Search - Brecker Brothers :: The Brecker Brothers Collection - Volume One

It doesn't get any tighter!

Jamie D'Amico | Rochester, NY | 12/28/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Brecker Bros. have won me over. Always a skeptic of those to dabble into the realm of modern/smooth jazz even slightly, I was very slow to get around to listening to them. However, I was delighted by my findings: adrenalized, powerful jazz-funk. Michael Brecker is no doubt at the top of today's large pool of sax players. Especially noteworthy is the complex intertwined parts, and rapid firing note changes of the Brecker fan favorite Skunk Funk. If that song doesn't move you, you are immovable."

Quite good collection, get along with volume 2

Michael Kydonieus | San Francisco, CA United States | 08/05/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Breckers were often dismissed as shallow R&B fusion at the time of these recordings, understandable given the music's rock star swagger and Michael's propensity to play as many notes as humanly possible. However, that doesn't take into account Randy's innovative horn arrangements (tight clusters that ended up gracing hits by Diana Ross and Cameo, among others), the revolutionary harmonic structure of songs such as "Some Skunk Funk," Michael's John Coltrane meets King Curtis saxophone wizardry, or Randy's chromatic approach to the trumpet. The cuts on Volumes 1 and 2 gather together most of the Brecker's better tunes and avoid their godawful attempts at pop (Fingerlickin' Good, Oh My Stars). There are a few missing tunes (the burning Tabula Rasa, for example), but the only way you could do better than this would be to collect all the Brecker's cds, burn the best cuts and make your own best-of collection.

If you would like to read more reviews like this, check out JazzboNotes.com.

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