1987 · Album
Michael Brecker
Recorded 1986–1987 · Impulse! · Produced by Michael Brecker, Hal Willner
Brecker and Metheny in Perfect Balance
A saxophonist at full command, surrounded by players who refuse to follow—they lead.
What makes this debut album breathe is Pat Metheny's guitar. Brecker could have surrounded himself with rhythm section hands, but instead he brought in a guitarist who talks back, who has his own ideas about space and sound. Metheny doesn't comp quietly behind solos—he sculpts the harmonic air, responds in real time, sometimes contradicts what you expect to hear next. On tracks like "Some Skunk Funk" and "Fingerprints," the conversation between saxophone and guitar becomes the song itself.
Brecker is immense here. His tone is dense and modern, his technique flawless, his phrasing conversational rather than showy. Charlie Haden and Jack DeJohnette lock in with the kind of tightness you get from musicians who've played together for years, while Kenny Kirkland adds harmonic texture without cluttering the mix. The rhythm section never sounds like accompaniment—everyone pushes forward at once. This is not a saxophonist's album where the band politely holds the spotlight; it's a collective vision.
The record arrived when fusion had exhausted its showiness and straight-ahead jazz was rebuilding itself. Brecker's timing was exact. This became essential listening for musicians trying to understand how to play modern jazz without apology—how to be technically accomplished and still swinging, how to use electric sounds without abandoning acoustic weight. It remains the album many return to when they want to remember why Brecker mattered.
Who's playing
Charlie Hadendouble bass
Pat Methenyguitar
Michael Breckersaxophone
Jack DeJohnettedrums
Kenny Kirklandkeyboard
Where next?
More by Michael Brecker
All 29 albums →
The musicians on this record
♫
Rejoicing 1984
Charlie Haden
plays double bass here
plays double bass here
From This Place 1988
Pat Metheny
plays guitar here
plays guitar here
Parallel Realities 1978
Jack DeJohnette
plays drums (drum set) here
plays drums (drum set) here
