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Michael Brecker's final work, 'Pilgrimage,' is a remarkable cap on a remarkable career

By George Varga UNION-TRIBUNE POP MUSIC CRITIC

May 17, 2007

Michael Brecker was the greatest jazz saxophonist that most pop- music fans ever heard, even if they never listened to jazz.

That's because Brecker, a 13-time Grammy Award-winner who died in January from leukemia at the age of 57, was also one of the most versatile and prolific instrumentalists in any (and seemingly every) style of contemporary music. He played on more than 900 albums by other artists, as well as on 22 under his own name or as the co- leader of Steps Ahead and The Brecker Brothers.

From Aerosmith to Frank Zappa, Joni Mitchell to Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin to The Carpenters, Brecker worked with more artists from more genres than almost any other instrumentalist. He did so with consistent skill and distinction, enhancing each song without detracting from his employer, whether it was John Lennon, P-Funk or Mongo Santamaria.

The perfectly crafted sax solos on Paul Simon's “Still Crazy After All These Years” and James Taylor's “Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight”? Both Brecker. The solos on Aerosmith's “Same Old Song HeadsUp and Dance” and Cameo's “Candy?” Ibid. Todd Rundgren's “Hello Jazz saxophonist Michael Brecker, who won It's Me,” Dire Straits' “Your Latest Trick,” Dan Fogelberg's “Same 13 Grammys, played on more than 900 Old Lang Syne?” All Brecker. albums by other artists, including Bruce Springsteen, Aerosmith, Aretha Franklin and Frank Zappa. In the early 1980s, he was a member of the house band on TV's “Saturday Night Live” (that was him on Eddie Murphy's memorable James Brown spoof, “Get in the Hot Tub”). He was also prominently featured on the soundtracks to “Footloose,” “The Wiz” and other hit films.

So it's almost a given that many people have heard Brecker, in one context or another. Several Union- Tribune readers were so impressed when he performed with Simon at the San Diego Sports Arena in 1991, in particular by the stunning solo Brecker played on “Dogs in the Wine Shop” using an EWI (short for Electronic Wind Instrument), that they phoned me to talk about it.

It's likely lots of people will be talking about “Pilgrimage,” too, and for very good reason.

This superb, nine-song album was recorded over four days last August in Manhattan, a year after it was announced that Brecker had been diagnosed with the bone marrow disease known as myelodysplastic syndrome. His condition left him weak and unable to even pick up his sax for extended periods of time, but he somehow summoned the strength to make “Pilgrimage.”

A remarkable swan song, it teams Brecker with an all-star band that includes such longtime musical pals as guitarist Pat Metheny, drummer Jack DeJohnette, bassist John Patitucci and pianists Herbie Hanock and Brad Mehldau. Together, they soar throughout.

One of the most important and imitated saxophonists in jazz since John Coltrane and Cannonball http://signonsandiego.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=SignOnSanDi... 18-5-2007 SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Features -- The last act pagina 2 van 2 Adderly, Brecker combined technical mastery and emotional depth, poise and panache, with a galvanizing improvisational attack.

All of his attributes are amply showcased on “Pilgrimage,” which will be released Tuesday. It alternates between such exquisite ballads as “When Can I Kiss You Again?” and “Five Months From Midnight” (the latter boasting a great Metheny solo) to such fiery numbers as “The Mean Time” and the twisty “Anagram” (which features devious stop-go rhythms).

Brecker's solo on “Loose Threads” is a gem, but he shines on every song on the album, as do his bandmates. He sounds very much like a first-rate artist celebrating the power of music and charged instrumental interplay, not a fatally ill man who would be dead less than six months later.

On the loping “Tumbleweed,” he punctuates his robust tenor sax work with samples of an uncredited male Middle Eastern singer, to suitably exotic effect. “Cardinal Rule” features intricate unison lines between sax and guitar, while the album-closing “Pilgrimage” slowly builds to a dazzling climax made all the more moving by the fact it was the final song Brecker recorded for his final album.

What results is not only one of the best jazz albums in recent years, but one of the best albums, period. Whether you're a longtime Michael Brecker fan or just finding out about him, this “Pilgrimage” is well worth taking.

DOWNLOAD THIS: “Anagram,” “Tumbleweed”

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