Track-by-Track: Steve Berndt Sizes Up His New Album ‘Heart of Hearts’

As a collection of new songs, Steve Berndt’s new record Heart of Hearts gives you a bit of everything. Whether you like big ensembles or small groups, you’ll find something to love on this new offering. Released earlier this month, Heart of Hearts primarily explores themes of love and honesty. There are eight original compositions written by Berndt, along with three well-known songs from the 1970s that he gave a jazz treatment to. Most of the tracks are small group performances, but Berndt made sure to leave room for a big band ensemble with “Blue Skies On Mars.” This song will also act as the eponymous theme for a new crime drama film set to be released soon. The song won “Best Original Song” at the International Independent Film Awards in Los Angeles.

Heart of Hearts features a wide range of jazz styles and instrumental textures through a unique combination of horns and keyboard. The horn lines are complex, brought together behind powerful melodies and swinging grooves. Each song is arranged to highlight Berndt’s impressive vocals, but they also leave room for instrumental improvisation. This was important to Berndt, given that he wanted to showcase the talents and skills of every musician who played on the record.

Bernt joins us for an exclusive Track-by-Track rundown of Heart of Hearts, explaining the creative process behind each of these splendid compositions.

1. “All Over Again”

“My debut jazz album was a vocal/piano duet with famed jazz pianist Brian Browne. A set of jazz standards in the Tony Bennett/Bill Evans tradition, I included a song I wrote called ‘Déjà Vu’ and decided to use that title to name the recording, as it was a good fit for a retro jazz album.

“‘Déjà Vu’ was very well received, making a top 10 list in Canada and gaining long-term rotational play on CBC Radio’s national jazz show. As Brian and I had laid down more tracks for ‘Déjà Vu’ than were released, I decided to produce a ‘bookend’ album using those extra tracks along with some new recordings with him.

“As the new album was meant to mirror the format of the first, I needed an original song to use as a title. Realizing that a song called ‘All Over Again’ would complete the famous Yogi Berra quote when paired with ‘Déjà Vu,’ I decided to write a song with that title.

“The track builds from a sparse beginning with just vocal and bass and features another finely crafted, tasteful solo from pianist Steve Boudreau.”

2. “Heart of Hearts”

“My typical writing process starts with imagining a title that appeals to me, working out a theme that supports it, and then writing a melody while fleshing out the rest of the lyrics. ‘Heart of Hearts’ was one instance when I did not follow that process.

“Playing random chords while practicing the piano, I came up with a chord progression that I liked and then wrote a melody on top of it. I started writing the lyrics and developed the title and theme as I went along, little knowing it would become a timely morality tale, given the current political state of affairs. This was one instance when writing the lyrics had the feeling I imagine you’d get working on an archaeology dig: hopeful anticipation and then the thrill of discovering a treasure that slowly reveals itself as you work.

“The flugel and trombone interplay are meant to playfully foreshadow the lyric’s main theme regarding the struggle between honesty and deception. London, UK native Ed Lister plays a typically impressive flugel solo before Cuban pianist/composer Miguel De Armas delivers another of his signature passionate solos backed by the rock steady conga of his longtime percussionist Michel Brindis Medrano.”

Steve Berndt ‘Heart of Hearts’ album artwork

3. “The Moment”

“This is one of those compositions that happened mostly by accident while writing something else. Hitting a block one day while writing other material, I began to just play chords in chains of 4th’s as a way to clear my mind from the composition with which I was struggling. I happened to find that soothing, much the same as listening to classical music gives some people a sense of order and stability.

“Five minutes later, I had written this song, complete with lyrics. It literally fell out of me and, given its relative simplicity, took some time for me to take it seriously. The theme, that of the excitement and anticipation the moment before a first kiss, was also spontaneous, much like a…first kiss! Also, I have a French translation (‘L’Instant’) that I plan to release for la mondial française.

“One of the main concepts for Heart of Hearts was to write complicated Bebop horn lines that would serve as background counterpoint to the sung melodies. ‘The Moment’ is the first such arrangement on Heart Of Hearts.”

4. “Plus Size Love”

“When this phrase popped into my mind as a possible song title, my first thought was that it would be an interesting moniker for a theme about how enough love and understanding can erase despair and loneliness while delivering an overall message of hope. My second thought was that it also had the potential for crass and/or sexist interpretations. I decided that the title was too interesting to discard, so, in order to leave no room for doubt as to my thematic intention, I wrote lyrics that were succinct, hard-hitting, and powerful.

“The slow cookin’ bluesy feel provides all the gravitas of the blues style as a backdrop for those lyrics, but I specifically avoided using the standard blues chord progression in order to provide more depth harmonically, in keeping with the lyrical theme. Guitarist Alex Moxon’s brilliant full-chorus solo perfectly redefines the mood while giving the listener time to reflect on the song’s meaning before the second verse hits.”

Steve Berndt ‘Heart of Hearts’ album artwork

5. “I Saw The Light”

“Several years ago, I produced a show of well-known pop/rock hits arranged and performed in various jazz styles. Among my choices was this classic Todd Rundgren hit from 1972. The light samba treatment and the change in chord structure worked perfectly, and the audience loved it. I started including it in my live jazz sets, and it was always well received. When I recorded Heart of Hearts, I knew it was a perfect addition, both for its style and lyrical theme.

“Beautiful piano and tasteful bongo accompaniment set the tone for this cut, and I deliver a high lyrical trombone solo before Miguel De Armas takes the tune to another level as he joyfully solos to the end.”

6. “Hold Me Tight”

“A stylistic departure from the swing and Latin grooves that characterize the album, ‘Hold Me Tight’ is my mea culpa. The light hearted half time funky groove belies the song’s message of confession and apology. Brian Asselin’s engaging tenor solo splits the tune, which breaks down to vocal over drums and Hammond organ, before building to a climactic ending.

“This one is short, complicated, and ultimately bittersweet… just like life.”

Steve Berndt

7. “Triplets A Go Go”

“This fun and literally groovy instrumental boogaloo evokes all the post war exuberance of an early ’60s beach party while allowing most of the musicians on the album to stretch in a long series of improvised solos. Tenor sax player Petr Cancura plays the head with me on trombone before everyone takes a turn blowing through the changes. Steve Boudreau does double duty in the solo section on piano and Rhodes, with guitarist Alex Moxon taking a turn as well.

“Excellent drumming from Michel Delage locks in with Michel Brindis Medrano on bongos as they shape the groove from solo to solo before the head is restated at the end.

“This song was written under an uninspiring working title referencing the abundance of triplets in the melody that I eventually discarded. While listening to the track in production, I began to imagine it being played on a ’60s era TV show with dancers dressed and performing in that style and vibe. I then realized that ‘Triplets A Go Go’ was the perfect name.”

8. “Long Lost Love Affair”

“This song was written in bits and pieces over many years, but not because of a series of love affairs as you might assume. Starting as a theory exercise in college, the assignment was to write a melodic example supported by a subdominant minor chord. Looking over old notes while writing other material a decade later, I rediscovered that 4-bar fragment and promptly finished writing the rest of the melody. Years after that, the proper theme hit me while driving, so I pulled over and wrote the lyrics in five minutes on the side of the road. Ah, the risks we take for art…!

“Perhaps the most complicated arrangement on Heart of Hearts, this introspective ballad starts with Ed Lister’s trumpet and Brian Asselin’s tenor sax taking turns playing background fills between the vocal phrases. After the first pass through the song, the tempo jumps to double-time swing and sets up a horn soli followed by a trombone solo before jumping back in on the bridge. The change back to regular time creates a sensitive yet dramatic ending on the final verse.”

9. “Baby I Love Your Way”

“This was another choice for a concert of pop/rock mega hits arranged in various jazz styles. Although this song has been extensively covered, I really liked the arrangement I wrote and knew it was a good pick for Heart of Hearts.

“Although there are only two horns in this arrangement, it sounds like a big band and really hits hard. Most importantly, this track features a little-known but very talented pianist named J.P. Allain.

“Growing up in Hull, Quebec, J.P. worked at the storied Standish Hall, which presented all the big names in jazz when Ottawa still ‘rolled up its sidewalks at 8 pm.’ As such, J.P. heard and met Sarah Vaughan, Lionel Hampton, and Louis Armstrong, to name a few that he has mentioned to me. But it was Oscar Peterson who inspired him the most. J.P. always made sure to work The Hall when Oscar was playing, so he could study him, and you can hear it in his playing. I am proud and honoured to have J.P. appear on Heart of Hearts.”

10. “Color My World”

“When it was suggested to me that I cover Chicago’s insanely popular 1970 mega hit, my first thought was that the song had been so overexposed that it had become cliché. However, the seed being planted, I began to think of how I might do the song in a jazz style that would be interesting enough to overcome that obstacle.

“My first attempt was to arrange the tune in 5/4, which certainly was interesting but also far too clever by half. After a few more needlessly complicated attempts, I finally accepted that I’m not Esquivel and settled on an uptempo swing with radical re-harmonization. Knowing that the members of Chicago had been influenced by The Jazz Messengers (haven’t we all?), I tried to write horn lines reminiscent of both groups. The result was exciting, certainly interesting, and served as a template for the overall concept for Heart of Hearts.”

11. “Blue Skies on Mars”

“This song came about because I was working on a movie about a small time crime syndicate based in Boston in the 1970s. The producers wanted to use Sinatra’s version of ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ as a recurring song in the film and have the ‘guys’ be huge Rat Pack fans, but the cost to license the master was too high for their budget. So I offered to write a tune in that style and used the film’s title as the name of my song. The result was a track that could easily have been played at The Sands in ’66.

“The producers liked the song and decided to present it in the movie as a new hit record using my real name as a fictional member of the Rat Pack. So funny to think of myself in the gang with Sammy, Dino, and Frank! As the sole big band arrangement on Heart of Hearts, this track is a straight-ahead, no-solo-section swing tune Austin Powers would love.

“The rhythm section features the late great John Steele laying down Basie-esque piano fills as well as nailing the ¼ notes on his vintage Stromberg guitar a la Freddy Green. Also of note, the beds were laid down part by part, starting with the drums. Drummer Dave Pontello recorded his part alone while reading the chart cold and without ever hearing the song or reading from a chart.

“Lutes Cousins Films’ production of Blue Skies On Mars is set for worldwide release in January 2026 on various streaming platforms, including Amazon Prime and Tubi.”