Brewster's Rooster

From the Editors

With emphasis on strong playing and group interaction, this is a real `jazz' album (Surman's first for ECM) recorded at New York's Avatar Studios. A powerful and exciting album from the great British horn-player John Surman who surrounds himself with an all-star cast. Surman is at his best on both soprano and baritone saxophones, and the group is deeply anchored in a shared musical experience. Soulful ballads, hard driving up-tempo tunes and fiery improvisations are all to be found here.
Album Description

Customer Response

JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR, 2009
While I certainly haven't heard absolutely every jazz album released in 2009, all competitors will be very hard pressed to match the beautiful virtuosity of Brewster's Rooster. This is John Surman's first straight-ahead album in some time, and the all-star support should be enough to motivate any jazz listener to buy it instantly. Drummer Jack DeJohnette has collaborated with Surman on numerous occasions, dating back to the 1960s. Guitarist John Abercrombie had Surman guest on his 1993 November album, and both were heard on Barre Phillips' 1976 Mountainscapes. Brewster's Rooster is the first ECM recording for New York double-bassist Drew Gress, who has also played in Abercrombie's band. While the usual naysayers will grumble about the ages of the players or that the music is not "intense" enough, this album will undoubtably be among the best ECM releases of this decade.

Surman plays the soprano sax on only two of the nine tracks, the leisurely opener "Slanted Sky" (which begins with a nice solo from Gress), and the album's longest track, "Counter Measures". While it would have been great to hear more of Surman's thoughtful, airy soprano tone, his unparalleled work on the baritone sax is featured on the rest of the album. The busy "Hilltop Dancer" has Surman and Abercrombie doubling the melody line. The slow grooving "No Finesse" also opens with a Gress solo, and Surman demonstrates that "delicate" and "baritone" really do go together. "Kickback" lays to rest any misunderstandings that this might be a "smooth jazz" set: after a fluid Abercrombie solo, the fiery center section is a wild duet between DeJohnette and Surman. "Chelsea Bridge" is this album's ballad, while "Haywain" is a feather-ruffling free piece. The title track is driven by a tricky Gress bass line, and Surman and Abercrombie once again double the melody line. The album closes with the unbridled joy of "Going for a Burton", and there can be no doubt that everyone involved had great fun throughout the recording sessions. All the players are still at the top of their games, with the added wisdom of experience and interplay.

If you are looking for a point of comparison (and I'm talking about moods, textures, and atmosphere, NOT style), two similar albums would be Charles Lloyd's The Water is Wide (2000, also featuring Abercrombie) and Mick Goodrick's In Pas(s)ing (1978, also featuring Surman and DeJohnette). Jazz is alive and well and thriving, and Brewster's Rooster is the proof positive. Only a true cynic or backward-focused conservative would not be won over by this album.

Much activity, not much tunefulness
This is a busy session of improvised jazz by a group who are clearly great players on top of their game. Yet it doesnt really coalesce into gripping listening, and the introduction of Chelsea Bridge is disorienting, its an interruption to the flow of modern jazz and as if a tune has broken out, but one done better by the David Murray Trio on "The Hill". I find there are great licks and examples of instrumental mastery, with Abercrombie in good form too, but its all a bit busy- busy.

good, not great; incorrect product description
I've been a fan of all of the musicians on this recording for years. This recording did not blow me away initially, but with repeated listenings I'm sure I'll like it more. The product description says this is Surman's first jazz recording for ECM, when in fact most of his recordings have been with ECM for the past 30 years, in various instrumental configurations ranging from solo outings, to drum/sax duos (with Dejohnette on Adventures of Simon Simon) to his Nordic horn quartet, and more.

Mild disappointment
This album has been anxiously awaited by me. In general, it turned out to be a mild disappointment.

When I have heard John Surman for the first time in 1969, playing with the guitarist John McLaughlin on the "Extrapolation", he quickly became my idol - as much as McLaughlin has been at the time. Unfortunately, over the years, Surman became less ambitious and more weird in his selection of genres. I figure, he just wanted to demonstrate his versatility and prowess in many kinds of music. Nothing wrong with that, if he kept the level of artistry continuously high. But he did not. His albums ranged from 5-stars to mere 2-stars (in my own private rating). On this record, I prefer the discreet performance of John Abercrombie and Jack De Johnette than John Surman's.

If you tend to like Surman for his band-leader's endeavors, leaning towards free-jazz, you will probably love his album "Invisible Nature" (duo with Jack DeJohnette on drums). If you like his solo albums better, on the other hand, there is no better effort than his "Road To Saint Ives" and "The Amezing Adventures Of Simon Simon". Somewhere in between those extremes lies his "Nordic Quartet" (with Terje Rypdal on guitar). I am not a big fan of Karin Krog (also on that album), but I think you'll like all the above albums better than this one. Of course, I have to emphasize, that that is my private opinion and you may have a completely different view on the subject.

I would like to give "Brewster's Rooster" 3 and a half stars, but I need to round it down to just 3 stars.

BTW, I think it would be interesting to hear a new collaboration between Surman and John McLaughlin (with JackDeJohnette or Jon Christensen on drums and perhaps with the addition of Terje Rypdal on another guitar)...

Excellent
Bought as a birthday present, and the recipient has enjoyed it immensely. Thank you!

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