Time Is Of The Essence

Performer: Michael Brecker
Artist: Pat Metheny; Larry Goldings; Elvin Jones; Jeff "Tain" Watts; Bill Stewart
Engineer: James Farber
Producer: George Whitty
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Michael Brecker (tenor saxophone); Larry Goldings (organ); Pat Metheny (guitar); Elvin Jones, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Bill Stewart (drums). Recorded at Avatar Studios and Right Track Studios, New York, New York. Includes liner notes by Michael Brecker. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE was nominated for the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album by an Individual or Group and "Outrance" was nominated for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo. Personnel: Michael Brecker (tenor saxophone); Pat Metheny (guitar); Larry Goldings (organ); Elvin Jones, A. Stewart, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Bill Stewart (drums). Audio Mixer: James Farber. Recording information: Avatar; Right Track, NY; Right Track, NY, NY. Photographers: Darryl Pitt; Leland Bobbe. Tenor saxophone master Michael Brecker has shared the stage and studio with most every major drummer in modern music at one time or another. It was three very special stick-slingers, however, that Brecker chose to feature on TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE: the fiery Jeff "Tain" Watts, the inventive Bill Stewart, and the incomparable powerhouse Elvin Jones. Along with Brecker's muscular wail, guitar legend Pat Metheny and organ wizard Larry Goldings offer some stunning musical vehicles for these three outstanding percussionists. It is Brecker's signature tenor tone and bravado that prominently conducts the proceedings and he is in fine form sparring with Jones on the waltzing opener "Arc of the Pendulum," complete with Elvin's signature loping gallop. Watts gives a commanding performance on the quirky "Dr. Slate" that offers some of the most rhythmically intricate ensemble work on the disc. Stewart is his usual amazing self on such tracks as the funky "Half Past Late" and "Renaissance Man," urging Brecker, Metheny, and Goldings onward with seemingly endless intensity. Elvin gets the closing remark with Brecker's "Outrance," another dancing groove that features exemplary playing by all.

Entertainment Weekly (12/3/99, p.103) - "...travels a wide path between mainstream jazz and pop inflections with integrity and ease..." - Rating: B+ Q (2/00, p.84) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...swinging lightly and beautifully with acoustic rhythm sections....digging a little deeper into the energy, agression and mathematical ability that helped him earn a reputation as the most advanced saxaphonist on the world..." Down Beat (8/00, p.27) - Ranked #6 Jazz Album in Downbeat "Critics Poll 2000". Down Beat (2/00, p.63) - 4.5 out of 5 - "...displays the patentable Brecker style - deeply rooted in Coltrane, with an emphasis on high energy and involved improv patterns....a varied, appealing repertoire with no dearth of top drawer playing..." JazzTimes (1-2/00, p.96) - "...easily Brecker's most satisfyingly and celebratory project to date, deeper and more incandescent....a dream date for Brecker as well as for his legion of fans."

As one half of the famous Brecker Brothers, saxophonist Michael Brecker defined the sound of modern electric funk-jazz in the '70s. Since the 1980s, he has been one of the most in-demand session players, appearing on hundreds of recordings in both the jazz and pop fields, and his solo albums have received several Grammys. Brecker is known for his powerful tone, monstrous chops, and endless soloing stamina. He passed away from a leukemia-related illness in early 2006.

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