Out of the Loop (Brecker Brothers album)

Out of the Loop is an album by the Brecker Brothers that was released by GRP Records in 1994. In 1995 the album won the brothers two Grammy Awards for Best Contemporary Jazz Performance (now known as Best Contemporary Jazz Album) and Best Instrumental Composition (for Michael Brecker's "African Skies").[2]

Out of the Loop
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 1994
RecordedApril–August 1992
GenreJazz fusion
Length54:33
LabelGRP
ProducerGeorge Whitty, Maz Kessler, Robbie Kilgore
Brecker Brothers chronology
Return of the Brecker Brothers
(1992)
Out of the Loop
(1994)
Randy Brecker chronology
Return of the Brecker Brothers
(1992)
Out of the Loop
(1994)
Into the Sun
(1996)
Michael Brecker chronology
Return of the Brecker Brothers
(1992)
Out of the Loop
(1994)
Tales from the Hudson
(1996)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

Reception

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At AllMusic, Jim Newsom gave the album four stars and wrote, "The album is surprisingly strong, and any fears of a paint-by-numbers attempt to cash in on past glories are quickly dispelled with the opening 'Slang', which is reminiscent of Amandla-era Miles. Here, as throughout the disc, Michael's sax solo burns with abandon, while brother Randy's trumpet glides across a tastefully smooth and melodic terrain".[1]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Slang"Michael Brecker6:11
2."Evocations"Chris Botti, Michael Brecker5:16
3."Scrunch"Randy Brecker, Michael Brecker, Maz Kessler, Robbie Kilgore4:28
4."Secret Heart"Randy Brecker, Eliane Elias5:03
5."African Skies"Michael Brecker7:46
6."When It Was"Brecker, Brecker, Kessler, Kilgore4:29
7."Harpoon"Randy Brecker7:43
8."The Nightwalker"Michael Brecker8:44
9."And Then She Wept"Randy Brecker4:53

Personnel

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  • Michael Brecker – tenor saxophone, arrangements (1, 5, 8), soprano saxophone (4, 5), Akai EWI (4, 5, 7, 8)
  • Randy Brecker – trumpet (1, 2, 3, 5-8), flugelhorn (4, 9), arrangements (7)
  • George Whitty – keyboards (1, 7, 8, 9), Hammond organ bass (1), arrangements (1, 5, 7, 8, 9), acoustic piano (2), keyboard programming (4)
  • Chris Botti – keyboard programming (2), bass and drum programming (2), arrangements (2)
  • Andy Snitzer – keyboard programming (2), bass and drum programming (2), arrangements (2)
  • Maz Kessler – keyboards (3, 6), rhythm programming (3), arrangements (3, 6)
  • Robbie Kilgore – keyboards (3, 6), rhythm programming (3), arrangements (3, 6), guitars (6)
  • Eliane Elias – keyboards (4), vocals (4), arrangements (4)
  • Dean Brown – guitars (1, 2, 3, 6-9), electric guitar (4, 5)
  • Larry Saltzman – guitars (2)
  • James Genus – bass (1, 4, 7, 8, 9), acoustic bass (3)
  • Armand Sabal-Lecco – bass (5), acoustic piccolo bass (5), vocals (5)
  • Steve Jordan – drums (1, 7, 8, 9)
  • Shawn Pelton – drums (2)
  • Rodney Holmes – drums (4, 5)
  • Steve Thornton – percussion (1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9)
  • Mark Ledford – additional backing vocals (4)

Production

  • Dave Grusin – executive producer
  • Larry Rosen – executive producer
  • George Whitty – producer (1, 5, 7, 8, 9), additional recording
  • Chris Botti – producer (2), additional recording
  • Andy Snitzer – producer (2), additional recording
  • Maz Kessler – producer (3, 6), mixing (3, 6), additional recording
  • Robbie Kilgore – producer (3, 6), mixing (3, 6), additional recording
  • Elaine Elias – producer (4), editing
  • James Farber – recording, mixing (1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9)
  • "Q" Engstrom – mixing (3, 6)
  • Rich Lamb – additional recording
  • Hiro Ishihara – assistant engineer
  • Chris Albert – mix assistant (1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9)
  • Scott Austin – mix assistant (1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9)
  • Rory Romano – mix assistant (1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9)
  • Robert Smith – mix assistant (3, 6)
  • Ron Bach – editing engineer
  • Joseph Doughney – post-production engineer
  • Michael Landy – post-production engineer
  • Scott Hull – mastering at Masterdisk (New York, NY)
  • Cara Bridgins – production coordinator
  • Joseph Moore – assistant production coordinator
  • Sonny Mediana – production director, art direction
  • Andy Baltimore – creative director
  • Darryl Pitt – cover concept
  • Laurie Goldman – graphic design
  • Matt Zumbo – front cover illustration
  • Kim Steele – back cover photography

Awards

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Grammy Awards[3]

Year Winner Category
1995 Brecker Brothers Best Contemporary Jazz Album
1995 Michael Brecker ("African Skies") Best Instrumental Composition

References

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  1. ^ a b Newsom, Jim. "Out of the Loop". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  2. ^ "The 1995 Grammy Winners". The New York Times. March 3, 1995. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
  3. ^ "Past Winners Search". GRAMMY.com. Retrieved August 7, 2015.