The Brecker Brothers
Heavy Metal Be-Bop

‘Heavy Metal Be-Bop’ (1978), a live album by the acclaimed Brecker Brothers, is one of the pinnacles of the funky fusion and jazz rock genres, from which it only diverges by a lesser emphasis on instrumental parts (despite the extremely high level of virtuosity) in favor of the overall melodiousness of the tracks, which are, however, always well-structured and harmonized in a jazz key. Appropriate references certainly include Billy Cobham and Stanley Clarke, but also the instrumental textures of the best songs by Steely Dan and Gino Vannelli (for example, ‘Brother To Brother’) and also that certain ultrarock style of Frank Zappa that in the second half of the seventies represented a further shift in the boundaries of jazz crossovers. And certainly, if the crossover between jazz and – at least initially – black music had yielded masterpieces like ‘Gratitude’ by EWF and would later produce notable examples of fusion like the beautiful live album ‘Access All Areas’ (Spyro Gyra), the stylistic key had always been mainly funky, just as it was funky that inspired Miles Davis with that unprecedented and disconcerting groove that belonged first to 'Bitches Brew’ and then to 'On The Corner’ (complete with sitar!) and saw one of its masterpieces in Herbie Hancock's marvelous 'Sextant’. Zappa, on the other hand, manages to incorporate rock (even quite heavy) and contemporary musical quirks into an instrumental formula that seems very much akin to the ideal of absolute music and would go on to influence generations of musicians.

The brothers Michael and Randy Brecker, saxophone and trombone, have always maintained a very balanced crossover style (having worked with Steely Dan, Casiopea, Parliament), well established on funk but quite oriented towards true jazz rock, thanks to their consistently very technical yet highly engaging and accessible instrumental style. Their highly praised contribution to the masterpiece 'The Purple Lagoon’ by Frank Zappa (live 1976, from 'Zappa in New York’: an exceptional solo just before the middle of the long track) seems to have greatly influenced the concerts, all in New York, recorded for this 'Heavy Metal Be-Bop’. Certainly, the two bandleaders learn from Zappa the taste for bold effects and the absolute blending of styles, as well as borrowing his drummer (the excellent Terry Bozzio), and break all hesitation in these six tracks (the first is in the studio) carefully avoiding staying within the mainstream and pushing decidedly on the pedal of solos and the typically rock fervor.

There are few "active" keyboards on this album, as the two channel the horns through the synthesizer and Barry Finnerty makes extensive use of the Guitar Organizer. The MIDI technology did not exist yet, of course, but this is one of the first fully realized examples, live and in such a satisfying manner, of wind-driven synth (already experimented with Zappa) and the effect is remarkable, especially when applied to the tremendous instrumental abilities of the two brothers.

As I mentioned, the first track (‘East River’, a small hit on a 45 rpm) is a studio tease, a funky rock piece complete with handclaps, a piece already notable but not hinting much at the upheaval that is about to come. The following ‘Inside Out’, over nine minutes long, indeed refers to that ‘Purple Lagoon’ which must have greatly influenced the Breckers, as it is brimming with solos and rock (but the funky persists throughout the album). The rest of the album is at the same exciting level, with obligatory mention of ‘Some Skunk Funk’ for how it seems comparable to Billy Cobham's stylistic and compositional flair. A band at the highest levels and a palpable sense of involvement and enjoyment, not always found in the fusion genre, help to fully render the live atmosphere of concerts that certainly must not have been results of intellectual jazz gatherings with wrinkled noses, but rock rituals among sweaty and enthusiastic people.

It is hard to understand why the Brecker Brothers are absolutely idolized among insiders (there was a line to have them guest on albums) but substantially unknown to the general public, if compared to Return To Forever, Weather Report, Billy Cobham, Stanley Clarke, Al di Meola, and other flag bearers of jazz rock. This album in particular, which not everyone might know (no vinyl reissues after '78, followed by three CD releases, one of which practically pirated), represents an absolute masterpiece of the genre, moreover, fairly attentive to the typical funky rock listening that was greatly appreciated in the States at that time, but it has not received the recognition it deserves and remains a little secret among enthusiasts that I felt was worth sharing to the greater glory of the Brecker Brothers and good music.

Michael Brecker passed away in 2007, and music critics have not hesitated to place him among the greatest saxophonists of all time.