Search - Bernie Williams :: Journey Within

Baseball player Bernie Williams swings more than a bat! Like the former pro basketball player Wayman Tisdale, Williams is a serious musician--a good acoustic and electric guitarist. Even if the guy is no Pat Metheny, the Puerto Rican-born superstar is classically trained, has a decent tone, and credible technique. Supporting Williams on his debut endeavor is a who's who of contemporary jazz and Latin superstars: from the banjo maestro Bela Fleck and keyboardist David Benoit to the Panamanian salsa singer/songwriter Ruben Blades, and the salsero Gilberto Santa Rosa. Musically, the material includes Latin-tinged, smooth jazz numbers, like the spirited "La Salsa En Mi," the bouncy, "Samba Novo" by the Brazilian guitar king Baden Powell, and reverent readings of Kansas's "Dust in the Wind" and Billy Joel's "And So It Goes." The most heartfelt track on this CD is the wistful "Para Don Berna," an elegy to Williams' late father. Now, we have a good idea of what this outfielder will do when he quits his day job. --Eugene Holley, Jr.