Multi-Grammy award-winners trumpeter/Flugelhornist Randy Brecker and versatile saxophonist Eric Marienthal have long been friends and on-stage collaborators (Jeff Lorber, GRP Big Band) but are teaming for their first co-led album, Double Dealin’. Saxophonist Marienthal is a former member of the Chick Corea Elektric Band and has recorded 13 solo albums and performed with Elton John, Barbara Streisand, Billy Joel, and Stevie Wonder. Randy Brecker, jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, composer, and producer also has pop and rock in his discography. He founded The Brecker Brothers in 1974 and has since performed with Steely Dan, George Benson, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen and many others. As you might suspect, this is contemporary jazz fusion, bringing in traditional jazz and pop elements too. Joining the duo are keyboardist/producer George Whitty (all tracks), drummer Dave Weckl (three tracks) and bassist John Patitucci (two tracks) for this set of ten originals. Most of the tunes were composed by the tandem of Whitty and Marienthal, who contributed half of them. Whitty penned two alone as did Brecker with the other coming from Brecker’s wife, Ada Rovatti.
The opening fusion title track sounds like many more than just three musicians due to generous overdubbing, as do most here, as Brecker uses multiple trumpets and the flugelhorn, Marienthal weighs in on alto, tenor, and baritone and Whitty handles keys, bass, drums and percussion programming. On Whitty’s “3 Deuces” the author adds guitar to his arsenal. On the melodic “Fast Lane” Brecker and Marienthal operate in similar fashion while Whitty sticks to the keys, joined by Patitucci on electric bass and Weckl on drums. Both front line horns, lockstep in ensemble playing for much of these first three tunes, soar on their solos here. “Mind the Fire (For Chuck)” returns the configuration to a trio and slows the furious pace to a ballad with Brecker on trumpet and Marienthal on alto for this lovely composition, showcasing each player’s pure tone. Brecker’s “Sambop” begins at a brisk pace with Weckl back aboard but takes several tempo changes, slowed first by Brecker’s trumpet but re-energized by Marienthal’s rollicking sax spot.
Besides Brecker’s masterful playing, especially his blistering sound in the high register, is his understated sense of humor. On his own “You Ga (Ta Give It),” he comments, “Great one-man sax section here, and the way all the parts and horn sections fit together via counterpoint with George Whitty’s expert programming is really cool … and our solos ain’t bad either! Serious ‘Fonk!’ (Yeah, with an O!) By the way, when I picked out that plunger for the trumpet solo at the hardware store, the proprietor came up to me as I was checking out, with a look of horror on his face, and said: ‘What?! You don’t want the stick?!’” For his part, Marienthal counters, “This is such a great composition of Randy’s. It brings you in right from the beginning. George’s intricate production and horn arrangement on this tune are both really special. When I saw the bari sax part he wrote I started laughing and I had to ask him if he was serious! After I played it, though, I realized how cool it sounded in the track. Randy’s plunger solo is so brilliant! Completely takes the tune up to another place. And just when you thought it was safe, he throws the plunger down and takes it somewhere else … again!”
On “True North,” a more ethereal flowing piece and standout track, Patitucci plays the acoustic bass while Brecker and Marienthal play unlayered. It’s another gorgeous tune composed by Whitty and Marienthal, with both front line solos among his best for the duo on the outing. Whitty’s “The Hipster’ has the layered lethal trio returning for a funky workout. At this point, after so many of these bass and drum programs, this listener longs for the real thing but a similar configuration ventures forth on Rovatti’s “Jetlagged” except that the front line is again unlayered set against funky rhythm programming. The closing “Habanero” lives up to its spicy title with complex, syncopated rhythms and tight ensemble work. Brecker launches a signature dynamic trumpet solo which Marienthal answers in turn with his own gusto.
While Double Dealin’ breaks no new ground, it is a festive, joyous contemporary fusion date that finds the co-leaders playing passionately while Whitty provides ample support and then some.
