Randy Brecker - Hangin' In The City (CD)

feat. Michael Brecker, Dean Brown, Adam Rogers, Hiram Bullock, Richard BonaA true stylist who has performed with a who's who of jazz, pop and jazz-fusion artists, trumpeter Randy Brecker's latest solo effort includes his equally renowned brother, saxophonist Michael Brecker and vibraphonist Joe Locke along with perennial studio musicians; guitarist Hiram Bullock, bassist Will Lee and others. Here, Brecker injects a bit of whimsy into a set consisting of funk-groove rhythms, hip-hop, tight horn charts, synths, drum programming and everything and anything producer George Whitty decided to utilize for this outing. As funny as the steamy funker 'Then I Came to My Senses' and prickly, dark, atmospheric title track can be, there's a greater draw in some of the album's non-Randroid highlights, like 'Wayne Out,' the Shorter-inspired funky-fusion ride. 'I Talk to the Trees' swings lyrically, with Brecker's awe-struck, long-lined melody playing against bustling bass in a Tangerine Dream-like ech