Jeff Beal: Alternative Route

Trumpeter Jeff Beal’s Alternate Route, a classical-jazz recording consisting of two four-part movements, is an impressionistic and haunting journey inspired by Beal’s fascination with physical movement. Working with the Berkeley Symphony and Metropole Orchestras, the first movement-the musical one-strikes a balance between lush, orchestral moments and more frenetic passages. The second movement looks back to the first, but is presented in a more traditional jazz context, with percussion, piano, brass and guitar underpinnings. Throughout, Beal expresses himself through his trumpet and flugelhorn, blowing swinging bebop and slowing it down for some very Mileslike passages.

Originally Published March 1, 2001