Brecker makes his final Pilgrimage
It was last January 13 of this year when Michael Brecker died of acute leukemia. Only 57 years old and at the peak of his career, he was generally regarded as the most influential saxophonist since John Coltrane. He died with the proverbial boots on, just like the musicians of legend. Knowing that his days were already numbered, Brecker put down the last notes for the album he titled Pilgrimage then got the collection ready for mixing, and then died in the hospital four days later.
Finishing what turned out to be his final album while faced with the last stages of a fatal disease must have been a difficult job, but not one hint of his illness shows up in the results. Clocking in at over an hour, Pilgrimage has a Brecker at his peak as an artist. With Pilgrimage, he encapsulated the joy and beauty of his 57 years and then left it to us to enjoy.
As always, his notes were strong and sure, his interplay with the other musicians superb and the music among the best he ever wrote. Brecker’s music here celebrates life and the closeness that this can build among people. None is more celebratory than the title cut, which was also the last one he recorded.
As in most of his albums Brecker performs with some of the biggest names in contemporary jazz music, Pat Metheny on guitars, Herbie Hancock on piano, Brad Mehldau on piano, John Patitucci on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums. All stars in their own right, they are secure enough to give Brecker the stage for several stunning solos or to come in with able support when required. Together they comprise an amazing jazz ensemble and it saddens one to realize that this band will never be together in performance again.
I do not think it right to choose one or two cuts as the best in the CD. Each one should be heard as it is, in the correct sequence, because Brecker here has a story to tell. Still, maybe because of its story, Pilgrimage, which is the closer, comes off as the most affecting of all. The others are The Mean Time, Five Months from
Brecker recorded several CDs in the course of his career but my all-time favorite is The Nearness of You: The Ballad Book. This one is so good it honestly had me looking for my old copy of Coltrane’s Ballads, which I believe is the standard by which all jazz ballad albums are measured to this day. Brecker’s stands up to the test and he has his old friends with him, Metheny on guitars, Hancock on piano, Charlie Haden on bass, DeJohnette on drums and special guest James Taylor on vocals.
The album is a mix of standards and originals. Brecker contributed Incandescence and the closing track, I Can See Your Dreams. Others are Chan’s Song by Hancock, Midnight Mood by Joe Zawinul and Sometimes I See and Seven Days by Metheny. Vocalist
The Ballad Book is one of those rare cases wherein every cut is a virtal gem in its execution. Still there has to be one that stands out from the rest and it is Nascente by Flavio Venturini and Murilo Antunes. I want to come up with a better term to describe the cut but what keeps coming up is achingly sweet. It is romantic and sexy and most of all poignant. It is said that death like taxes is inevitable but I still think that it is a pity we will not be getting more of the same from Brecker.
Jazz hits
If you prefer the trumpet to sax then you might want to check out the latest from Chris Botti. The title is Italia and it is the No. 1 selling jazz CD in the
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