The Music Jockey

Amazon.com
Ballad albums can be tricky affairs. How do you create tempos that are sensuous but not sluggish? What makes a ballad moody and beautiful and not just boring? Those questions seem moot when the musicians involved are tenor-sax titan Michael Brecker, guitarist Pat Metheny, drummer Jack DeJohnette, pianist Herbie Hancock, and bassist Charlie Haden, but heavy hitters don't necessarily insure success. Nearness of You: The Ballad Book begins with Hancock's willowy "Chan's Song." Performed at a sleepy tempo, it is a languid introduction, even for an all-ballad album. Brecker and Metheny blow mighty solos, but the song remains passive. James Taylor guests on a mellow rendition of "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" and on the title track. Taylor's yearning tenor is warm and expressive, but the band treats him with kid gloves, as if playing too closely might break the singer in half. Things look up on Joe Zawinul's "Midnight Mood," a twilight vehicle with sumptuous solos all around. Nearness is divided into Chapter One and Chapter Two, and Chapter Two really shines, particularly the original contributions by producer Metheny and Brecker. The entire ensemble becomes more involved and animated, with rapt solos on Brecker's "Incandescence" and Metheny's bittersweet "Sometimes I See" and "Seven Days." Nearness features ample performances, but for truly inspired ballad fare, check out singer Johnny Hartman's I Just Dropped by to Say Hello, or the quintessential Ballads, by John Coltrane. --Ken Micallef