Michael Brecker Quindectet - Wide Angles.

Just had a listen to the six soundclips on Amazon - sounds good! It seems to be a good time for big bands at the moment - have just picked up Carla Bley's new one, 'Looking For America', which is very good, and I keep meaning to get Dave Holland's 'What Goes Around' as well.

 

Thanks for the review, Bruce--that sounds like something I'd like. By odd coincidence, both Brecker and Patitucci live in my small town, as do Bob Mintzer (Yellowjackets, also his own fine big band) and DBist Harvie Swartz--it sometimes makes me not even want to tell villagers I play LOL ("Oh, you play? You must know Mike Brecker, ever play with him?" "Uh, well, no....")

 

Dem's powerful words!
"...essential contibution to the Jazz canon"?

Why not add this-
"The Jazz lexicon has been re-written"?

Just busting your chops, Bruce.
I'm a big Brecker fan & it's been awhile since...ya know. I have been wearing out my Three Quartets album with Corea(Brecker/Gadd/Gomez). Hopefully, this one is as good as advertised.

 

I just ordered this Brecker album. I like what I heard; I have been gravitating away from stuff like this...sometimes it is nice going back.

Also in the mail-
Chris Potter-Traveling Mercies(some of what I sampled sounds a bit like instrumental Steely Dan)
Miroslav Vitous-Universal Syncopations
Miles Davis-Complete Jack Johnson Sessions

The Hurricane Isabel overtime money is going away fast.

 

Good choices Jim!

The Complete 'Jack Johnson' Sessions' got a maximum rating in the new issue of 'Jazzwise'. There are clips of ALL the tracks at hmv.co.uk - I going to get it, but it seems a bit OTT to me (lots of takes of the same tunes - may get samey?). There is going to be an eight-page feature on the recording in next month's magazine.

A nice three-page interview with Vitous - no review of the album yet, though the article does say "With a dazzling group of sidemen who have all been a part of his musical history, Vitous has created a major statement that could well be one of the critics' picks of 2003."

Bruce, what do you think of the DVD that came with this month's mag, especially the Erskine/Taylor/Danielsson trio? Unfortunately I haven't got a TV at the moment, so can't watch it, nor the Corea/Burton and Bley/Swallow duets DVD that I've just got!

 

I picked up the Brecker album when it came out...I like it a lot!! I've been a longtime fan of both Breckers. I like the album a lot....it's a little different than his other albums, I dig the big band thing




Jim K........the new Miroslav is very good too!
Great band...Garbarek/Corea/Mclaughlin & some nice playing from DeJohnette, who I love! But people who don't care for the ECM vibe, might not dig it.

 

Do I ever get anything before you?!

I know there's a ECM vs. Blue Note vs. Soul Note vs. Black Saint vs. ____________ kinda thing that goes around.
Whatever...I do love the Dave Holland stuff on ECM.

 

It took those two C.D.'s to knock the new Dave Holland out of the changer after two weeks!

 

The Brecker & Potter albums arrived today.
So far, I will say the Potter disc(with Bill Stewart, Scott Colley, guitarists Scofield & Adam Rogers) is a hit!

I'll get to the Brecker album a little later...
Hasta.

 

Bruce-
That groove does sound a bit like Tribal Tech.
Overall, IMO, this Brecker album is very, very entertaining...thanks for hipping me to it as I may have just ignored it.
The opening track has a nice hard-hitting groove goin' on.

BTW-
I'm digging the Potter disc...a lot(his Gratitude disc is also very good).
The Vitous ECM disc is a little more 'tame' than I had hoped for.

 

Bruce,
Just ordered the Vitous and Word of Mouth Revisited discs from Amazon. I think the WOM CD is enhanced with video clips of the recording sessions.

Caught Jazz on 3 on Friday - they played the track from 'Wide Angles' that you've been talking about - I liked it.

What I REALLY liked though, was the track they played from Denys Baptiste's Let Freedom Ring! - beautiful big-band playing and even the spoken-word segment sounded good!

Entered the compeition to win them, along with the new AEoC album, so hopefully I won't have to pay for them!

PS. Is anyone else forking out for the 'Jack Johnson Sessions' - it's the same price in HMV and at Amazon (£55 ), so I'm thinking that I might as well get it today when I'm out?

 

You're very lucky Bruce! That said, I'm now in Nottingham for 12 months, and there's a pretty healthy appetite for jazz around here - plenty of places have live music at least once a week.

Next week I ought to be going to see Shorter Stories: A celebration of the music of Wayne Shorter. (Pg.5 of this month's 'Jazzwise')