Nov 20, 2019
It was only a matter of time before Randy Brecker and Ada Rovatti made a record together. Married for almost twenty years, they have played together in the Brecker Brothers Reunion Band and other projects, but it has taken years for them to play together in a project devoted to Ada’s work. Brecker Plays Rovatti: Sacred Bond is the result, and it includes not only the legendary trumpter Brecker and saxophonist-composer Ms. Rovatti but also their 10-year-old daughter Stella in a vocal cameo appearance on one track. A versatile core group of pianist David Kikoski, bassist Alex Claffy and drummer Rodney Holmes, with guest appearances by keyboardist Jim Beard, guitarist Adam Rogers and Brazilian percussionist Café ably backs the pair.
Randy Brecker is no stranger to listeners of this Podcast, having been featured previously in Podcasts 502 and 677. He and his brother Michael helped create the world of fusion and electric jazz in the Seventies, and Randy has carried the torch for the brothers after Michael’s untimely death from leukemia in 2007.
Ms. Rovatti had shuttled between Italy and the US for years, studying at the Berklee School of Music and honing her craft in big bands lead by the likes of Phil Woods, Lee Konitz and Bob Mintzer. It was in another big band, this time lead by Randy Brecker that the pair met. They have collaborated on several CDs since then, including the Grammy winning 34th and Lex. Ada has released five CDs on her own, while contributing sax to albums by the likes of John McLaughlin (Industrial Zen). Constantly writing new tunes, she wrote all of the selections on Brecker Plays Rovatti: Sacred Bond with styles ranging from straight ahead (“The Baggage”) to electric jazz (“Britches Blue”) to the ethereal (“Mirror”).
Podcast 711 is my conversation with Ada Rovatti and Randy Brecker, as we discuss the recording of Brecker Plays Rovatti: Sacred Bond, including background on Ada’s compositions and approach to recording with her husband. Musical selections include “Reverence”, a tune dedicated to the late Aretha Franklin; “Britches Blue”; and the title track “Sacred Bond.”