Some Skunk Funk (Telarc Jazz)
Randy Brecker with Michael Brecker, Jim Beard, Will Lee, Peter Erskine, Marcio Doctor + the WDR Big Band Köln
Released November 18, 2005
Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album 2007
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs8TAPfQc0k&list=RD6o_GiajAzVQ&start_radio=1
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=XP13UMLV9GY&list=RDAMVMXP13UMLV9GY
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=e6sSTIGAQJs&list=RDAMVMe6sSTIGAQJs
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=BRT9qkXWbdE&list=RDAMVMBRT9qkXWbdE
About:
In the mid ’70s, trumpeter Randy Brecker and his saxophonist brother Michael were the Wynton and Branford Marsalis of their jazz fusion day. This live date features the brothers performing with the WDR Big Band in Koln, Germany in 2003. Augmented by conductor/arranger Vince Mendoza, bassist Will Lee, and drummer Peter Erskine, the Breckers revive some of their hits from their classic LPs Back to Back, Don’t Stop the Music, Heavy Metal Be-Bop, Detente, and Strap-Hangin’. Randy’s full-bodied trumpet tones and Michael’s Tranish sheets-of-sound sax appeal reveal their tradition-born technique applied to funk, world, and pop-oriented soundscapes. The peppery title track and the mid-tempo backbeat on “Sponge” reveal their mainstream jazz cred, and the oblique “Wayne Out” is a tribute to Wayne Shorter. The Latin-tinged “Shanghigh” is a shout-out to Randy’s former boss Horace Silver, while the percussive “For Barry” reveals Michael’s type of tenor madness. Contrary to some critics, these fusion cats could swing. Eugene Holley, Jr.
Track Listing:
1. Some Skunk Funk (Randy Brecker) 6:26
(Michael Brecker, Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo 2007)
2. Sponge (Randy Brecker) 6:46
3. Shanghigh (Randy Brecker) 6:26
4. Wayne Out (Randy Brecker) 4:56
5. And Then She Wept (Randy Brecker) 6:07
6. Strap Hangin’ (Michael Brecker) 8:18
7. Let It Go (Randy Brecker) 8:02
8. Freefall (Randy Brecker) 6:17
9. Levitate (Randy Brecker) 4:58
10. Song for Barry (Michael Brecker) 10:32
Personnel:
Randy Brecker: trumpet
Michael Brecker: tenor saxophone
Jim Beard: piano and synthesizer
Will Lee: bass
Peter Erskine: drums
Marcio Doctor: percussion
With the WDR Big Band Köln:
Arranged and conducted by Vince Mendoza
Heiner Wiberny, Harald Rosenstein: alto saxophones
Oliver Peters, Rolf Romer: tenor saxophones
Jens Neufang: baritone saxophone
Andy Hadere, Rob Bruynen, Klaus Osterloh, Rick Kiefer, John Marshall: trumpets
Dave Horler, Ludwig Nuss, Bernt Laukamp: trombones
Mattis Cederberg: bass trombone
Paul Shigihara: electric guitar
Recorded live November 11, 2003, during the Leverkusener Jazztage at the Forum, Leverkusen, Germany
Produced by Lucas Schmid & Joachim Brecker
Review:
The Brecker Brothers burst onto the fusion scene in the 1970s. After many years of working separately, Randy and Mike Brecker reunited in the early 1990s. The brothers’ affiliations—together or separately—have included Billy Cobham, David Sanborn, Steely Dan, Spyro Gyra, Carly Simon, Jaco Pastorius’ Word of Mouth Big Band, Bruce Springsteen and Janis Joplin. Collectively, the Brecker brothers have won three Grammy awards—two for Randy’s Into the Sun (Concord, 1997) and 34th n Lex (ESC, 2003), and one for the joint effort Out of the Loop (GRP, 1994).
On Some
Skunk Funk, they’re together again. Several of Randy Brecker’s compositions
are given new energy here, while other tracks represent some of the brothers’
best work as a tandem. The core group consists of Randy (trumpet), Michael
(tenor sax), Jim Beard (piano/synthesizer), Will Lee (bass) and longtime Brecker
associate Peter Erskine (drums).
Some Skunk Funk features the Breckers in a live performance
recorded in Koln, Germany, in 2003 with Germany’s WDR Big Band. The album
features eight Randy Brecker originals (including a new composition,
“Freefall”) and two written by Michael Brecker: “Strap-Hangin’ and
“Song for Barry, the latter named for Barry Rogers, a trombonist who was
part of the brothers’ band. “Freefall is an old-school, swinging tune that
features Randy in a high-speed lead, with solos by Erskine, Beard, trumpeter
John Marshall and tenor saxophonist Oliver Peters. The other nine tracks are
updates of previous recordings.
The title song, “Some Skunk Funk, features the brothers in blistering solos. Erskine, Lee and Beard also make their presence known as well. “Shanghigh and “Let It Go, both from 34th n Lex, were excellent studio pieces, but they’re even better live. The former features solos by Randy, Beard, Erskine, guitarist Paul Shighara, altoist Heiner Wiberny and trombonist Ludwig Nuss. The latter features Randy, Beard and Nuss, along with Michael Brecker. A percussion solo by Marcio Doctor introduces the last track, “Song for Barry. This ten-minute piece also features solos by Shaghira and both Breckers. Arguably one of the best songs recorded by the Brecker brothers, it is a powerful closer to this album. Lee, Erskine and Beard complement the soloists exceptionally well, as does the WDR Big Band. At about the 6:40 mark, Doctor, Erskine and Beard lay down the background while Randy Brecker takes charge, ultimately joined by the rest of the ensemble. The piece slows as Shaghira winds up for his solo. The delivery accelerates and leads toward a stunning conclusion.
While Randy Brecker is the frontman for this outing, Michael’s blistering tenor solos highlight much of the album. The Brecker Brothers were a fusion band, but Some Skunk Funk shows another side of these musicians. In this big band setting, they are in perfect form. The original melodies are given their due, but the solos by Randy, Michael and other members of the band put this album over the top.
Woodrow Wilkins (All About Jazz)
