THE BRECKER BROTHERS — Don't Stop the Music (review)

THE BRECKER BROTHERS — Don't Stop the Music album cover Album · 1977 · Funk Jazz Buy this album from MMA partners
2.5/5 ·
Sean Trane
Third album from the BB, and one that took unashamedly the radio-friendly route, ranging from disco, to brassy funk to everything an Arista label band had to lower themselves to. Indeed, in the late 70’s, Arista became responsible for the downgrade of excellent early 70’s artistes that had to keep surviving and had to resort to signing a contract with them. Very few bands came unscathed from this disastrous passage through the label, and the BB didn’t make an exception. The BB band didn’t seem to have a stable line-up then and among the guests, we hear Steve Kahn (guitars), Lenny White and Steve Gadd (both drums), alongside the mainstays of Grolnick, Lee and McDonald and, of course, Michael and Randy.

Right from the first disco beat of the opening Finger Lickin’ Good and the title track opening the flipside, one can only think of an atrociously kitschy disco. Along the soppy side of their spectrum, we have As Long As I’ve Got Your Love or the no-less cheesy instrumental Petals provide romantic mood (both filled with string arrangements), but are not completely without merits. Indeed some instrumental tracks like Funky Sea or the album-longest instrumental Squids were highly enjoyable, but drowned in a sea of radio-friendly brassy disco that flooded the airwaves and the nightclubs. The closing lengthy Tabula Rasa again presents a fast funk-fusion where the brothers add a slight Spanish brassy touch.

Well the present album is not as bad as I would tend to make it appear, but it is mainly plagued by those two binary disco tune, that automatically lessen the album’s appeal, but the other two string-laden tracks do not help either. Still mildly interesting, but IMHO, not really worth the detour.

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darkprinceofjazz wrote:
more than 2 years ago
I wholeheartedly agree with your thoughts on the Brecker Bothers, not my cup of tea either, some tracks are interesting, but just and odd sound for me, I am so Glad Michael Brecker went on to make some much better straight ahead post bop of his own.

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