MICHAEL BRECKER in concert; Thursday evening, Nov. 30. One performance only.
Saxophone wizard Michael Brecker very nearly blew the roof off Libby Gardner Hall Thursday evening.
The jazz great played a two-hour nonstop set that left the audience in a state of ecstasy. In numbers taken mainly from his latest album, "Time Is of the Essence," Brecker easily showed why he is in the forefront of progressive jazz.
Brecker also got some solid support from his band: Larry Goldings on organ, Adam Rogers on guitar and Idris Mohammed on drums. These three musicians were just as awesome as Brecker. And throughout the evening, the four dazzled the audience with their solo work.
The quartet started things off with a set of three supercharged numbers that got everyone in the audience fired up for a super show. Brecker and his band opened with "Arc of the Pendulum" and followed that up with "Sound Off" and "Half Past Late," all from Brecker's most recent CD.
Things slowed down a bit with "As I Am." The song was written by Pat Metheny, and it was one of the most interesting pieces on the program. "As I Am" opens with some evocative, mysterious sounds from the organ and guitar, over which Brecker soars with an inviting, seductive melody.
Brecker kicked into high gear again with "Timeline," which featured some great extended solos by Goldings and Rogers.
On a more mellow note, Brecker and Goldings (on piano) were stunning in a unique version of Thelonius Monk's "Round Midnight." Brecker began the piece with a long, disjointed improvisation before Goldings entered with a smooth solo, and the two of them ended the song with an amazing blend of the two styles. Their rendition gave a neat twist to this old favorite.
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