info/contact
info/contact
Friday Funk #48 – ‘Let It Go’ by Randy Brecker
Friday Funk #48 – ‘Let It Go’ by Randy Brecker
Friday Funk #48 – ‘Let It Go’ by Randy Brecker
Happy birthday to Randy Brecker, who turned 79 this week!
Randy Brecker formed The Brecker Brothers with his younger brother Michael. The pair may be two of the most prolific session musicians in history. Their time with Parliament was the peak of P-Funk hornery. The Breckers both had solo careers, and Randy’s 34th N Lex (2003) was some of the grooviest music he’s made.
‘Let It Go’ is full of unpredictable fills, riffs, and registers from alternating horn players. There are three saxophones: David Sanborn on alto sax, Ronnie Cuber on baritone, and brother Michael on tenor. Fred Wesley plays trombone. They play off each other delightfully, with the kind of precision and control of breath that comes with decades of playing.
The horn motif is the most playfully weird part of a playfully weird track. It sounds a little mocking, but then the bridge at 0:57 makes it feel like maybe it was doubting itself. It’s the kind of melody that suggest both nervous, uncertain energy and derision.
Randy solos from 2:03, and is the only section to catch a breath. He plays bluesy phrases with slightly sad resolutions, sounding a little like ’80s Miles Davis, then ramps up again along with the band, and by the wild conclusion of the track you could have easily have forgotten things were quiet for a moment. Randy has said he was always listening to “Miles, Clifford Brown and Chet Baker” growing up.
George Whitty programmed the drums and bass, providing a solid foundation for the horn players to play on and offbeat. The bass hitting the One is a rare thing you can rely on amid the unpredictability. But it doesn’t stick to one line; in the first minute it’s particularly free. Whitty’s snare bites away during Randy’s solo, and the drum roll at 3:00 perfectly sets up the return of the motif.
Gary Haase & The GH Vocal Machine were credited with ‘additional sound’ and ‘vocal effects’. These are most present from 1:50, just before Randy’s solo, and they’re nattering away in the background during the solo.
34th N Lex won a Grammy for contemporary jazz album. The record was named after Randy’s New York neighbourhood (34th Street and Lexington Avenue). His wife, Ava Rovatti, plays a tenor sax solo on the closing track, ‘The Castle Rocks’. Randy’s still playing; his upcoming shows include two New York gigs in February.
Happy birthday to Randy Brecker, who turned 79 this week!
Randy Brecker formed The Brecker Brothers with his younger brother Michael. The pair may be two of the most prolific session musicians in history. Their time with Parliament was the peak of P-Funk hornery. The Breckers both had solo careers, and Randy’s 34th N Lex (2003) was some of the grooviest music he’s made.
‘Let It Go’ is full of unpredictable fills, riffs, and registers from alternating horn players. There are three saxophones: David Sanborn on alto sax, Ronnie Cuber on baritone, and brother Michael on tenor. Fred Wesley plays trombone. They play off each other delightfully, with the kind of precision and control of breath that comes with decades of playing.
The horn motif is the most playfully weird part of a playfully weird track. It sounds a little mocking, but then the bridge at 0:57 makes it feel like maybe it was doubting itself. It’s the kind of melody that suggest both nervous, uncertain energy and derision.
Randy solos from 2:03, and is the only section to catch a breath. He plays bluesy phrases with slightly sad resolutions, sounding a little like ’80s Miles Davis, then ramps up again along with the band, and by the wild conclusion of the track you could have easily have forgotten things were quiet for a moment. Randy has said he was always listening to “Miles, Clifford Brown and Chet Baker” growing up.
George Whitty programmed the drums and bass, providing a solid foundation for the horn players to play on and offbeat. The bass hitting the One is a rare thing you can rely on amid the unpredictability. But it doesn’t stick to one line; in the first minute it’s particularly free. Whitty’s snare bites away during Randy’s solo, and the drum roll at 3:00 perfectly sets up the return of the motif.
Gary Haase & The GH Vocal Machine were credited with ‘additional sound’ and ‘vocal effects’. These are most present from 1:50, just before Randy’s solo, and they’re nattering away in the background during the solo.
34th N Lex won a Grammy for contemporary jazz album. The record was named after Randy’s New York neighbourhood (34th Street and Lexington Avenue). His wife, Ava Rovatti, plays a tenor sax solo on the closing track, ‘The Castle Rocks’. Randy’s still playing; his upcoming shows include two New York gigs in February.
Happy birthday to Randy Brecker, who turned 79 this week!
Randy Brecker formed The Brecker Brothers with his younger brother Michael. The pair may be two of the most prolific session musicians in history. Their time with Parliament was the peak of P-Funk hornery. The Breckers both had solo careers, and Randy’s 34th N Lex (2003) was some of the grooviest music he’s made.
‘Let It Go’ is full of unpredictable fills, riffs, and registers from alternating horn players. There are three saxophones: David Sanborn on alto sax, Ronnie Cuber on baritone, and brother Michael on tenor. Fred Wesley plays trombone. They play off each other delightfully, with the kind of precision and control of breath that comes with decades of playing.
The horn motif is the most playfully weird part of a playfully weird track. It sounds a little mocking, but then the bridge at 0:57 makes it feel like maybe it was doubting itself. It’s the kind of melody that suggest both nervous, uncertain energy and derision.
Randy solos from 2:03, and is the only section to catch a breath. He plays bluesy phrases with slightly sad resolutions, sounding a little like ’80s Miles Davis, then ramps up again along with the band, and by the wild conclusion of the track you could have easily have forgotten things were quiet for a moment. Randy has said he was always listening to “Miles, Clifford Brown and Chet Baker” growing up.
George Whitty programmed the drums and bass, providing a solid foundation for the horn players to play on and offbeat. The bass hitting the One is a rare thing you can rely on amid the unpredictability. But it doesn’t stick to one line; in the first minute it’s particularly free. Whitty’s snare bites away during Randy’s solo, and the drum roll at 3:00 perfectly sets up the return of the motif.
Gary Haase & The GH Vocal Machine were credited with ‘additional sound’ and ‘vocal effects’. These are most present from 1:50, just before Randy’s solo, and they’re nattering away in the background during the solo.
34th N Lex won a Grammy for contemporary jazz album. The record was named after Randy’s New York neighbourhood (34th Street and Lexington Avenue). His wife, Ava Rovatti, plays a tenor sax solo on the closing track, ‘The Castle Rocks’. Randy’s still playing; his upcoming shows include two New York gigs in February.