" data-original-title="" title="">Bruce Barth has long been one of my favorite musicians.  He's worked with a slew of great musicians, from James Moody to Branford Marsalis, Phil Woods to Andy Statman (his work on Statman's The Hidden Light is simply gorgeous.) In the early 1990's, Barth toured and recorded with trumpeter Terence Blanchard and his time with that ensemble became the impetus for his own solo career. He's a pianist who certainly has loads of technique yet rarely “shows off"--instead, his love of melody and harmonic inventions stands out among his contemporaries.

Over the past 2 decades, he's issued a number of recordings for many different labels. In 2001, Barth released “East and West“ (MaxJazz), a heady blend of trio cuts and larger ensemble works that ranks among his best recordings.

On Wednesday November 4, Barth unveils his latest project “The Western Suite“ at