5-23-07, 10:00 am
Pilgrimage Michael Brecker
When a noted or celebrated musician passes away, it is perhaps inevitable that their final recording will always be given consideration for reasons beyond the merits of the work. There is an element of pathos that exists separate and apart from the music, yet is intimately connected with it. This was the case in 'Double Fantasy,' the album released by John Lennon and Yoko Ono shortly before Lennon's assassination in New York in 1980. And I suspect it will always be so for 'Pilgrimage,' (Heads Up Records) the posthumously released Michael Brecker recording. But whereas Lennon's final recording consisted, with a couple of exceptions, of some of his weakest music and racked up huge sales numbers largely in reaction to his tragic murder at the hands of a deranged young man, Michael Brecker's final work is a compelling and spirited affair that suits his legacy. In addition to Brecker, the line-up of supporting musicians is equally stellar. Pat Metheny handles the guitar duties while the always impressive Jack DeJohnette handles the drums. Metheny is perhaps best known for music that skirts the edge between smooth jazz and new age, but he has undeniable jazz chops as well as a sense of adventure as evidenced by his recordings with Ornette Coleman and Bela Fleck. Jack DeJohnette worked with Miles Davis during that legend's oft-neglected 'electric period' and was the founder of a pioneering yet not-widely-appreciated band called Special Edition. The three had played together numerous times, from Metheny's '80/81' recording to Brecker's 'Tales from the Hudson' in the mid-1990's. The keyboard duties are handled by Herbie Hancock and Brad Mehldau. It isn't possible to say enough about Hancock, whose early 1960's recordings for Blue Note are nothing less than gems. His 'Cantaloupe Island' comes as close as any jazz song of the modern era to achieve 'anthem' status, rivaled only by Art Blakey's 'Moanin,'' Weather Report's version of 'Birdland,' and Hancock's 'Chameleon.' Hancock's work with the 'second classic quintet' of 1965-68, in which he joined Miles, Ron Carter, Wayne Shorter and Tony Williams, speak for themselves. Mehldau and John Patitucci, the latter handling bass, are the newer kids on the block, so to speak, but each has been around for quite a while. Patitucci is best known for his work with Chick Corea's Elektrik Band, but he's also recorded in Chick's acoustic ensembles. Mehldau emerged in the 1990's and has released several, compelling 'Art of the Trio' recordings that both honor and challenge the legacy of the late, great Bill Evans. With a backing group like this, it would be virtually impossible for this record to disappoint. Happily, it doesn't. While some reviewers have commented that Brecker's sax work sounds muted, I disagree. Brecker is as melodic as ever, and even if his work here sounds (occasionally) less than forceful this would be understandable since he was seriously ill as a result of Myelodysplastic Syndrome. [see also 'Michael Brecker (1949-2007): An Appreciation' Political Affairs Online, January 23, 2007). In my opinion, if you listen to Brecker's work as a sideman (Steely Dan, Frank Zappa, Steps Ahead, etc.) he never played a 'wrong note' and always complimented a composition. This is no less true on this album. As can be expected with the line-up assembled, the music on 'Pilgrimage' has a solidly fusion feel. The kick-off song, 'The Mean Time,' bears a linear relationship to the music 'Tales from the Hudson,' and sets the tone. The follow up song, 'Five Months to Midnight' is affecting for both its music, with Brecker taking the forefront in the first bars of the song with tasteful backing by Patitucci and DeJohnette -- and for its title. Brecker died about five months after the music was recorded. But the standouts of this set, in my view, are a trio of songs in the middle of the record: 'Tumbleweed,' 'When Can I Kiss You Again?,' and 'Cardinal Rule.' 'Tumbleweed' is a rollicking number that has this band in full flight while the next number (inspired by a question Brecker during his treatment by one of his children) is tender and evocative. 'Cardinal Rule' shows that Brecker was capable of great speed while maintaining tone, and shows the deft touch of all the musicians here, particularly the rhythm section of Patitucci and DeJohnette. There's no question in my mind that this record deserves Grammy consideration. And more importantly, it deserves that consideration for the music within for reasons unconnected to the passing of Michael Brecker. For those fortunate to have known, loved or met this kind, compassionate and talented man no award is needed. And for those who knew only his music, no award would be sufficient recompense. Well done, gentlemen. Well done indeed.
--Lawrence Albright is a contributing writer for Political Affairs on culture and politics.
