| Descrizione | Michael Brecker Quindectet
Wide Angles
modern Jazz Instrument
mp3 256vbr
Original Release Date: September 9, 2003
Listen to samples
http://www.vervemusicgroup.com/artist/releases/default.aspx?pid=10831&aid=2703
Tracklist
1. Broadband 6:45
2. Cool Day In Hell 7:50
3. Angle Of Repose 6:41
4. Timbuktu 7:57
5. Night Jessamine 5:20
6. Scylla 10:38
7. Brexterity 6:39
8. Evening Faces 7:13
9. Modus Operandy 5:25
10. Never Alone 5:39
Personnel
Gil Goldstein Producer, Arranger, Orchestra Arranger
Jason Olaine Executive Producer
Michael Brecker Saxsofones
Alex "Sasha" Sipiagin Trumpet
Robin Eubanks Trombone
Peter Gordon French Horn
Steve Wilson Alto Flute, Flute
Iain Dixon Bass Clarinet, Clarinet
Charles Pillow Oboe, English Horn
Mark Feldman Concertmaster, Violin
Joyce Hammann Violin
Lois Martin Viola
Erik Friedlander Cello
Adam Rogers Guitar
John Patitucci Bass
Antonio Sanchez Drums
Daniel Sadownick Percussion
Biogr.
Tenor saxophonist and composer Michael Brecker is an eleven-time Grammy-winner, and the first to win both the "Best Jazz Instrumental Performance and Best Jazz Instrumental Solo; two years in a row. As a result of his stylistic and harmonic innovations, Michael is among the most studied instrumentalists in music schools throughout the world today.
Born into a musical household in Philadelphia in 1949, Michael’s father played jazz on the record player for his sons and took Michael and his older brother Randy to see, among others, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington. While Randy took up trumpet, Michael launched his studies on clarinet and alto sax; moved by the genius of Coltrane, Brecker switched to tenor sax in high school. After studying, as did his brother, at the University of Indiana, Michael moved to New York City, landing work with several bands before co-founding the pioneering jazz-rock group Dreams in 1970.
In 1973, Michael joined his brother in the frontline of pianist/composer Horace Silver’squintet.
The following year, the siblings branched off to form the Brecker Brothers, one of the most innovative and successful jazz-funk fusion bands of the decade. Michael and Randy also owned and operated the popular downtown Manhattan jazz club, Seventh Avenue South. Jam sessions with keyboardist/vibes player Mike Maineiri, bassist Eddie Gomez, and drummer Steve Gadd led to the formation of Steps Ahead. With Peter Erskine later replacing Gadd, the all-star quartet recorded seven albums while ascending to worldwide acclaim.
Michael has recorded over 900 albums and performed with a virtual Who’s Who of jazz and pop giants in the 70s and 80s, including McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Chet Baker, George Benson, Quincy Jones, Charles Mingus, Joni Mitchell, Jaco Pastorius, Paul Simon, Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen, Steely Dan, Pat Metheny and Frank Zappa. Michael cut his first record as a leader in 1987.
The solo debut, Michael Brecker, was voted Jazz Album of the Year in both Down Beat and Jazziz magazines. Its follow-up, Don't Try This At Home, garnered Brecker his first Grammy. After investigating new rhythmic concepts on 1990’s Now You See It ...
Now You Don't, and subsequently being a featured soloist on tour for a year and a half with Paul Simon, Michael reunited with Randy for 1992’s Return of the Brecker Brothers. The Breckers’ Out of the Loop (1994) and Michael’s Tales From the Hudson (1997) put additional Grammys on the saxophonist’s shelf, leading to Michael being named "Best Soloist of the Year" by JazzLife and "Jazz Man of the Year" by Swing Journal. At about the same time, Michael appeared on Herbie Hancock’s The New Standard and McCoy Tyner’s Infinity (from which he won 2 Grammy’s), followed by extensive touring with each piano titan.
In 1998 Brecker releaased Two Blocks From the Edge and 1999 marked the arrival of Brecker’s Time Is of the Essence (featuring Metheny, organist Larry Goldings, and drummers Elvin Jones, Jeff "Tain"; Watts and Bill Stewart).
Brecker’s seventh solo album, Nearness of You: The Ballad Book, featured a dream ensemble of fellow jazz giants—Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, Charlie Haden and Jack DeJohnette—who had never before recorded an album together. Produced by Metheny, with legendary singer-songwriter James Taylor adding his voice to the peerless musical alchemy on two tracks, Nearness of You was named "Record of the Year" and Brecker was named "Artist of the Year"; in both the Critics’ and Readers’ Polls of Japan’s Swing Journal, which has the largest circulation of any jazz magazine in the world. It also won a Grammy.
In June 2002, Brecker, Hancock and Roy Hargrove released Directions in Music, a live concert at Toronto's Massey Hall, which celebrates the music of Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Directions In Music won a Grammy for “Best Jazz Instrumental Album.†The Directions project recently performed for hundreds of thousands of concertgoers, making it among one of the highest profile jazz events in recent years.Brecker began 2003 creating his first large ensemble record. Wide Angles features the piece Michael Brecker Quindectet, and the album has appeared on dozens of “Best Jazz Records of the Year†lists and won two Grammys in February, 2004.Brecker took his New York based quindectet on a sold-out tour of Japan. In the summer of 2004, he will lead a quindectet tour throughout Europe.
Brecker’s accomplishments assure that his career will forever be intertwined with the history of music. Jazziz magazine said it best: "You’ll find no better example of stylistic evolution than Michael Brecker, inarguably the most influential tenor stylist of the last 25 years".
While performing at the Mount Fuji Jazz Festival in 2004 , Brecker noticed a sharp pain his back. Shortly thereafter in 2005, he was diagnosed with the blood disorder myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Despite a widely-publicized worldwide search, Brecker was unable to find a matching stem cell donor. In late 2005, he was the recipient of an experimental partial matching stem cell transplant. As of late 2006 he was recovering, but it proved not to be a cure for him. Brecker made his final public performance on June 23rd 2006, playing with Herbie Hancock at Carnegie Hall.
On January 13, 2007, Michael Brecker died from complications of leukemia in New York City. His funeral was held on January 15, 2007 in his hometown of Hastings-on-Hudson, NY.
On February 11, 2007, Michael Brecker was awarded two posthumous Grammy awards for his involvement on his brother Randy's 2005 album Some Skunk Funk.
On May 22, 2007, his final recording, Pilgrimage, was released receiving a good critical response. It was recorded in August 2006 with Pat Metheny on guitar, John Patitucci on bass, Jack DeJohnette on drums and Herbie Hancock and Brad Mehldau on piano. Brecker was critically ill when it was recorded but the other musicians involved praised the standard of his musicianship.[2] Brecker was again posthumously nominated and subsequently awarded two additional Grammy Awards for this album in the categories of Best Jazz Instrumental Solo and Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group, bringing his Grammy total to 15.
During his career, Brecker played on Selmer Mark VI tenor saxophone using a highly-customized Dave Guardala mouthpiece. Previously, he had played a Selmer Super Balanced Action saxophone.
Review
WIDE ANGLES won the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. "Broadband" was nominated for Best Instrumental Composition. "Timbuktu" won for Best Instrumental Arrangement
Tenor titan Michael Brecker's album "Wide Angles" is a true tour-de-force. Fronting a "quindectet" featuring bass clarinet, four strings plus guitar, French horn, three other reeds, Robin Eubanks on trombone, new (to me) trumpet ace Alex "Sasha" Sipiagin, as well as drums, percussion, & John Patitucci on bass, Brecker in his September 2003 offering exceeds again this listener's lofty expections of his favorite musician in all the world, possibly in all of time.
In somewhat the same vein as (but much more substantial than) the 1982 release Cityscape, with Klaus Ogerman's full orchestra, the Wide Angles ensemble instead provides a perfect vehicle by which the virtuoso Brecker launches himself into perhaps the most consummate work of his career. His solos, as always, are so well-crafted, lucid, and seamless that the casual listener might possibly be fooled into thinking this is merely a great sax player. Always in seemingly effortless total control, Michael nonetheless is perpetually screaming at the very edge of what is possible lyrically, rhythmically, texturally, harmonically, & emotionally.
He seems to deploy every one of the tonal, rhythmic, & lyrical inventions he's ever developed, but as always, he's blended them in perfect musical context; his 'bag' is presented here in degree & intensity so precisely measured, so thoughtful & flowing that there's never a hint of device. Michael's technical athleticism is legendary, yet his intelligence rules his horn (but never his heart). Brecker wrote and arranged all but a couple of these compositions; in my opinion that's why this 15-piece group works so well. Listen closely to the band's supporting lines in the opener, Broadband, and you'll see what I mean. I have Michael Brecker on about 100 other albums, and I'm telling you, this tune offers a stunning sample of what he can do, although never for a moment does Michael's unbelievable technique overshadow the song. His harmonic transitions while soloing are silky-smooth but so exciting! Each of the pieces demonstrates the same brilliant writing; there is no weakness.
In my opinion, this is one of the best jazz records of all time; it truly defines the cutting edge of man's musical sophistication at the advent of the new millenium. To those who may not yet know this kind of jazz, give a serious listen here and you will surely broaden your mind.
No one could be better at anything on this planet than Michael Brecker is at creating music.
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