bernsen exerts his prowess as a lyrical composer and versatile guitarist with this six-track release, Heart Mind and Soul , his 11th project as a leader. The melodic motifs, as though glass-blown from his guitar, are scaffold by the clarion toots of saxophonists Bob Mintzer and Bob Franceschini, interspersed by the sleek flickers of Dan Davis's trumpet. The rhythm section comprised of bass player Jimmy Haslip, drummer David Nizri, and keyboardists George Whitty and Uzi Nizri complement the harmonic forms. The octet create multifaceted soundscapes, parlaying an assortment of jazz fusion blends from smooth jazz clauses, bop-induced lobes, and improvised excursions. Bernsen inseminates sizzling streaks across"Chant 881," giving the score a shot of spontaneity as his improvised fragments form unrestrained ruptures and agile curves along its progression....