Search - Bob Berg, Brecker, Chambers :: The JazzTimes Superband

Good thought but.....

D. James Bridges | ayer, ma United States | 11/24/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"On "blowing dates" like this one you almost can expect that, for the most part, the compositions are put together quickly and exist primarily as set up vehicles for the solos. And, that's ok when you have inspired soloing going on.



On Jazz Times Superband only the late saxophonist Bob Berg rises to the occasion, playing with a combination of fire, soul, wit,and technical brillance. He even contributed the most thoughtful tune on the date--Silverado. If you're new to his playing he might sound to you like one of the numerous Mike Brecker clones so fashionable today. But, Brecker has said in interviews that he learned much from practicing and playing with Berg in their NYC loft days back in the late 60s and early 70s.

Berg, who sadly died in a traffic accident in 2002 at the age of 51, is always "on."



Strangley, both Randy Brecker and Dennis Chambers, give, to these ears, tired performances. Chambers impresses when he does his trademark polyrhythmic thing during drum breaks but his ensemble work almost sounds indifferent. Brecker, who usually sounds more inspired, sounds as if he's biding time while waiting for dinner to arrive.



Joey DeFrancesco does his "B3 burning thing" displaying incredible facility. But it's obvious that he's never met a bop cliche he doesn't like---played doubletime. There's a new breed of organists out there like Larry Goldings, Sam Yahel, and Dan Wall to name three, who are changing things from the old Jimmy Smith template. Joey should give these guys a listen and learn to edit just a bit. It's nice to honor Jimmy Smith but he invented this style of playing and began putting it on wax almost fifty years ago (1956--A New Sound...A New Star, on Blue Note).



Paul Bollenbeck does some good ensemble work a la Kenny Burrell but his few solos on Jazz Times are a mish mash of Burrell and Grant Green retreads with just a touch of chromatisism to try and sound more contemporary. On several occasions he goes for things that he just doesn't come close to executing cleanly--especially in the lower register. On two tunes with a more "fusiony" slant the guitarist plugs into a chorus pedal but isn't sure if he should play like John Scofield or Mike Stern.



I think that this was an interesting idea conjured up by the producers, but if you're putting together a blowing date with this instrumentation I would've subbed Brian Lynch for Brecker, Billy Kilson or Terreon Gully for Chambers, Larry Goldings for Joey, and Stern or Adam Rogers or Peter Bernstein for Bollenbeck. Bernstein doesn't have the chops of Stern or Rogers but he has a killer tone and uncanny phrasing.

Now THAT would be hot date.



JB

"

It Takes a Guy to Die

J. G. Gollin | Holmdel, NJ United States | 01/29/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was unaware of this album until I heard Cut 5 (Cadillac)the day after Bob Berg was killed in a traffic accident on Long Island during the Christmas season.The recording blew me away - and not just Berg's smokin' solo. Everyone on the session was cooking.It turned out the other cuts on the CD (most notably Sonny Rollins' Oleo) were equally as impressive and enjoyable. I always loved Bob, Dennis, Joey and Randy. I hadn't heard the guitar player, but he fits right in with this talented crew.I've always felt that the ultimate litmus test for any musical work is: "Do I like it?" Answer: "A resounding yes!""

This is a future classic

Irving Gonzalez | Mayaguez, Puerto Rico | 04/22/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"i recomend it 100%. All solos are great. Cds this good come out very rarely. I'm a very though jazz critic and few records blow me away like this one did."