The Joshua Breakstone Quartet: Wonderful!

Joshua Breakstone's Wonderful! arrives on CD nearly four decades after its original release. It is a reminder that truly good jazz never worries about expiration dates. Although the original recording came early in his career, Breakstone hardly sounds like a guitarist searching for his voice. The ideas are already in place. Thoughtful, swinging, and melodic, the music is delivered with the quiet confidence of someone who understands that understatement can be as compelling as fireworks.

The company Breakstone chose for the session could not have been better. Pianist Barry Harris brings his incomparable bebop wisdom to every chorus. Bassist Earl Sauls anchors the music with a warm, resonant sound. Drummer Leroy Williams keeps the compositions dancing with a blend of drive, finesse and well-placed accents. Around this period, Breakstone was performing regularly with saxophonist Warne Marsh, and that association, together with Marsh's deep connection to pianist Lennie Tristano, clearly left its mark on the guitarist's musical thinking.

The thoughtfully balanced set of seven compositions reveals much about where Breakstone stood as a young musician. Rather than relying solely on familiar standards, he assembled a repertoire that reflected the breadth of his musical interests, including classic American songwriting, bebop, the cool sophistication of Tristano's school, a respectful salute to Django Reinhardt, and two original compositions that confidently announced his emerging voice.

George Gershwin's "S'Wonderful" opens the album exactly as it should, with optimism, swing, and infectious energy. Breakstone states the melody with crisp articulation and an easy sense of time. Harris follows with one of his trademark solos, brimming with bebop lines. Sauls and Williams never merely accompany; they keep the performance buoyant from start to finish.

The extended reading of Tadd Dameron's "Soultrane" (one word, not "Soul Train" as shown on the album) is one of the recording's centrepieces. Breakstone explores the tune's rich harmonic structure with patience and imagination, building his improvisation in a logical way. Harris responds with chorus after chorus of beautifully flowing lines. Sauls' pulsating beat is steady throughout, and he delivers his solo with a natural sense of invention.

The next block features two Breakstone originals, "Sevens-Up" and "This Is It!." These numbers demonstrate that he was developing a distinctive compositional voice. Rhythmic twists, inventive melodic design and thoughtful harmonic movement suggest that Breakstone was more than a mere interpreter.

Tristano's "Two Not One" highlights another important facet of Breakstone's musical personality. The linear improvising, cool precision and subtle contrapuntal ideas acknowledge Tristano's influence without ever sounding imitative. Breakstone and Harris feed off each other, absorbing the aesthetic while speaking in their own voice.

The closing salute to gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt, "Django's Castle," is both affectionate and respectful. Rather than attempting to recreate Django's style, Breakstone captures his spirit and vitality, filtering everything through his own modern approach.

This long-awaited CD finally restores an important chapter in Breakstone's musical story. It remains every bit as engaging, inventive and genuinely wonderful as it was when first recorded.