Jazz Articles about Randy Brecker

Tom Scott: Bebop United

by John Kelman
February 23, 2006

He's had a multifaceted career in almost every imaginable area of jazz--not to mention working as a gun for hire on albums by singer/songwriters like Joni Mitchell and Carole King. It's easy to forget that saxophonist Tom Scott actually started out as a jazz traditionalist. While his own albums have leaned more towards fusion and contemporary jazz, the early days of his career found Scott cutting his teeth on albums by Oliver Nelson, Don Ellis and Thelonious Monk.

So when ...

G.Org: A New Kind of Blue

by John Kelman
July 3, 2004

Paying homage can be risky business, especially when the source is as seminal as Miles Davis' classic Kind of Blue. Comparisons are not just begged, they're expected. And how can anyone hope to capture the same magic? Or the confluence of events that put Davis, Julian “Cannonball" Adderley, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb together to create one of the greatest jazz albums of all time, an album that changed the face of music and ...

Catching Up With Randy Brecker

by Mike Brannon
November 13, 2003

'Every work of art is a child of its age' - Vassily Kandinsky

With modern legacies of the likes of Miles, Kenny Dorham, Clifford Brown, Lee Morgan (the latter two also from Philly), Freddie Hubbard and Blue Mitchell to contend with, and it being a decidedly lead instrument, anyone picking up a trumpet in 60's Philly had serious baggage to face. Finding one's own definitive style and approach amongst the formidably indelible efforts of those then primary purveyors was daunting ...

Mike Pope: The Lay of the Land

by Alexander M. Stern
August 25, 2003

In a year that has already produced a number of excellent recordings, Mike Pope's The Lay of the Land may well be one of the best. It's certainly one of the most exciting new albums this reviewer has heard in a long time. Pope, who excels on both acoustic and electric bass, has surrounded himself with major label talent for this indie label release: both Randy and Michael Brecker make appearances, saxophonist Seamus Blake appears on two tracks; guitarist Mike ...

Randy Brecker: 34th N Lex

by Todd S. Jenkins
June 25, 2003

Randy Brecker's last release ( Hangin' in the City ) was one strange puppy, a handful of serviceable tunes wound tightly around the convoluted perversion of “Randroid," the trumpeter's streetwise cabbie alter-ego. Brecker wisely got back to the groove this time around, leaving this disc's few vocals to more capable hands. The result is a highly entertaining album showcasing his strong suits of trumpet playing and composition, yet still maintaining a 21st century sensibility.

The ensembles range from quartet to ...

Randy Brecker: 34th N Lex

by Javier AQ Ortiz
May 17, 2003

Quick and to the Point: No need to preach to the choir: if you are into Brecker, go right at it. Otherwise, read on...

The title cut on 34th N Lex teases the listener in Cuberizing his or her feet and shoulders on an electronic rhythmic bedrock that supports a neo-funkification of Ronnie Cuber’s baritone, trading against Michael Brecker’s tenor, with David Sanborn on alto. It grooves with opportune touches from Adam Rogers’ guitar and fluttering muted sounds ...

Mike Pope: The Lay of the Land

by Phil DiPietro
November 15, 2002

Mike Pope plays a mean piano. He's also a noted inventor, designing and building pre-amps for the boutique bass builders Fodera. But really he's a bassist; and not surprisingly, a skilled, er... pontif--icator on both electric and acoustic. He's also a fine mainstream jazz composer and has assembled an all-star cast of musicians here, including heavy hitters the Brecker Brothers, Mike Stern, Joe Locke, Jeff “Tain" Watts and his doubling double John Patitucci to assist in expressing his vision. Bloomdaddy ...