Legendary drummer Peter Erskine brings together a band consisting of Robert Unterkofler/ts, Bertl Mayer/harm, Cozy Friedel/vi, Andreas Varady/g, Danny Ziemann/b and musical director Danny Grissett/p for a tribute to one of America’s great composers, Leonard Bernstein, at a concert in Vienna Austria back in October of 2021.
Erskine is a master here, creating irresistable crests for Unterkofler and Mayer’s tenor on the hip “I Feel Pretty” while giving a workshop of a solo on the free range “Calls and Hollers” which features the entire front line. Grissett Is in shadowy form on “Cool” and drop dead gorgeous with Unterkofler’s soprano sax during the jogger’s pulse of “Viennese Summer” while the leader sizzles with Varady on “It’s Love”. Rhythms that would make a humming V8 jealous.