Claus Ogerman Featuring Michael Brecker (1991)

I usually enjoy the arranging work of Claus Ogerman, the playing of Michael Brecker, and the production skills of Tommy LiPuma. Plus, the session crew here is an all-star cast. Sadly, the writing here is so meandering and bland that the resultant whole is nowhere near the sum of its parts. In the words of one reviewer: "The more I listen the less I hear."

Press of the time:

• CashBox: "Brecker has meaty solos"
• DownBeat (★★★): "All told, an agreeable album."

Music from the album was nominated for two Grammy awards:

1. The whole album was nominated for Best Contemporary Jazz Performance, losing to the song Sassy from The Manhattan Transfer album The Offbeat Of Avenues.
2. Track one, Corfu, was nominated for Best Instrumental Composition, losing to the tune, Basque, written by Elton John and performed by flautist James Galway. It is definitely the best track on the album.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums: #13
• CashBox Contemporary Jazz: #12

Tracks:

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: The first two times I spun this disc, I fell asleep while it was playing. Not a good first impression, to be sure.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Michael Brecker - Nearness Of You: The Ballad Book (2001)
Michael Brecker - Don't Try This At Home (1988)
The Brecker Brothers - Straphangin' (1981)

Michael Brecker - Don't Try This At Home (1988)

I enjoy most of Brecker's solo work as well as his work with Brecker Bros. and Steps Ahead. I also enjoyed the 1987 self-titled album that immediately preceded Don't Try This At Home. I've spent some time with this album and ultimately decided it's just not for me. Rest assured it's the material, not the performances.

Reviews/ratings:

• CashBox: "a gritty part-fusion, part-hard bop date with numerous heavyweight guests"
• Billboard: "repertoire is versatile; all-star cast includes Herbie Hancock, Peter Erskine, Jack DeJohnette..."
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★½
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★½

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Contemporary Jazz: #2
• CashBox Jazz: #3

Tracks: There's a couple of tracks to my liking - the more traditional Suspone (written and featuring guitarist Mike Stern) and Talking To Myself.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Nearness Of You: The Ballad Book (2001)

The Brecker Brothers - Straphangin' (1981)

Even though I became a Michael Brecker fan a few years after this release (via Steps Ahead) and one of my high school band directors always talked about The Brecker Brothers, I overlooked this album in the early '80s. My mistake. This is funky good stuff that would have fit right alongside the Spyro Gyra and Tom Scott albums I was enjoying at the time. Ah, well - better late than never and all that. Stellar playing throughout - in addition to Mike and Randy, the band included Marcus Miller on bass, Manolo Badrena on percussion, and Barry Finnerty on guitar.

High Fidelity, September 1981, p. 85

The album cover photo was shot in a closed NYC subway station. More on that station and what it looked like recently: https://roadtrippers.com/magazine/old-city-hall-subway-station/

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #176
• Billboard Jazz: #28
• CashBox Jazz: #12

Tracks: Seven originals - four from Randy and three written by Michael. Things get smokin' with the funky lead title track and never let up: Threesome is a slow burning waltz, Bathsheba a high-energy Latin number (today it's my favorite track), and Why Can't I Be There is pleasant soft rock/instrumental pop. The closest we get to straight-ahead jazz is track 6, Not Ethiopia. If I'd had this album on vinyl back in '81, I'm guessing I would have played side 1 (tracks 1-3) more than side 2.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Around the time this album was released in 1981, my sister graduated from high school. Commencement ceremonies were usually held in the football stadium situated on the southeastern side of the high school campus, but a few of my sister's classmates decided to spray some graffiti on a few campus buildings - this is why we can't have nice things - so the ceremony was moved to an alternate location: the county rodeo arena. Dirt floor, no air conditioning, angry parents - you get the picture. We survived and life went on, but the song chosen by the seniors for the class song that year was Free Bird. Effin' Free Bird.

As my sister graduated, I was finishing up my freshman year of high school. My grades that semester? According to my personal archives (a.k.a. a shoebox of stuff my mother saved for me), here ya go:

• Band: 93
• Algebra: 83
• American History: 94
• Theatre Arts: 91
• English: 83
• Physical Science: 87

How in the world did I get a higher grade in history than my two electives? Sheesh. That right there is the sort of academic mediocrity that got this guy fast-tracked to a small, directional state university. But none of that school mess has much to do with this Brecker Bros. album other than coincidental timing, so never mind. As you were.

Pat Metheny - 80/81 (1980)

Out of print German import. Best I can tell, the seal in the upper right corner of the booklet cover translates to something along the lines of "German records annual prize."

According to the book Pat Metheny: The ECM Years, 1975-1984, this album "has long been considered a landmark achievement of Metheny's. He himself regarded it as not only his most pleasurable ECM experience but a vitaly important culmination of his musical preoccupations in the years which preceded it." That may all be true, but all that matters to me is that I dig the thing and I'm glad he was able to record with this stellar stable of sidemen, if only for one album.

The album was originally a two LP set with the following sequence:

80/81 has since been released as a proper two CD set that keeps the original sequencing. However, the original one disc version I picked up removes the more experimental free jazz of side three in its entirety while re-sequencing the other tracks:

1. "Two Folk Songs"
2. "Every Day (I Thank You)"
3. "Goin' Ahead"
4. "80/81"
5. "The Bat"
6. "Turnaround"

Go figure.

Reviews/ratings:

• Stereo Review: Recording of Special Merit
• CashBox: "Brecker emerges unencumbered"
• Musician: "more ambitious than anything Pat Metheny has done recently, and that's good news."
• Downbeat (★★★★): "a fount of exhilarating jazz music."
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #89
• Billboard Jazz: #4
• CashBox: #106
• CashBox Jazz: #11
• Rolling Stone: #75

Tracks: Track 1, Two Folk Songs, is a 20 minute tour de force from all players, but the Metheny graciously takes a back seat to the band: I'm mesmerized by Brecker's tenor work and DeJohnette's not one, but two solo takes, as well as the melodic playing of Haden. Fastest 20 minutes of my day. Every Day (I Thank You) and Goin' Ahead are as beautiful as any ballad Metheny composed. Every Day features Brecker while Goin' Ahead is strictly a Metheny solo joint. I'm not okay with those being in the middle of the CD sequence, but that's easily corrected. I also dig The Bat with contributions from both Brecker and Redman.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None. For some reason, when I was discovering Metheny in the mid-80's, I missed this set. My mistake.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Selected Recordings :rarum IX (2004)
Steve Reich - Different Trains, Electric Counterpoint (1989)
The Falcon And The Snowman Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1985)
First Circle (1984)
Travels (1983)
Offramp (1982)
Watercolors (1977)

Michael Brecker - Nearness Of You: The Ballad Book (2001)

A fantastic late night album. An all-star group playing all-star tunes:

What's not to like 'bout that? While it's Brecker's album, Herbie Hancock steals the show - no small feat among this crew. Grab the person and beverage of your choice and have a listen after a romantic dinner.

Allmusic gives it ★★★★½ while DownBeat gave it ★★★★. Sounds about right to me.

2 Grammy Awards:

• Best Jazz Instrumental Solo: Michael Brecker for Chan's Song
• Best Male Pop Vocal Performance: James Taylor for Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight

Recommended pairings/shuffles:

• Earl Klugh - Late Night Guitar
• Just Passing Through: The Breithaupt Brothers Songbook, Vol. II
• Miles Davis - Acoustic
• Stan Getz, João Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim - Getz/Gilberto
• Wynton Marsalis - Standard Time, Vol. 5: The Midnight Blues

Billboard, June 23, 2001

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Jazz: #5

Tracks: My favorites are Chan's Song, Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight, Midnight Mood, and Always. But a great listen from track 1 through 11.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None.