88 The cello Quartet Archive

Joshua Breakstone – The Cello Quartet – 88 – Capri

by Audiophile Audition | Oct 19, 2016 | Jazz CD Reviews

Joshua Breakstone – The Cello Quartet – 88 – Capri 71444-2, 64:31 ****: Strong playing from a band immersed in a bop-inspired songbook. (Joshua Breakstone – guitar; Lisle Atkinson – bass; Andy Watson – drums; Mike Richmond – cello ) Joshua Breakstone is an intriguing guitarist of prolific dexterity in the manner of Wes Montgomery. Mind you, which of today’s guitarists, is not of that style? This release, featuring the cello quartet, is built around compositions of some influential bop-styled pianists, with the exception of Breakstone’s own composition with the apropos title: Eighty-Eight. As pointed out by Breakstone in his brief but helpful liner notes, the guitar and the piano are often though to be incompatible instruments because both are chordal in nature. However, in fact, both are rather similar as they fulfill a dual role: in addition to being rhythm section players, both perform solo functions. Hence Breakstone’s curiosity in bringing together some better and lesser-known compositions by a group of pianists, as a basis for this recital. Harold Mabern’s admiration for John Coltrane is proclaimed in the opening track “The Chief” with an assertive introduction to the approach of the quartet. After a long chordal rumination by Breakstone, […]