| Pilgrimage | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 22, 2007 | |||
| Recorded | August 2006 | |||
| Studio | Right Track, New York City | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 77:46 | |||
| Label | Heads Up | |||
| Producer | Michael Brecker, Gil Goldstein, Steve Rodby, Pat Metheny | |||
| Michael Brecker chronology | ||||
| ||||
Pilgrimage is the final studio album by saxophonist Michael Brecker. It was recorded in 2006, released the following year, and won Grammys for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group and Best Jazz Instrumental Solo.
In 2005 Brecker announced that he would no longer perform in public as he had myelodysplastic syndrome, which led to leukemia. [1] Despite this, he was able to make some guest appearances the following year, and planned the recording sessions that led to this album being made. [1]
The album was recorded in August 2006. [2] The personnel consists of Brecker, guitarist Pat Metheny, pianists Herbie Hancock and Brad Mehldau, bassist John Patitucci, and drummer Jack DeJohnette. [3]
All of the nine compositions were Brecker originals, written for this recording. [1] The title of the ballad "When Can I Kiss You Again?" was from Brecker's son, who asked him that question while Brecker was in medical isolation. [4]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz |  [2] |
Pilgrimage was released in 2007 by Heads Up. [3] The AllMusic reviewer wrote: "This is a brilliant and inspiring album – and would be whether or not it had anything to do with the death of one of the great figures in American jazz." [4]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz praised some of the compositions, concluded that, "as a memorial it's pretty good", but suggested that they were being generous because it was Brecker's final recording. [2] In the later The Penguin Jazz Guide they reflected "This was somewhat of a misread. So impressive, so meticulously crafted were his solos, and so many of them in circulation, that it was easy to think there would be another one along any minute. Until 13 January 2007, that was the case. The ensuing silence has changed the value of what went before" [5]
The album won Brecker two posthumous Grammy awards: for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo (for his solo on "Anagram") and Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group. [6]
All music is composed by Michael Brecker
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Mean Time" | 6:55 |
| 2. | "Five Months from Midnight" | 7:40 |
| 3. | "Anagram" | 10:09 |
| 4. | "Tumbleweed" | 9:36 |
| 5. | "When Can I Kiss You Again?" | 9:42 |
| 6. | "Cardinal Rule" | 7:31 |
| 7. | "Half Moon Lane" | 7:17 |
| 8. | "Loose Threads" | 8:34 |
| 9. | "Pilgrimage" | 10:02 |
Musicians
Production
2008 – 50th Annual GRAMMY Awards [6]
| Years | Winner | Title | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Michael Brecker | "Anagram" | Grammy Award for Best Improvised Jazz Solo |
| 2008 | Michael Brecker | Pilgrimage | Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album |
Herbert Jeffrey Hancock is an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the post-bop sound. In the 1970s, Hancock experimented with jazz fusion, funk, and electro styles, using a wide array of synthesizers and electronics. It was during this period that he released perhaps his best-known and most influential album, Head Hunters.
Word of Mouth is the second solo studio album by American bassist Jaco Pastorius, released in 1981, while he was still a member of the jazz fusion group Weather Report, and also the name of a big band that Pastorius assembled and with which he toured from 1981 to 1983.
Jack DeJohnette is an American jazz drummer, pianist, and composer.
Michael Leonard Brecker was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He was awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer, received an Honorary Doctorate from Berklee College of Music in 2004, and was inducted into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame in 2007.
Man in the Air is the sixth album by jazz vocalist Kurt Elling, recorded and released in 2003 by Blue Note Records.
John Patitucci is an American jazz bassist and composer.
Lawrence Sam "Larry" Goldings is an American jazz keyboardist and composer. His music has explored elements of funk, blues, and fusion. Goldings has a comedic alter ego known as Hans Groiner.
Bradford Alexander Mehldau is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger.
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Metheny Mehldau Quartet is a jazz album by guitarist Pat Metheny and pianist Brad Mehldau, released in 2007 by Nonesuch Records. It features bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard.
Michael Brecker is the debut album by American saxophonist Michael Brecker. It was released on the Impulse! record label in 1987. It features guitarist Pat Metheny, pianist Kenny Kirkland, bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Jack DeJohnette.
"Are You Going with Me?" is a song by American contemporary jazz ensemble the Pat Metheny Group; it was composed by Metheny and keyboardist Lyle Mays. It was originally recorded in October 1981 for the band's third studio album Offramp.
Don't Try This at Home is the second album by American jazz saxophonist Michael Brecker, that was released on Impulse! records in 1988. In 1989, the album won a Grammy Award for Best Improvised Jazz Solo.
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American Dreams is an album by bassist Charlie Haden with saxophonist Michael Brecker recorded in 2002 and released on the Verve label.
