Michael Brecker - Tales From The Hudson

Double 180-gram LP in a gatefold jacket

Six-page insert included

Two black polylined inner sleeves

Part of the Universal Play 33 1/3 Series. All series albums are first-time 180-gram vinyl releases that were first issued as CDs between 1992 and 2010. Because he has recorded so much mediocre commercial jazz, Michael Brecker's more ambitious ventures are often not taken as seriously as they should be. For Tales from the Hudson, Brecker assembles an all-star band of Miles Davis's 1970 rhythm section (drummer Jack DeJohnette and bassist Dave Holland), underrated pianist Joey Calderazzo, and guitarist Pat Metheny — and on two numbers, Calderazzo is replaced by McCoy Tyner. For this special occasion, Brecker has written five impressionistic modal pieces and has also included one composition apiece from Metheny, Calderazzo, and the late pianist Don Grolnick. The satisfying results should do much to bring Brecker his due as a fine composer and bandleader and a player with a hearty tenor tone and good instincts about where to find fresh territory in an improvisation.