Hangin' In the City

This album is not at all representative of Randy Brecker's "normal" output as a jazz trumpeter. Subtitled "Songs of Rhyme, Reason, Romance & Raunch," it marks the debut of "Randroid," a sort of alter-ego fashioned from a nickname given to Brecker some years before by alto saxophonist Gary Bartz. Taking on this shady, decadent persona, Brecker sings and raps about sexual exploits, partying, and other aspects of the musician lifestyle. Musically, the result is somewhere between Frank Zappa and Donald Fagen. Lyrically, it's really kind of bizarre, at times downright embarrassing. But once you get over the shock, you find that the tracks are actually pretty hip. Producer George Whitty handles keyboards and drum programming throughout, giving the disc a contemporary urban funk feel. Brecker blows a mean trumpet and flügelhorn and is joined by brother Michael Brecker on tenor sax, bassists Chris Minh Doky, Richard Bona, and Will Lee, guitarists Adam Rogers, Dean Brown, and Hiram Bullock, and more. Four of the 11 tracks are instrumental. The cheesy sexual double entendre of "Then I Came 2 My Senses" and the Lolita fantasy of "One Thing Led to Another" are pretty near unforgivable, but the hip beats, involved harmonies, and searing Adam Rogers guitar solos on "Wayne Out" and "Seattle" are redeeming. George Whitty's Rhodes solo on "Never Tell Her You Love Her ('Less She's 3000 Miles Away)" is also one of the hotter moments. ~ David R. Adler, Rovi