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 enlarge | Artist: Michael Brecker
Label: Heads Up
Category: Music
List Price: $18.98
Buy New: $11.48
You Save: $7.50 (40%)
New (36) Used (11) from $8.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  43 reviews
Sales Rank: 3446
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.4
MPN: 3095
UPC: 533613095274
EAN: 0053361309527
ASIN: B000OHZJA0
Release Date: May 22, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 fabulous July 3, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
If you are a fan of Michael Brecker this is a must have. As if the fact that it will be the last cd he ever releases isn't enough reason to purchase it, it is also a remarkable musical masterpiece. I honestly do not know how he managed to play at a level that is above the usual while practically on his death bed. The accompanying musicians are as good as they get as well, so the interaction between players and overall playing is just spectacular throughout.
transcendent July 3, 2007
Amazing CD, transcendent in every sense of the word. Michael Brecker will be greatly missed.
A worthy good-bye effort from a saint and a giant July 2, 2007
Brecker could never do anything wrong in my opinion, and so nobody will expect me to write a critical, balanced review of Pilgrimage. But even compared to the other Brecker albums, and especially with the knowledge that not only was this his last album, but probably one of the last times these masters and friends would see him, it is brilliant. It has the haunting, fragile, and urgent energy of a dying wish. At the same time, it conveys peace, joy, and caring for life. Everybody is at their best, and no Brecker fan will want to be without it. Preaching to the quire aside, it is also a good place to start your Brecker or modern jazz listening experience, as the album is quite accessible in its simple complexity. Absolutely recommended.
 At the top of his game - 4.5 stars July 1, 2007
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
I've always struggled with Mike Brecker. As a huge fan of his regular cohorts Pat Metheny, Jack de Johnette, Charlie Haden & Herbie Hancock, I religiously buy his albums but, in the same way that I can't get into Coltrane I just couldn't get into Brecker. His music always seemed rather too "frenetic" &/or "strident" for my tastes. But then of course came the sad news of his passing and the news that he'd made this one last recording with three of the above-named (w. John Pattituci on bass & Brad Mehldau alternating with Herbie) so I just HAD to buy & try really hard to get into it - & goddam it I have!! If you can listen to it alone (& either loud or with headphones) immediately the things that strike you are that Brecker really is in top form, the interplay amongst these top notch musicians is simply fabulous (the opening track being a perfect example) & the writing with all its excellent arrangements (some credit to Gil Goldstein here) & ever changing rhythms & syncopations is both ingenius & superb. Standout highlights are the pulsating, churning "Tumbleweed" (which some have correctly likened to Metheny's 1983 "Song for Bilbao" except that this is a far more mature arrangement & product - the bringing together of all the treble parts at the end is wonderful!) & the melancholy (but never maudlin) "When can I kiss you again?" with beautiful solos by Pat, then Herbie & finally Brecker. "5 Months to Midnight" & "Half Moon Lane" could almost be companion pieces with sweet, soulful saxophone refrains embellished by moderato (almost laid back but still intricate) solos from Metheny & Mehldau. "Anagram" is a track that took a number of listens to appreciate - on the one hand its rather frenetic propulsion at the outset nearly had me reaching for the "skip" button but there's a nice, almost imperciptible, change of tempo into Metheny's excellent solo (which again shows he can really swing) followed by brilliant rhythm section work in & around Mehldau's solo, finished off by great synchpoated drum & bass work into the conclusion. Weak spots (& hence only 4.5 stars)?? Well, apart from being a good showcase for Pattituci's skills (& more fine work from Brecker) I think "Cardinal Rule" is a bit of "bits 'n' pieces" composition with not a lot of coherence. Also "Loose Threads" has such great melodic ideas up front that Brecker's solo seems a little too "straight-ahead" for my tastes. Finally, I think the title (& last) track, which is a bit too "into the mystic" at first, whilst exhibiting on the one hand a fabulous Brecker solo which could have made for a truly sensational closer is spoilt by some awful, rambling electric piano & synthesiser "noodling" from Hancock. But seriously, these are but minor quibbles (& only intended to justify knocking off half a star) because if you only ever buy one Michael Brecker album then this is definitely it!!
Sweet Swan Song June 19, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
As a long standing Michael Brecker fan I would've bought this album anyway. The fact that it's the last one he made before he sadly passed away last year makes it all the more poignant and all the more desirable. The A-list cast he chose to play with - Pat Metheny on guitars (electric guitar & guitar synth), Herbie Hancock and Brad Mehldau on piano, John Patitucci on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums - just tipped it over the edge and made it all the more of a must-have. The album is produced by Brecker, Gil Goldstein, Steve Rodby and Pat Metheny.
There's not much else I can say that hasn't already been said. Brecker is his usual precise and expressive self and his playing (on tenor saxophone and EWI) is full of energy and passion, which is quite ironic considering when the album was recorded. He sounds nothing like a man struggling with a debilitating and life-threatening illness. What incredible courage and artistry.
I had so much fun trying to work out (without looking) which of the tunes Hancock played on and which ones featured Mehldau. It wasn't very difficult; their unique styles are so clearly and immediately identifiable. I found the fast paced tune "Anagram" rather difficult to comprehend but when things were slowed down a tad, for me, the magic literally jumps out the speakers. Tunes like "Five Months from Midnight", "Tumbleweed" (with its world music-like chants), and the ballads "When Can I Kiss You Again?" & "Half Moon Lane", all won me over on first listen. But I also like the opener, "The Mean Time" and I was pleased to see that on the cryptic "Cardinal Rule", Patitucci finally gets to say something, and there's also a very interesting 'call and answer' between Brecker and Mehldau right in the middle there.
And then there's the very interesting stop and start rhythms of "Loose Threads". Hancock turns to the electric piano for the closing title tune and an earlier reviewer who noted his playing as "ethereal" is spot on. Brecker's turns on both sax and EWI lend additional complexity to the tune. It's a wonderful way to end the proceedings.
We'll be mourning the loss of Michael Brecker for some time, I'm sure but wherever he is now I'm equally sure it's a better place. I'm also pretty confident that he'll be very happy indeed, not least because he has left behind a vast catalogue of beautiful music just like the music on this CD to ensure that the world will never forget him, and always have love for him.
Five stars. I still don't get "Anagram" by the way, but I see that as a minor hiccup in a long and wonderful narrative. What a sweet swan song.
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