Jazz Articles about Randy Brecker

About Randy Brecker

Album Review

Benjamin Koppel: Story of Mankind - A Requiem

Read "Story of Mankind - A Requiem" reviewed by Alberto Bazzurro

by Alberto Bazzurro
March 14, 2025

Il cinquantenne altosassofonista e compositore danese Benjamin Koppel riunisce in questo ambizioso doppio album un altrettanto ambizioso settetto per dar vita a un'opera di grande respiro in cui colpisce anzitutto la ferrea ripartizione fra brani ampi (i dispari) e brevissimi (i pari), che fungono in qualche modo da ricapitolazione, per voce (detta) e piccoli inserti strumentali. Il tutto dota il lavoro di un respiro--un tono, un andamento, un ordine--particolare, all'interno di una struttura assai ferrea che abbina una ...

Album Review

Gino Amato: Latin Crossroads

Read "Latin Crossroads" reviewed by Richard J Salvucci

by Richard J Salvucci
October 24, 2024

The urge to take advantage of a successful commercial genre never really dies. Back in the 1960s, a studio orchestra nominally assembled by bandleader Glen Gray released a recording, Sounds of the Great Bands in Latin (Capitol, 1964). It took tunes like “Early Autumn" or “A String of Pearls" and added a “Latin" flavor with jazz enhancements. No doubt, this was an early recognition of the success of Cal Tjader. The vinyl may or may not have done well, but ...

Liner Notes

Eric Gale: Forecast

by Arnaldo DeSouteiro
October 13, 2024

Eric Gale (born on September 20, 1938, of Barbadian parents, in Brooklyn, NY) recorded over 500 albums as sideman, backing such stars as Aretha Franklin, King Curtis, Dianna Ross, Paul Simon, Lena Horne, Michel Legrand, Quincy Jones, Roberta Flack, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Joe Cocker, Carly Simon, Van Morrison, Milton Nascimento, Billy Joel, Gato Barbieri and Mongo Santamaria, to name a few. Gale's association with Creed Taylor began when the celebrated producer was working at Verve Records. ...

Album Review

John Ambrosini: Songs for You

Read "Songs for You" reviewed by Richard J Salvucci

by Richard J Salvucci
October 5, 2024

John Ambrosini is a New York City-based pianist, composer and arranger. He has a number of recordings to his credit and this one, strictly speaking, is a bit of a departure. Ambrosini's band is populated by a number of well-known jazz professionals in and around the city. So the music swings and the solos--including piano--are all worth hearing. It may be that Ambrosini is a stronger player than singer, something not unusual among instrumentalists who sing. ...

Album Review

Ada Rovatti: The Hidden World Of Piloo

Read "The Hidden World Of Piloo" reviewed by Katchie Cartwright

by Katchie Cartwright
September 14, 2024

Ada Rovatti's curiously titled album, The Hidden World of Piloo, has a tale attached (and a tail). Piloo is an affectionate name Rovatti's father has called her since childhood, after a “naughty" cat in a favorite children's book. She adopted it for her label as well (Piloo Records). Rovatti grew up in Mortara, Italy, outside of Milan, in an unusual household. Her mother was a semi-pro softball player and her dad a geologist, professional hunter and purveyor of cars. The ...

Liner Notes

Ron Carter: Anything Goes

by Arnaldo DeSouteiro
July 11, 2024

Ronald Levin Carter (born Ferndale, Michigan, on May 4, 1937) needs no introduction. Let's just say that he is the bassist's bassist. On Ron's hands, the bass and the man become the same entity, the same person. Played by Ron Carter, the acoustic bass sounds like... Ron Carter! That's why he is one of the three top bassists in the music history. However, if Ron needs no introduction, his Anything Goes album does. Recorded on June & July, ...

Album Review

Lakecia Benjamin: Phoenix Reimagined (Live)

Read "Phoenix Reimagined (Live)" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic

by Mike Jurkovic
July 7, 2024

The certifiable beauty of Phoenix Reimagined (Live) is that it all happens in very very real time as Lakecia Benjamin comes fiercely into her immediate own and then, in a tear of a performance that blisters the paint on the wall, surpasses herself. It is a momentous achievement. One that we rarely get to hear up close, personal and live. Benjamin cuts through the malaise of an empire falling, burning down the ministry of b.s. as she wields ...