''Don't Try This at Home'' is the second album by American jazz saxophonist

Michael Brecker Michael Leonard Brecker (March 29, 1949 – January 13, 2007) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He was awarded 15 Grammy Awards as a performer and composer, received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music in ...

, that was released on Impulse! records in 1988. In 1989, the album won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

for Best Improvised Jazz Solo.

Reception

Allmusic awarded the album with 4.5 stars and its review by

Scott Yanow Scott Yanow (born 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author. Life and career Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles. Beginning in 1974, Yanow was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles and was the jazz e ...

states: "Brecker (on tenor and the EWI) is in superb form, really ripping into the eight pieces (mostly group originals). Recommended."Yanow, S. Allmusic Review: ''Don't Try This at Home''accessed 07 June 2010

Track listing

# "Itsbynne Reel" (

Don Grolnick Don Grolnick (September 23, 1947 – June 1, 1996) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and record producer. He was a member of the groups Steps Ahead and Dreams, both with Michael Brecker, and played often with the Brecker Brothers. As a sess ...

) – 7:41 # "Chime This" (Grolnick) – 7:50 # "Scriabin" (

Vince Mendoza Vince Mendoza (born November 17, 1961) is an American composer, music arranger and conductor. He debuted as a solo artist in 1989, and is known for his work conducting the Metropole Orkest and WDR Big Band Köln, as well as arranging music f ...

) – 7:47 # "Suspone" (

Mike Stern Mike Stern (born January 10, 1953) is an American jazz guitarist. After playing with Blood, Sweat & Tears, he worked with drummer Billy Cobham, then with trumpeter Miles Davis from 1981 to 1983 and again in 1985. He then began a solo career, re ...

) – 4:59 # "Don't Try This at Home" (Brecker, Grolnick) – 9:30 # "Everything Happens When You're Gone" (Brecker) – 7:11 # "Talking to Myself" (Grolnick) – 5:10 # "The Gentleman & Hizcaine" (

Jim Beard James Arthur Beard (August 26, 1960 – March 2, 2024) was an American jazz pianist and keyboardist, composer, arranger and producer who worked with Steely Dan, Wayne Shorter, John McLaughlin, Pat Metheny, John Scofield, Mike Stern, Dennis Ch ...

) – 5:19

Personnel

– tenor saxophone, EWI (tracks 1, 4, 5) *

– acoustic piano (tracks 1, 2, 7) *

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer. He started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. Hancock soon joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he helped to redefine the role of ...

– acoustic piano (tracks 3, 5) * Joey Calderazzo – acoustic piano (tracks 4, 6) * Judd Miller – synthesizer programming (track 5) *

– synthesizers (tracks 7, 8), acoustic piano (track 8) *

– guitars (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8) *

Charlie Haden Charles Edward Haden (August 6, 1937 – July 11, 2014) was an American jazz double bass player, bandleader, composer and educator whose career spanned more than fifty years. Haden helped to revolutionize the harmonic concept of bass playin ...

–

acoustic bass The acoustic bass guitar (sometimes shortened to acoustic bass or initialized ABG) is a bass instrument with a hollow wooden body similar to, though usually larger than, a steel-string acoustic guitar. Like the traditional electric bass guitar an ...

(tracks 1-3, 5, 6) * Jeff Andrews – fretless electric bass (tracks 1, 4, 7, 8),

electric bass The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an electric but with a longer neck and scale leng ...

(tracks 4, 7, 8) *

Jack DeJohnette Jack DeJohnette (born August 9, 1942) is an American jazz drummer, pianist, and composer. Known for his extensive work as leader and sideman for musicians including Charles Lloyd (jazz musician), Charles Lloyd, Freddie Hubbard, Keith Jarrett, B ...

– drums (tracks 1, 3, 5, 8) *

Adam Nussbaum Adam Nussbaum (born November 29, 1955) is an American jazz drummer. Early life Nussbaum was born in New York City on November 29, 1955. He grew up in Norwalk (Connecticut), Norwalk, Connecticut, and first played the drums at the age of four. Aft ...

– drums (tracks 2, 4, 6) *

Peter Erskine Peter Clark Erskine (born June 5, 1954) is an American jazz drummer who was a member of the jazz fusion groups Weather Report and Steps Ahead. Early life and education Erskine was born in Somers Point, New Jersey, U.S. He began playing the d ...

– drums (track 7) * Mark O'Connor – violin (track 1)

Technical personnel

* Don Grolnick – producer * Ricky Schultz – executive producer * James Farber – recording and mixing * Gary Solomon – assistant engineer (tracks 1-6, 8) * Karen Robben – assistant engineer (track 7) * Rhonda Schoen – digital editing *

Greg Calbi Gregory Calbi (born April 3, 1949) is an American mastering engineer at Sterling Sound, New Jersey. Biography Greg Calbi was born on April 3, 1949, in Yonkers, New York, and raised in Bayside, Queens, New York. He graduated in 1966 from Bishop ...

– mastering at

Sterling Sound George Marino (April 15, 1947June 4, 2012) was an American mastering engineer known for working on albums by rock bands starting in the late 1960s. Biography Marino was born on April 15, 1947, in the New York City borough The Bronx. He attended ...

, New York City, USA * Tom Gill – piano technician * Jerry Wortman – production assistant * Karen Kramer – production coordinator * Kathleen Covert – art direction and design *

Mark Seliger Mark Alan Seliger (born May 23, 1959) is an American photographer noted for his portraiture. From 1992 to 2002, he was Chief Photographer for ''Rolling Stone'', during which time he shot over 188 covers for the magazine. From 2002 to 2012 he was u ...

– photography * George Varga – liner notes

References

{{Authority control 1988 albums Michael Brecker albums Impulse! Records albums Albums recorded at Power Station