A towering cultural figure throughout the second half of the 20th century, Leonard Bernstein mediated between different musical worlds, borrowing freely from jazz, blues and popular music, eventually shaping a "classical" sound that became his deeply influential signature. From his decades of working alongside Austria's most illustrious musicians, Vienna's JAM Music Lab University was inspired to celebrate his music & legacy. With the addition of drumming great Peter Erskine as a Visiting Artist in 2021 - bringing along his own decades of contributions to blending popular music at the highest levels - they handed him the task of shaping the ambitious project. With this live recording, Erskine, JAM students and faculty, and pianist/musical director Danny Grissett, honour Bernstein's genius and fulfil JAM's chief mission - inspired by the jazz masters, educate and nurture jazz's next generation - and on this night, Peter Erskine, and Leonard Bernstein, led the charge.
Peter Erskine appears on 700 albums and film scores, and has won two Grammy Awards, plus an Honorary Doctorate from the Berklee School of Music (1992). Fifty albums have been released under his own name or as co-leader.
"...[Grissett] plays with an effortless brilliance that distinguishes him as one of the top three young pianists on the contemporary scene..." - All Music Guide
