michael brecker Archives - ContemporaryJazz.com

Top Contemporary Jazz Albums – October 13, 1990

John Hilderbrand — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 02:32:35 +0000

Michael Franks was sitting at #1 on Billboard’s Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart for the week ending October 13, 1990 with Blue Pacific. The album had been on the chart for 15 weeks and was spending its fifth week at the top.

The GRP label was really rolling after MCA artists were moved to the label. That brought over Spyro Gyra (with the only Spyro Gyra release that said “featuring Jay Beckenstein”), Acoustic Alchemy, and Michael Brecker. I count eight GRP recordings in this top 20.

Of note, that Bob James recording, Grand Piano Canyon, was the birth of Fourplay with James, Lee Ritenour, Harvey Mason, and Nathan East on two tracks.

Also worth noting in the October 13 issue: George Benson debuted at #8 on Billboard’s Jazz Albums chart with Big Boss Band, his collaboration with the Count Basie Orchestra.

Top Contemporary Jazz Albums

Week of October 13, 1990

#	Artist	Album
1	Michael Franks	Blue Pacific	▶
2	The Rippingtons featuring Russ Freeman	Welcome to the St. James’ Club	▶
3	Bobby Lyle	The Journey	▶
4	Anita Baker	Compositions	▶
5	Spyro Gyra featuring Jay Beckenstein	Fast Forward	▶
6	David Benoit	Inner Motion	▶
7	Bob James	Grand Piano Canyon	▶
8	Ricardo Silveira	Amazon Secrets	▶
9	Richard Elliot	What’s Inside	▶
10	John McLaughlin Trio	Live at the Royal Festival Hall	▶
11	Bob Berg	In the Shadows	▶
12	John Patitucci	Sketchbook	▶
13	Take 6	So Much 2 Say	▶
14	Acoustic Alchemy	Reference Point	▶
15	Ronnie Laws	True Spirit	▶
16	Basia	London Warsaw New York	▶
17	Michael Brecker	Now You See It… (Now You Don’t)	▶
18	Dave Weckl	Master Plan	▶
19	The Meeting	The Meeting	▶
20	Najee	Tokyo Blue	▶

The post Top Contemporary Jazz Albums – October 13, 1990 appeared first on ContemporaryJazz.com.

Top Contemporary Jazz Chart – July 2, 1994

John Hilderbrand — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 16:43:12 +0000

Tenderness from Al Jarreau was a live-in-the-studio recording that blended the intimacy of a concert performance with the polish of a studio album. Produced by Marcus Miller, the project featured an all-star cast including Joe Sample, David Sanborn, Michael Brecker, Patches Stewart, Steve Gadd, Eric Gale, and acclaimed soprano Kathleen Battle. The album found Jarreau revisiting classics such as “Try a Little Tenderness,” “Your Song,” “My Favorite Things,” “She’s Leaving Home,” and “Summertime,” while also including updated versions of his own compositions like “We Got By” and “Save Your Love for Me.” Tenderness may be one of the most relaxed and inspired recordings of Jarreau’s career, pairing his vocal agility with stellar talent and songs that gave him plenty of room to soar.

Top Contemporary Jazz Albums
Week of July 2, 1994

#	Artist	Album
1	Kenny G	Breathless	▶
2	David Sanborn	Hearsay	▶
3	Al Jarreau	Tenderness	▶
4	Norman Brown	After the Storm	▶
5	John Tesh Project	Sax by the Fire	▶
6	The Benoit/Freeman Project	The Benoit/Freeman Project	▶
7	Boney James	Backbone	▶
8	Incognito	Positivity	▶
9	Nancy Wilson	Love, Nancy	▶
10	Paul Hardcastle	Hardcastle	▶
11	Gerald Albright	Smooth	▶
12	Bob James	Restless	▶
13	Patti Austin	That Secret Place	▶
14	Fourplay	Between the Sheets	▶
15	Dave Koz	Lucky Man	▶
16	Marion Meadows	Forbidden Fruit	▶
17	Gil Scott-Heron	Spirits	▶
18	Candy Dulfer	Sax-A-Go-Go	▶
19	Ronny Jordan	The Quiet Revolution	▶
20	Stanley Clarke	East River Drive	▶
21	Carl Anderson	Heavy Weather Sunlight Again	▶
22	Tom Scott	Reed My Lips	▶
23	Joe McBride	A Gift for Tomorrow	▶
24	Yellowjackets	Run for Your Life	▶
25	Nelson Rangell	Yes, Then Yes	▶

The post Top Contemporary Jazz Chart – July 2, 1994 appeared first on ContemporaryJazz.com.

Remembering Jim Beard

John Hilderbrand — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 03:13:02 +0000

I first came across Jim Beard’s music on the Michael Brecker recording Now You See It… . He was playing keyboards on this contemporary jazz recording, making modern sounds and jazzing things up. His compositions on that album, “Ode to the Doo Day Day” and especially “Quiet City,” remain some of my favorite memorable songs in my library.

Inspired by his playing and writing, I had to check out his first solo release, Song of the Sun, which was out about the same time around 1990. It did not disappoint. Song of the Sun was a great debut, featuring Michael Brecker and many of the musicians who were on Now You See It…. Also playing on Song of the Sun was Wayne Shorter, Bob Mintzer, and Toots Thielemans. Beard composed, arranged, and produced each track and each one is a story of its own. They’re unique and rich songs, drawing from multiple styles, with exceptional playing on every track. I’d forgotten how much I appreciated his work. I’m going to be listening to his other six solo recordings this week.

Beard’s music productions and compositions were nominated for seven Grammy Awards. He won a Grammy in 2007 as a featured performer on the Randy and Michael Brecker live recording Some Skunk Funk.

Among the list of jazz artists he’s played with and produced is the unbeatable Mike Stern. Stern’s 2024 recording Echoes and Other Songs is dedicated to him.

Beard died March 5, 2024 at the age of 63 due to complications of a sudden illness.