Steve Herberman : Counterbalance Solo 7 string guitar : CD

HERBERMAN : For George; I Surrender Dear; Girl from Englewood Cliffs;  Will The Sun Rise ?:  CHARLIE PARKER : Buzzy: JOE PASS: For Django: BILLY STRAYHORN: Blood Count; Lush Life: BILL EVANS : Time Remembered: Turn Out The Stars :VICTOR YOUNG: My Foolish Heart.

Steve Herberman .

CD: Privately printed

Played on a 7- string guitar this album has absolutely no edits at all, but everything has been recorded live. The main musical style is, as you can imagine from the titles Jazz. The playing is totally finger – style, but not on a classical, but the music would fit the classical guitar so well that I have included it in my reviews.

The opening track , one of 4 written by our performer himself is very musical, yes, full of jazz chords, but a lovely work, and the sound is beautifully captured too, so ‘live’ doesn’t mean second – rate by any means. In fact the opening track reminded me, musically speaking of the sort of arrangements that composers like John Duarte, and Laurindo Almeida made for our instrument.

Charlie Parker’s Buzzy is slightly more up tempo, but every bit in the same sound world as the previous piece.

I Surrender Dear is another of his own compositions with a lovely set of harmonies and a nice melodic feel throughout its slightly slowish but friendly sound.

Joe Pass’s For Django is next. Again, this is a beautiful piece with beautiful playing, and very evocative harmonies and melody.

Billy Strayhorn’s Blood Count is a little more serious in feel and not as warm in its musical style, but as a different feel it is in exactly the right place on this album.

Girl from Englewood Cliffs, another home spun piece moves around a little more but with a fair amount of Rubato ingrained, so that it keeps your attention. Another lovely piece of writing and playing.

Billy Strayhorn’s other piece Lush Life is another fine piece by him, and like his other piece, a little more serious than some of the other pieces here.

Will The Sun Rise? is sad and slow in tempo at the opening but full of beautiful harmonies and arpeggio work, and another fine track. It does get more of a tempo towards the middle of the piece.

Bill Evan’s Time Remembered, is no doubt because of its reflective title, sad and emotional, and another lovely work with a great performance.

Victor Young’s My Foolish Heart is probably the only piece I actually recognised on this album, (not that that mattered!) It was written in the late 40s but still given the jazz harmonic language style that again sounded a bit like John Duarte’s arrangements that I have had for decades and still enjoy playing.

The final track is Bill Evan’s Turn Out The Stars which closes this album beautifully.

The playing is perfect, nicely recorded, and every piece is well worth hearing. If you like your jazz, full of lovely harmonies, interesting passage – work and extremely listenable throughout, then this album is most definitely for you!

Chris Dumigan