Herbie Hancock Quartet Brecker, Ron Carter, Tony Williams Herbie Hancock Michael Brecker / Fukuoka, Japan 1987 Soundboard Edition

This highly sought-after album captures a live performance from September 9th at the Fukuoka Sunpalace Hall, featuring a magnificent acoustic quartet including Michael Brecker, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams, during their 1987 Japan tour. The lineup alone makes it clear this is no ordinary session. These are cutting-edge performers who, starting with the Miles Davis Band, have each spearheaded the evolution of jazz. Even in the electrified and sophisticated 80s, “true interplay” exists here. Herbie Hancock’s sharp yet fluid touch effortlessly traverses the boundaries between acoustic and electric, giving the music a three-dimensional depth. Michael Brecker’s tenor saxophone, interwoven with this, cuts through the sonic space with overwhelming technique and modern idiom, dominating the front line at times lyrically, at times explosively. The rhythm section is absolutely impenetrable. Ron Carter’s weighty and intelligent lines control the whole, while Tony Williams drives the band forward with a driving force that constantly seems to present the “next moment.” His drumming goes beyond mere accompaniment, reaching a level that reconstructs the music itself. The song selection revolves around standards and modern numbers, with each member’s individuality clashing in a heated development. A sense of tension permeates from the moment the theme is presented, and there is not a single moment of relaxation until the solos and interplays. Brecker’s solo, which accelerates from a long tone, and Hancock’s chord work that responds to it, are particularly breathtaking. There is a “chemical reaction in the moment” here that can never be reproduced in the studio. This is not just a live recording, but “proof that giants crossed paths in the same era.” Live At Sunpalace Hall, Fukuoka, Japan September 9th, 1987Disc 1 1.Limehouse Blues 2.Dolphine Dance 3.Opus 1.54.Just One Of Those Things Disc 2 1.Sister Cheryl 2.Loose Change 3.Autumn Leaves 4.Citadel 5.Maiden Voyage 6.Member Introduction Herbie Hancock(p) Michael Brecker(ts) Ron Carter(b) Tony Williams(dr)