Customer Reviews

Nearness of You: The Ballad Book

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The reactions to this album have been very mixed indeed, with ratings from 5 stars to 0 (!). I think that part of the confusion is that this certainly is not a typical Michael Brecker album. Whereas Brecker's playing is often quirky and outside (e.g. "Delta City Blues" on Two Blocks From The Edge - what a track), this album is much more "inside". The longing tone is perfectly suited to the material, and the sidemen add to the overall effect.

If you are looking for a fusion album, this isn't it. Further, NO EWI, which I was disappointed by. That said, I personally found this album highly satisfying. The two tracks with vocals both feature James Taylor, and provide a gentle rendition of two of my favourite tunes.

I am certainly looking forward to the next "funky" album from Brecker, but I am not in any way disappointed with the work here. It's got a depth which is worthy of further listening, and is worth every cent I paid for it. Highly recommended.

I believe it is in ballad playing that a jazz player exposes himself or shows us the depth of his personality or emotions (or lack thereof). The faster jazz gets, the more difficult it may be to play, or co-ordinate parts (Many famous Jazz names spring to mind, here) but the frenetic sounds don't communicate to people's souls like the slower music.

I like this CD and the warm feelings it creates in the listener. James Taylor goes from Folk-rock to Jazz without missing a beat - his style is well adapted to Jazz. Pat Metheney avoids showing off his rapid-fire technical skills and subordinates himself, playing well in a supporting role, as do the other all-stars on the album. Michael Brecker pays careful attention to tone.

you'll find yourself returning to this again and again. After the sound and fury is over, contemplate this at midnight.

three and a half stars for an all-star ballad performance! five stars for recording quality

I've always been a pretty huge Michael Brecker fan. I've especially enjoyed his Tenor solos on the pop-oriented ballads of James Taylor ("Don't Let Me Be Lonely.."), Donald Fagen ("Maxine"), Michael Franks ("When She Is Mine"), etc. He floats so effortlessly and lyrically over the changes that I'm always left wanting more.

I bought "Nearness" because it seemed like an opportunity to finally hear him stretch out over some ballads. As it turns out, I was correct.

I love this record. Everyone on it layed down a solid performance. And Michael Brecker's sound seems to have a kind of haunting melancholy thing going on that really sings out on these tunes.

No disappointment here...I highly recommend it.

This album represents a serious effort by Michael Brecker to widen his appeal by recording a disc of ballads, that is to say more lyrical and less astringent material than his recent output. As such he has built around himself a very impressive group of Jazz leaders: Charlie Haden, Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock amongst others. In addition for the few vocal cuts James Taylor(!) has been recruited. The material used is a combination of standards, some written by the band members and new material including a number from Pat Metheny and Brecker himself. The disc also includes the beautiful and magical "Nascente" from Brazil, popularised by Milton Nascimento. So, here we have what sounds like all the right elements for a seminal, one-off triumph of melodic jazz, right? Well, not quite. You see, while the standards of musicianship are consistantly high and the production values are also excellent there is a sneaking suspicion that all these wonderful musicians aren't actually as compatible as one might like. Putting Charlie Haden, with his wonderfully measured and soulful bass in the same room as Michael Brecker and expecting them to sound great together is perhaps not being fair to either. If you were looking for a saxophonist with similar sensibilities to Charlie Haden you might think Joe Lovano a better match. Other matchings work rather better, for instance James Taylor comes across very well in the two vocal cuts.

The most disappointing thing for me was Pat Metheny's take on "Nascente". I am a great fan of Pat Metheny in general but when he makes this track sound like something from "Off-Ramp", itself a great disc, I am left disappointed. He seems to have discarded much of the essence of this song and replaced it with something rather different.

However, there are many highlights in this disc and I would not like the two points above to put anyone off what is generally a very muscal and enjoyable disc. In addition there are new compositions by Metheny which, alone, are probably worth buying this disc for. I have been listening to this disc a great deal since it's recent release and have been enjoying the experience greatly as have my friends, not usual Jazz lovers.

In summary then, this disc is probably a worthy must-have for followers of any of the key musicians involved and is a genuinely pleasant and involving listening experience. In the mind of this reviewer, however, is a slight feeling of disappointment that perhaps the stellar line-up were not really playing off each other as they would do with their more frequent collaborators.

This review is written, reckoning the reader knows who Michael Brecker is.

What is one to expect from this kind of a team: Michael Brecker/Pat Metheny/Herbie Hancock/Charlie Haden/Jack DeJohnette (and James Taylor on one track) ?!? Re-invention of the wheel? How does one rate a collective effort like this?

Anyone interested in the musicianship of any of these players can surely add this one to their collection, for a gentler side of their wide scope.

This is five star music, if there is such a term. Whether or not you favor it as much as me will be up to you to decide. For those intrigued by Brecker's mastery of the saxophone AND of getting an emotional message across, this is sure to be a winner. Add to that all the other players playing their hearts out, and you have even more of a winner.

This is likely to go down in history as one of the greatest albums by one of the greatest sax players in the history of jazz.

I got this disc on the recomendation of several jazz enthusiasts who claimed Brecker is Coltrane's heir and because of the allstar lineup. I enjoy most of the featured artists, especially Pat Metheney and Herbie Hancock so I thought I was in for a treat. Back in the day I remember Michael Brecker (and brother Randy) as the perrenial studio musicians and was skeptical but thought maybe I missed his blossoming. I didn't, he is a good musician, maybe even a leader now but not the next Coltrane. Brecker produces nice tone throughout with a bend but don't break quality that suits the featured ballads quite nicely. Having James Taylor sit in on guest vocals(twice) does not help the disc but rather waters it down with pop qualities. The all star jazz lineup however does keep the disc on track for some traditional jazz stylings. Brecker's solos seem to be on the verge of breaking out, soft melodic renditions with strong Coltrane inspired flavorings. If you listen to this disc without any anticipation you will be somewhat satisfied but not overwhelmed with satisfaction. Overall I think it is a good album but nowhere near great.

A BIG Brecker fan, I studiously avoided this CD. "Ballads? Don't need 'em." I didn't want smooth jazz MB, I wanted Coltrane MB.

However, when I'd finally purchased all the other MB CDs I decided to add NEARNESS to the collection. Why not?

Can't quite believe it myself, by NEARNESS is one of my favorites now. What they say about MB's tone? Well, it's here. Oh ya...

Happen to like James Taylor too? Cool hearing him on 2 tracks backed up by the likes of Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, Charles Hadden & Jack DeJohnette...

So if you've avoided this CD, my advice is straight-forward: go on, take the plunge. You might... end up loving it...

Ya never know...

Dr. Kirtland C Peterson

Michael Brecker, one of my all time favourite tenor saxophonists, sadly passed away a week ago today (on Saturday, January 13th 2007) after a long battle with leukaemia. Throughout his career, Brecker was nothing if not highly respected. I remember reading somewhere that he became the most emulated jazz saxophonist after John Coltrane. I believe that to be true. There's no doubt in my mind that Brecker was hugely influenced by Coltrane.

I have practically all his albums including the ones he released with his trumpeter brother Randy as The Brecker Brothers and the ones he put out with Warren Bernhardt, Peter Erskine, Eddie Gomez and Mike Mainieri as the group Steps Ahead. If I see that he's featured as a guest player on anyone's album it usually sways me into buying it.

But this is my all-time favourite CD by the man and to my knowledge, it's the first and only album of ballads that he made. He is joined by a group of jazz giants who obviously looked up to him (and all of whom he has played with at some time or other) - Jack DeJohnette on drums, Charlie Haden on bass, Herbie Hancock on piano and Pat Metheny on guitar. James Taylor even appears as a special guest vocalist on two tracks; his own composition "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" and the Carmichael-Washington standard, "The Nearness of You". The album is produced by Pat Metheny and Steve Rodby.

There's not much else to say; the album does exactly what it says on the tin with few surprises, and provides well over an hour of soothing, yet interesting music. The album is subtitled "The Ballad Book" and is divided into two "chapters" of five songs each, with an "epilogue" of one song. I love every single one but my favourite of them all is the shimmering "Nascente". It's not every time Metheny uses his guitar synth for solos that I like the sound of it but here it's simply transcendent. When Hancock follows with his own formidable solo I'm not sure whether I want to cry or fly.

A great album for those long nighttime drives or for evenings alone in quiet contemplation. Brecker's left us a heap of great music but I'm sad to hear that he's gone. May his soul rest in peace.

I put this CD on one evening and lay down to listen. Between sleep and awake, it played while the curtains billowed as an ocean breeze came through the window. It was perfect.

That memory will always define my assessment of this CD-a great lullaby.

I've been listening to this gem about 2-3 times/day since I picked it up a couple of weeks ago. It soothes my soul. Mr. Becker's music will live on forever!