Back Roads (Bob Berg album)

Back Roads
Studio album by Bob Berg
Released	1991
Genre	Jazz, jazz fusion
Label	Denon
Producer	Jim Beard
Bob Berg chronology
In the Shadows (1990) Back Roads (1991) Virtual Reality (1992)

Back Roads is an album by the American saxophonist Bob Berg, released in 1991. ^{[1] [2]} It peaked at No. 8 on Billboard 's Jazz Albums chart. ^[3] The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Contemporary Jazz Performance". ^[4]

Production

The album was produced by Jim Beard, who also contributed on keyboards. ^[5] Its title was inspired by Berg's travels around his East End home. ^[6] Berg was backed by Mike Stern on guitar, Dennis Chambers on drums, and Lincoln Goines on bass. ^[7] Berg decided to focus less on technique and fast tempos, instead concentrating on the tunefulness of his playing. ^[8] Some of the tracks were influenced by the music of Steely Dan. ^[9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[10]
Boston Herald	C+ [11]
DownBeat	[12]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[13]
MusicHound Jazz: The Essential Album Guide	[14]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD, LP & Cassette	[15]

The Boston Herald called the album a "calculated crossover affair", stating that "it features the breezy blowing and bright melodies favored by fans of the Quiet Storm radio format." ^[11] The Philadelphia Daily News said that the musicians "function in the vein of the ECM label's most accessible, tuneful sessions fronted by Keith Jarrett and Pat Metheny." ^[16] The Globe and Mail stated that "most of Back Roads is lighter, softer and indeed more produced than has been Berg's fashion... Chambers firms up a couple of pieces, but the rest comes perilously close to the pop-jazz of someone like Grover Washington". ^[5] The Chicago Tribune noted that Berg "can sound as lite as they come one minute and like Michael Brecker the next." ^[17] The Toronto Star opined that most of the tracks "are classy but typical synthesizer-inspired fusion exercises, jazz-tinged energetic rock at best and modish musing at worst". ^[18]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Back Roads"
2.	"Travellin' Man"
3.	"Silverado"
4.	"When I Fall in Love"
5.	"American Gothic"
6.	"Dreamer"
7.	"Nighthawks"

References

1. Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World. Vol. 1. Bloomsbury Publishing. 2003. p. 709.
2. Cordle, Owen (November 29, 1991). "When less is more". Weekend. The News & Observer. p. 3.
3. "Jazz Albums". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. Billboard. March 6, 1992. p. 10.
4. "Grammy Nominees". Calgary Herald. Herald News Services. January 8, 1993. p. C8.
5. Miller, Mark (January 18, 1992). "Jazz". The Globe and Mail. p. C3.
6. Clavin, Thomas (February 21, 1993). "East End Now Inspires Music, Too". The New York Times. p. A4.
7. McNally, Owen (November 28, 1991). "Stern-Berg band's post-Davis work showcased in tour". Calendar. Hartford Courant. p. 5.
8. Stewart, Zan (February 16, 1992). "Bob Berg Saxophonist Mellows Out". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 57.
9. Smith, Brad (December 7, 1991). "Bob Berg prefers musical ambiguity". Union-News. Springfield. p. 24.
10. "Back Roads Review by Alex Henderson". AllMusic. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
11. "Discs". Boston Herald. December 6, 1991. p. S12.
12. Tolleson, Robin (February 1992). "Stern Turns". DownBeat. Vol. 59, no. 2. p. 31.
13. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.
14. MusicHound Jazz: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 100.
15. The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD, LP & Cassette. Penguin Books. 1994. p. 113.
16. Takiff, Jonathan (December 16, 1991). "Jazz Notes". Features Yo!. Philadelphia Daily News. p. 39.
17. Fuller, Jack (January 26, 1992). "Recordings". Arts. Chicago Tribune. p. 19.
18. Chapman, Geoff (February 1, 1992). "Jazz for all tastes, but with some strings attached". Toronto Star. p. J12.