Michael Brecker, a major influence on today's young saxophonists, shows off his own influences a bit throughout this fine modern straight-ahead set.
Brecker sounds surprisingly like
Stanley Turrentine on parts of "Midnight Voyage," and otherwise displays his roots in
Ernie Watts and
John Coltrane. With the exception of
Don Grolnick's "Willie T.," the music on the CD is comprised of group originals (five by the leader) and falls into the 1990s mainstream of jazz. While the tenor saxophonist has plenty of blowing space (really letting loose on the exciting closer, "Cabin Fever"),
Pat Metheny is mostly pretty restrained (in a
Jim Hall bag) except for his wild solo on guitar synth during "Song for Bilbao." Pianist
Joey Calderazzo starts out sounding a bit like
McCoy Tyner on "Slings and Arrows" before his own musical personality is revealed. When
Tyner himself plays on "Song for Bilbao" (one of two guest appearances), one can certainly tell the difference between master and pupil. All of
Michael Brecker's recordings as a leader (as opposed to his cameos as a sideman on pop records) are easily recommended and show why he is considered a giant by many listeners. ~ Scott Yanow