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Herbie
Hancock, Michael Brecker, Roy Hargrove- Directions
in Music: Live at Massey Hall
June
11, 2002
Original Release Date: June 11, 2002
Herbie
Hancock/Piano, Michael Brecker/Sax, Roy Hargrove/Trumpet,
John Patitucci/Bass, Brian Blade/Drums
1. The Sorcerer
2. The Poet
3. So What/Impressions
4. Misstery
5. Naima
6. Transition
7. My Ship
8. D Trane
Review
I had the honor to attend this concert.
It was THE BEST concert I went
to in 2001, hands down. The masthead calls this a celebration
of the music of John Coltrane and Miles Davis,
because these two give Hancock and Brecker directions in music.
True enough, they have inherited the genes from the two greats.
But in effect, this concert also marks a celebration of Herbie
Hancock and Michael Brecker's music, for they,
too, have illuminated jazz and directed the music in the right
direction.
Being the leader
of 70's jazz-funk movement (i.e. HeadHunters),
Herbie Hancock has tried eveything from classical, pop to
hip-hop. In recent years, his route of music playing is at
best uneven, with the disastrous release of Gershwin's
World, playing Nirvana with embarrassment on New
Standards, and also occasionally and partly truimphs
in Future2Future. While
he should never have released those questionable albums, this
time he is back to bebop roots (i.e. Blue Note years) and
his piano playing is the least contrived and derivative in
recent years, in my memory.
Roy Hargrove
has something to say with his rebel rouser interpretation
of the jazz trumpet. He carefully does not fall into the trap
of being a Miles Davis clone, but expressively expresses his
feelings through restrained and skillful crafted solos.
The
evening's biggest treasure is bassist John Patitucci.
While being hailed as simply the best electric bass player,
he shows here he can still be funky and skillful as an acoustic
bassist. And his playing here puts him on the same level with
Ron Carter and Charlie Haden and Christian McBride as jazz's
best bassists. His funky start in "So What/Impressions"
is enough to give him that throne. So look for his solos.
Brian Blade is also decent here on the drums.
Needless to say,
Hancock and Brecker have a wider scope of jazz than their
precedessors, opening up more roads and visions for jazz development.
They sound no way like Miles and Coltrane. So in the tune
"So What/Impressions," you hear the foundations
of Miles and Coltrane, but you also hear the creativity and
unique vision of Brecker and Hancock. In the classic Coltrane
tune "Naima," Brecker even outplays the great
by surpassing him musically and creatively. Only Miles and
Coltrane would be proud of the success of these cats!
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