Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Randy Brecker with the NDR Big Band - The Hamburg Jazz O...
Randy Brecker with the NDR Big Band - The Hamburg Jazz Orchestra: Rocks
BySo this recording, made with the NDR Big Band in January 2017 and May 2018, revives fond memories of the Breckers' illustrious outfit by including within the nine track selection no fewer than five tracks originally recorded by the brothers. Another three tracks are taken from Randy Brecker's The Brecker Brothers Band Reunion (Piloo, 2013) namely "First Tune Of The Set," "Adina" and "The Dipshit." The exception to this is "Pastoral" which Brecker originally wrote as a elegiac tribute to the late Jaco Pastorius (with whom he recorded two albums) and which was first released on his 2001 record Hangin' In The City (ESC Records). This is a sumptuous outing with Brecker's flugelhorn playing at its most lyrical.
The brash opener, "First Tune Of The Set," the brass embellished by chirruping synth, is followed by the relatively stately pace of "Adina" with Brecker delivering a majestic flugelhorn solo and Ada Rovatti following with a lissom soprano solo. The BB funk of "Squids" from Don't Stop The Music (Arista, 1977) still has those unmistakable hooks, revivified by the orchestra and a meaty tenor solo by Frank Delle. "The Dipshit," a Latin-esque romp, features a soaring alto solo by BB alumnus David Sanborn. Reassuringly, over the course of half a century, Brecker has lost none of his superlative virtuosity as evidenced by his rivetingly ebullient trumpet solos on, for example, "Above And Below" and the title track taken from the brothers' eponymous debut album (Arista, 1975) replete with its trademark funky clavinet. With auspicious augmentation courtesy of the magnificent NDR Big Band, this album is, in effect, a Brecker Brothers redux, with bells on.
Track Listing
First Tune Of The Set; Adina; Squids; Pastoral; The Dipshit; Above And Below; Sozinho; Rocks; Threesome.
Personnel
Randy Brecker
trumpetRandy Brecker: trumpet, flugelhorn; Dave Sanborn: alto saxophone; Ada Rovatti: tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone; Wolfgang Haffner: drums. NDR Bigband: Jörg Achim Keller:conductor; Thorsten Benkenstein, Ingolf Burkhardt, Claus Stötter, Reiner Winterschladen: trumpet; Fiete Felsch, Peter Bolte: alto saxophone, reeds; Frank Delle, Björn Berger: tenor saxophone, reeds; Edgar Herzog: baritone saxophone, reeds; Dan Gottshall, Sebastian Stanko, Klaus Heidenreich: trombones; Stefan Lottermann, Ingo Lahme: bass trombone, tuba; Christian Diener: electric bass, acoustic bass; Vladyslav Sendecki: keyboards; Bruno Müller: guitar; Marcio Doctor: percussion.
Album information
Title: Rocks | Year Released: 2019 | Record Label: Jazzline Records