MICHAEL BRECKER "Tales from the Hudson" (Impulse IMPD191) cd 1997 How could anyone go wrong with a lineup like this. The album features Michael Brecker on tenor sax, Pat Metheny on guitar, and guitar synth on his own tune, "Song for Bilbao", Dave Holland on bass, Jack DeJohnette on drums, and the nimble Mr. Joey Calderazzo on all but 2 of the albums 9 tunes. The other 2 are well covered by one of my all time favorites on piano, McCoy Tyner. Don Alias, percussionist extradinaire also adds percussion on the cuts featuring McCoy Tyner.The opening track on Tales from the Hudson", his latest album is an almost frenetic post bop piece with a tight groove and a sinuous and moody saxophone lead. Metheny's solo is fluent and snakes through the changes with easy assurance. This is a sophisticated and mature piece of writing from a musician known as much for his composition as for his playing. "Midnight Voyage"is a different proposition altogether. This is classic jazz that slows the the pace a couple of notches. It's a well constructed mid-tempo ballad" that really gives Brecker lots of space to stretch out with some wonderful heartfelt solos that Dolphy would be proud of. Metheny comes in immediately following this incredible solo with his trademark tone on the 175, in a wonderful solo that does a couple of rounds then immediately segues to a wonderful duet between Metheny and Brecker doubling on the melodies. Next, Pat's classic exercise in melody and harmony, "Song for Bilbao". The song begins with Pat and Michael splitting the leads originally written for Pat and Lyle Mays. The sax is perfect in this setting, especially in the first solo that Michael takes. It cooks! Then McCoy steps in with one of the most dynamic solos to grace a disc since his days with Coltrane. Feeling the energy Tyner has built up, Metheny lets loose on the GR300 and pulls off one of his best solos he has ever recorded on this tune, live or studio. The grand finale is the classic duel of melody lines between Metheny and Brecker. Brecker and Metheny lead off the next tune "Beau Rivage" with tandem solos, then gradually lift the tone of the piece and move into the sax solo with a slow building, controlled intensity. "African Skies" is an interesting experiment in harnessing the power of a jazz line-up of sax, electric guitars, bass and drums. It is about implied power rather than the abandon of "Beau Rivage" and as such works much better within the album context. "Introduction to Naked Soul" is mournful acoustic bass and tenor solo tune only around a minute long, more of a segue than a song which readily recalls the bleak ambience of ECM releases. "Naked Soul" returns to the smoochy, late night jazz club atmosphere with the sax slow and sultry. "Willie T." the only other cut on the album not penned by Brecker except Metheny's "Song for Bilbao" is written by veteran jazz composer Don Grolnick who has written songs now considered standards such as "Pools". It's sort of a complex minor blues with Brecker doing most of the solos. There is an excellent bridge after Brecker's first solo featuring Jack DeJohnette and Dave Holland doing a wonderful duet with Metheny quietly comping in the background. An energetic version of Brecker's "Cabin Fever" finishes up the recording . This features Don Alias on percussion minus drums. The sparse result including a piano and guitar duet rounds off another provocative album from Michael Brecker. Michael Brecker maintains an original and personal jazz conception. The combination of his skills as a composer and his abilities as a player allow him to explore a wide range of potentially rewarding musical areas. Twenty years from now music lovers and critics alike will look upon "Tales from the Hudson" with the same awe and respect as albums like Dolphy's "Green Dolphin Street", Oliver Nelson's" Stolen Moments", and Coltranes"Giant Steps". Why wait, run directly to your nearest music store and grab a copy. To hear an excerpt from "Song for Bilboa", one of the album's best cuts, click HERE. information: http://www.mca.com/grp/impulse/ Review by Ben Kettlewell