Michael BRECKER - Pilgrimage 2007

Michael BRECKER - Pilgrimage 2007

Jazz

It's impossible to listen to the last album that Michael Brecker recorded before succumbing to cancer without a sense of profound regret at the loss ..  
Full Descriptionof a significant talent. Brecker sounds more soulfully energized than ever on a selection that includes complex workouts such as "Anagram," as well as the beautiful, lyrical "Pilgrimage," the last tune the saxophonist recorded. Joined by an all-star roster that includes the pianists Herbie Hancock and Brad Mehldau, the drummer Jack DeJohnette, and the guitarist Pat Metheny, Brecker gives a thrilling series of performances that encompass the exhilarating "Cardinal Rule," the commercial-sounding "Five Months From Midnight," and the valedictory title track.
**
Clocking in at nearly 80 minutes, this posthumous release comprises the last recordings Michael Brecker made before his untimely death in January 2007. Battling the debilitating effects of leukemia, he sought comfort, strength, and transcendence through music. The all-star lineup on Pilgrimage, which includes Herbie Hancock, Brad Mehldau, Pat Metheny, Jack DeJohnette, and John Patitucci, has worked in various combinations over the past four decades. Here, they perform with the compelling group interplay of a longstanding ensemble. Brecker's nine compositions mark the first time he made an album solely of his own material. This is further testament to the creative drive that helped sustain him during his physical decline. From balladry to classic post-bop reveries, Brecker has fashioned one of his finest albums, and certainly his most personal work. The disc closes with the title track, which was also--fittingly--the last number he recorded. Never maudlin, this music and these fine musicians celebrate the power of music to connect human beings to one another, note by note, measure by measure.
By David Greenberger.
**
Michael Brecker- (Tenor Sax, EWI);
Pat Metheny- (Guitar);
Herbie Hancock, Brad Mehldau- (Piano);
John Patitucci- (Bass);
Jack DeJohnette- (Drums).
**
01. The Mean Time 6:56
02. Five Months from Midnight 7:41
03. Anagram 10:11
04. Tumbleweed 9:39
05. When Can I Kiss You Again? 9:45
06. Cardinal Rule 7:34
07. Half Moon Lane 7:18
08. Loose Threads 8:36
09. Pilgrimage 10:02
**
NoPassword
*
DLink
*

Michael BRECKER - Don't Try This at Home 1988

Michael BRECKER - Don't Try This at Home 1988

Jazz

Brecker plays more tenor sax on this album, and his experiments with MIDI synthesizers are better integrated into the whole of the largely acoustic arrangements. Rather than the stable group that backed him on his debut, the cast of DON'T TRY ...    Full DescriptionTHIS AT HOME reads like a Who's Who of post-bop fusion: Herbie Hancock (playing acoustic piano, not synth), acoustic bassist Charlie Haden, and drummer Jack DeJohnette all make impressive showings in Brecker's largely self-composed and usually quite memorable tunes.

1987's DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME is Michael Brecker's second album as a leader following nearly two decades as an in-demand session musician (Paul Simon, Steely Dan, etc.) and one-half of the Brecker Brothers with his trumpeter brother Randy. It's basically a continuation and refinement of ideas first explored on 1986's MICHAEL BRECKER.
From
CD Universe.
**
Michael Brecker's second album as a leader is almost the equal of his first. Surprisingly, only one song ("Suspone") uses his working quintet of the period (which consists of guitarist Mike Stern, pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Jeff Andrews and drummer Adam Nussbaum) although those musicians also pop up on other selections with the likes of pianists Don Grolnick and Herbie Hancock, bassist Charlie Haden, drummer Jack DeJohnette and violinist Mark O'Connor. Brecker (on tenor and the EWI) is in superb form, really ripping into the eight pieces (mostly group originals). Recommended.
By Scott Yanow, All Music Guide..
**
Jeff Andrews- Bass, Bass (Electric)
Jim Beard- Synthesizer, Piano
Michael Brecker- Keyboards, Sax (Tenor), EWI
Joey Calderazzo- Piano
Jack DeJohnette- Drums
Peter Erskine- Drums
Tommy Gill- Piano Technician
Don Grolnick- Piano, Producer
Charlie Haden- Bass, Bass (Acoustic)
Herbie Hancock- Piano
Judd Miller- Synthesizer
Adam Nussbaum- Drums
Mark O'Connor- Violin
Mike Stern- Guitar
**
01. Itsbynne Reel 7:41
02. Chime This 7:50
03. Scriabin 4:59
04. Suspone 4:59
05. Don't Try This At Home 9:30
06. Everything Happens When You're Gone 7:11
07. Talking To Myself 5:10
08. The Gentleman & Hizcaine 5:19
**
NoPassword
*
DLink
*

Michael BRECKER Group - The Cost Of Living (Live in Belgrade) 1989

Michael BRECKER Group - The Cost Of Living (Live in Belgrade) 1989

Jazz

A remarkable technician and a highly influential tenor saxophonist (the biggest influence on other tenors since Wayne Shorter), Michael Brecker took a long time before getting around to recording his first solo album. He spent much of his career as a top-notch studio player who often appeared backing pop singers, leading some jazz listeners to overlook his very strong improvising skills.
Brecker originally started on clarinet and alto before switching to tenor in high school. Early on, he played with rock- and R&B-oriented bands. In 1969, he moved to New York and soon joined Dreams, an early fusion group. Brecker was with Horace Silver during 1973-1974, gigged with Billy Cobham, and then co-led the Brecker Brothers (a commercially successful funk group) with his brother, trumpeter Randy Brecker, for most of the 1970s. He was with Steps (later Steps Ahead) in the early '80s, doubled on an EWI (electronic wind instrument), and made a countless number of studio sessions during the 1970s and '80s, popping up practically everywhere (including with James Taylor, Yoko Ono, and Paul Simon). With the release of his first album as a leader in 1987 (when he was already 38), Brecker started appearing more often in challenging jazz settings. He recorded additional sets as a leader (in 1988 and 1990), teamed up with McCoy Tyner on one of 1995's most rewarding jazz recordings, and toured with a reunited Brecker Brothers band. Two Blocks from the Edge followed in 1998, and a year later Brecker returned with Time Is of the Essence. The early 2000s saw the release of Nearness of You: The Ballad Book and Wide Angles in 2001 and 2003, respectively. However, after experiencing some mysterious back pain during a concert in 2005, Brecker was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a cancer of the blood marrow. A failed search for a matching bone marrow donor eventually led to an experimental partially matching blood stem cell transplant via his daughter in late 2005. He passed away on January 13, 2007.
By Scott Yanow. AMG.
**
Michael Brecker- Tenor sax
Joey Calderezzo- Piano
Jay Anderson- Bass
Adam Nussbaum- Drums
*
01. Istbynne Reel (9:35)
02. Chime This (18:19)
03. Choices (11:16)
04. The Cost Of Living (16:25)
05. Nothing Personal (18:15)
**
NoPassword
*
DLink
*
1 2
*

Michael BRECKER - Tales From The Hudson 1996

Michael BRECKER - Tales From The Hudson 1996
Label: Grp

Jazz

Because he has recorded so much mediocre commercial jazz, Michael Brecker's more ambitious ventures are often not taken as seriously as they should be. For Tales from the Hudson, Brecker assembles an all-star band of Miles Davis's 1970 rhythm section (drummer Jack DeJohnette and bassist Dave Holland), underrated pianist Joey Calderazzo, and guitarist Pat Metheny--and on two numbers, Calderazzo is replaced by McCoy Tyner. For this special occasion, Brecker has written five impressionistic modal pieces and has also included one composition apiece from Metheny, Calderazzo, and the late pianist Don Grolnick. The satisfying results should do much to bring Brecker his due as a fine composer and bandleader and a player with a hearty tenor tone and good instincts about where to find fresh territory in an improvisation.
By Geoffrey Himes.
**
Tales from the Hudson is the strongest of Breckers recent jazz releases, following a return to acoustic improvisation after ealier fusion releases with the Brecker Brothers. A modal jazz-fest, with admirable support from bassist Dave Holland, drummer Jack Dejohnette and percussionist Don Alias, the album is packed with great tunes including a passionate acoustic reworking of African Skies and Metheny's Song for Bilbao, both featuring McCoy Tyner.

You could criticise it though for being a light-weight production, heavier on lyricism than rhythmic and harmonic complexity, but complaining that the music is not challenging enough misses the point. This is simply a straight foward album of great jazz, and one that i'd happily recommend to both the casual listener and the jazz aficionado.
By  S. cook.
**
01.Slings And Arrows 06:20
02.Midnight Voyage 07:18
03.Song For Bilbao 05:45
04.Beau Rivage 07:38
05.African Skies 08:13
06.Introduction To Naked Soul 01:14
07.Naked Soul 08:46
08.Willie T. 08:13
09.Cabin Fever 06:59
*
NoPassword
*
DLink
*

Michael BRECKER - Don't Try This at Home 1988

Michael BRECKER - Don't Try This at Home 1988
Label: Impulse
Original Release Date: November 30, 1987
Release Date: September 24, 1996
Recorded at Master Sound Astoria Studios, Astoria, NY

Jazz

Brecker plays more tenor sax on this album, and his experiments with MIDI synthesizers are better integrated into the whole of the largely acoustic arrangements. Rather than the stable group that backed him on his debut, the cast of DON'T TRY ...    Full DescriptionTHIS AT HOME reads like a Who's Who of post-bop fusion: Herbie Hancock (playing acoustic piano, not synth), acoustic bassist Charlie Haden, and drummer Jack DeJohnette all make impressive showings in Brecker's largely self-composed and usually quite memorable tunes.

1987's DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME is Michael Brecker's second album as a leader following nearly two decades as an in-demand session musician (Paul Simon, Steely Dan, etc.) and one-half of the Brecker Brothers with his trumpeter brother Randy. It's basically a continuation and refinement of ideas first explored on 1986's MICHAEL BRECKER.
From
CD Universe.
**
Michael Brecker's second album as a leader is almost the equal of his first. Surprisingly, only one song ("Suspone") uses his working quintet of the period (which consists of guitarist Mike Stern, pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Jeff Andrews and drummer Adam Nussbaum) although those musicians also pop up on other selections with the likes of pianists Don Grolnick and Herbie Hancock, bassist Charlie Haden, drummer Jack DeJohnette and violinist Mark O'Connor. Brecker (on tenor and the EWI) is in superb form, really ripping into the eight pieces (mostly group originals). Recommended.
By Scott Yanow, All Music Guide..
**
Jeff Andrews- Bass, Bass (Electric)
Jim Beard- Synthesizer, Piano
Michael Brecker- Keyboards, Sax (Tenor), EWI
Joey Calderazzo- Piano
Jack DeJohnette- Drums
Peter Erskine- Drums
Tommy Gill- Piano Technician
Don Grolnick- Piano, Producer
Charlie Haden- Bass, Bass (Acoustic)
Herbie Hancock- Piano
Judd Miller- Synthesizer
Adam Nussbaum- Drums
Mark O'Connor- Violin
Mike Stern- Guitar
**
01. Itsbynne Reel 7:41
02. Chime This 7:50
03. Scriabin 4:59
04. Suspone 4:59
05. Don't Try This At Home 9:30
06. Everything Happens When You're Gone 7:11
07. Talking To Myself 5:10
08. The Gentleman & Hizcaine 5:19
**
NoPassword
*
DLink
*