A Couple's Compromise, Ultimately Uneven
Weak material and heavy electronics undermine what should have been a natural musical partnership.
Amanda arrived as a vanity project with genuine appeal on paper: Randy Brecker and his wife Eliane Elias pooling their talents for a dedicated listening experience. The problem was execution. Scott Yanow of AllMusic nailed it — despite the caliber of musicians involved, the album performs poorly because the songs themselves lack substance. Brecker's trumpet should have carried the weight here, but he's often buried beneath Elias's keyboard arrangements, which favor synthesizers and drum machines over the organic interplay you'd expect from two experienced jazz players.
The rhythm section — Will Lee on bass, Dave Weckl on drums, and layers of percussion including Manolo Badrena — sounds more like a pop production than a jazz session. Tracks feel programmed and inert. When Michael Brecker appears on tenor saxophone, there's a brief spark of real ensemble energy, but it's never sustained long enough to justify the album's existence. The guest horn work suggests someone recognized the hole in the center, but inserting stronger players couldn't salvage fundamentally thin material.
This is a footnote to both careers, and reasonably so. Elias went on to build a substantial solo discography; Brecker remained a first-call session player and bandleader. Amanda exists as a document of a moment — a marriage, a dedication to their daughter — but not as music that rewards repeated listening. Even for devoted fans of either player, this one can be skipped.
Who's playing
Will Leebass
Mark Eganbass
Jeff Mironovguitar
Barry Finnertyguitar
Michael Breckertenor saxophone
渡辺貞夫alto saxophone
Randy Breckertrumpet
Chris Parkerdrums
Danny Gottliebdrums
Dave Weckldrums
Manolo Badrenapercussion
Eliane Eliaskeyboard
Where next?
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
