Trumpet legend Randy Brecker has been a critically acclaimed jazz musician for close to forty years, putting in time and/or recording with Horace Silver's Quintet, Art Blakey, Blood Sweat & Tears, The Brecker Brothers, Dreams, James Taylor, Billy Cobham, Charles Mingus, Jaco Pastorius, and many others, as well as releasing numerous solo works. In August of 1994 Brecker and the Neils Lan Doky Trio (Lan Docky on piano, Alvin Queen on drums, and bassist Pierre Boussaguet) tore the house down at the New Morning Jazz Festival in Geneva, Switzerland. This near 2 hour show features Brecker in all his glory, as the quartet rip through seven extended traditional jazz & bebop tunes littered with classy melodies and fiery improvisations that let all four musicians really strut their stuff. From an audio and video standpoint, this is quality stuff, the video portion holding up very well considering it is well over a decade old, and the audio crisp and crystal clear. Brecker's smoky and soulful trumpet tone soars on tunes like "The Target" and the amazing rendition of "Blue Moon", but then again if you have followed this master at all you already know of his great talents. Lan Doky and Queen are the two surprises here, the pianist really showing some incredible dexterity and sense of melody, and Queen is just a powerhouse groove machine, reminding at times of the late great Art Blakey as well as Jack DeJohnette. Seeing the three and the acrobatic Boussaguet work their way through the swinging & intricate "Old Green Dolphin Street" is a real treat. There's not much bonus material here, save for a fascinating conversation with Brecker as he talks about his upbringing, introduction to the jazz scene, his mentors and peers, bands and artists he has worked with, and what music really means to him. Priceless stuff.
Track Listing
1) On Green Dolphin Street
2) Star Eyes
3) The Target
4) Softly As in a Morning
5) Talma
6) That's It
7) Blue Moon
Bonus-Conversation with Randy Brecker
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