Dreams -

Dreams were an American brass-rock band from New York that released the 1970–71 Columbia albums Dreams and Imagine My Surprise. They launched the careers of multiple jazz-rock players, including Billy Cobham and the Brecker Brothers.

Members: Jeff Kent (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Doug Lubahn [aka Douglas Lubahn] (vocals, bass), Edward Vernon (lead vocals), Randy Brecker (vocals, trumpet, flugelhorn), Michael Brecker (tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute), Billy Cobham (drums), Barry Rogers (trombone, tuba), Robert Mann [aka Bob Mann] (vocals, guitar, flugelhorn, alto horn), Don Grolnick (vocals, keyboards), Will Lee (vocals, bass)

Background

Dreams started as a trio formed by guitarist–keyboardist Jeff Kent and bassist Doug Lubahn. They were soon joined by singer Edward Vernon, guitarist John Abercrombie, drummer Billy Cobham, keyboardist Don Grolnick, trombonist Barry Rogers, and brother Randy Brecker (trumpet) and Michael Brecker (saxophone).

Lubahn was a founding member of the Los Angeles psych-rock band Clear Light. He also played bass on multiple albums by The Doors, including Strange Days and Waiting for the Sun.

Randy Brecker played trumpet on Child Is Father to the Man, the 1968 debut album by Blood, Sweat & Tears. He also released a solo album titled Score in 1969, which featured his younger brother Michael Brecker, a rising tenor saxophonist quickly recognized for his advanced technique and tone.

Billy Cobham began drumming as a child and served in the U.S. Army band during the mid-1960s. Afterward, he joined the Horace Silver Quintet and worked as a session drummer for Atlantic and CTI Records.

Barry Rogers rose to prominence in the New York Latin jazz scene in the 1950s, playing with Eddie Palmieri and becoming a sought-after trombonist in salsa and Afro-Cuban music. His innovative style influenced a generation of trombonists, including Willie Colón.

John Abercrombie studied at Berklee College of Music, where he was influenced by Jim Hall and Wes Montgomery. Before joining Dreams, he played with Monty Stark’s band Stark Reality and began working with organist Johnny Hammond Smith.

Dreams

Dreams released their self-titled debut album in November 1970 on Columbia.

The opening track, “Devil Lady,” mixes lavish brass-rock in the mold of early Chicago with flashes of wah-wah guitar and soul vocals. “15 Miles to Provo” adds R&B smoothness, acoustic strumming, and plush organ textures. The short ballad “The Maryanne” blends folk tenderness with mellow horn breeze and chiming guitar harmonics. “Holli Be Home” weaves layered horn textures through free-form licks and subtle rhythms, while “Try Me” bursts with syncopated drive, wah guitar, and a rolling sway that erupts into brassy tension.

The 14-minute “Dream Suite” opens with spiraling sax runs and transitions through soul-funk passages, jammed-out instrumental sequences, and a storming Cobham drum solo. The closing track, “New York,” delivers brassy big-band funk with Caribbean undertones and a dynamic group performance.

A1. “Devil Lady” (3:33)
A2. “15 Miles to Provo” (3:01)
A3. “The Maryanne” (2:25)
A4. “Holli Be Home” (5:41)
A5. “Try Me” (5:08)

B1. “Dream Suite” (14:45)
a. “Asset Stop”
b. “Jane”
c. “Crunchy Grenola”
B2. “New York” (5:35)

The album was recorded live in the studio at CBS studios in New York and Chicago, and also at A&R Studios in NYC. Initial sessions took place at CBS’ 52nd Street location but were relocated to Chicago due to scheduling conflicts with Paul Simon. The group co-produced the album with Fred Weinberg, a Latin jazz engineer with prior credits for Eddie Palmieri, Mongo Santamaria, and Tito Puente. Mixing was handled by Weinberg with engineer Jim Reeves.

The surreal album cover shows multiple trench-coated figures (miniature band members) falling from a clear blue sky, a nod to Golconda, a 1953 painting by Belgian surrealist René Magritte. The image visually reinforces the band’s name and atmospheric concept, with each member descending in dreamlike repetition onto a row of beige-brick flats.

Upon release, Dreams received a full-page ad and a favorable review in Billboard. Between albums, Doug Lubahn and Jeff Kent cleared for Will Lee and Bob Mann.

Imagine My Surprise

Dreams released their second album, Imagine My Surprise, in September 1971 on Columbia.

The reconfigured lineup retains singer Edward Vernon, drummer Billy Cobham, saxophonist Michael Brecker, trumpeter Randy Brecker, and trombonist Barry Rogers. They’re joined by three newcomers: guitarist Bob Mann, bassist Will Lee, and keyboardist Don Grolnick.

Dreams recorded the album under the guidance of Booker T. & the M.G.’s guitarist Steve Cropper, whose Memphis imprint galvanizes the opener “Calico Baby,” a soulful cut rich in vocal harmonies, slick horn charts, and Cropper’s signature guitar lines. Former members Doug Lubahn and Jeff Kent co-wrote the song as a parting gift.

Tracks like “Child of Wisdom” and the Traffic cover “Medicated Goo” showcase punchy funk-jazz interplay and spirited sax solos, particularly from Michael Brecker. The closing title track, written and sung by Randy Brecker, which veers into Zappa-like absurdism and inventive psych-jazz flourishes.

Randy also wrote “Why Can’t I Find a Home” while Grolnick submitted “Just Be Ourselves.” Imagine My Surprise also includes the Goffin–King number “I Can’t Hear You” and two songs (“Child of Wisdom,” “Don’t Cry My Lady”) by songwriter Jerry Friedman.

A1. “Calico Baby” (3:18)
A2. “Why Can’t I Find a Home” (3:42)
A3. “Child of Wisdom” (5:20)
A4. “Just Be Ourselves” (4:33)
A5. “I Can’t Hear You” (3:49) originated as a May 1964 Vee-Jay single by singer Betty Everett, covered since by Lulu, Dusty Springfield, The Move (vaulted), and Carole King herself.

B1. “Here She Comes Now” (4:08) is credited to one Lou Rogers.
B2. “Don’t Cry My Lady” (3:42)
B3. “Medicated Goo” (4:02)
B4. “Imagine My Surprise” (8:02)

Sessions occured at Trans Maximus Inc. Studios in Memphis and CBS Studios in New York. Cropper produced the album in sequence with 1970/71 titles by Ambergris, Buddy Miles, Eddie Floyd, and the Staple Singers. Imagine My Surprise credits eight engineers: Charlie Bradley, Jim Greene, Jerry Watson, Lacy O’Neal, Lou Waxman, Mike Figlio, Tim Geelan, and Jim Reeves.

Imagine My Surprise features cover art by Gahan Wilson, whose cartoonish psychedelic tableau depicts a group of robed musicians barefoot in a surreal, mountainous green landscape, heading into a portal shaped like a giant plant pod. The back cover includes a photo of the band half-submerged in the illustrated hills, alongside credits and track annotations in a stylized handwritten font.

Post-Dreams

John Abercrombie became a major figure in ECM Records’ roster, noted for his atmospheric, introspective guitar work on albums like Timeless and Gateway. He remained active in modern jazz and fusion circles through the 2010s until his passing in 2017.

Michael Brecker emerged as one of the most influential saxophonists of his generation, co-leading the Brecker Brothers and appearing on hundreds of jazz, pop, and rock sessions. He later earned 15 Grammy Awards and released acclaimed solo albums before his death in 2007.

Randy Brecker formed the Brecker Brothers with Michael and became a prolific session trumpeter, appearing on albums by Jaco Pastorius, Steely Dan, and Frank Zappa. He continues to record and perform in jazz-fusion and big band settings.

Will Lee became a longtime member of the CBS Orchestra on Late Show with David Letterman and a first-call session bassist, playing on thousands of recordings from jazz to pop. He also co-founded the Beatles tribute band The Fab Faux.

Billy Cobham gained global recognition as the powerhouse drummer of the Mahavishnu Orchestra and released solo fusion landmarks like Spectrum. He remains an active performer and educator with a legacy spanning jazz, rock, and world music.

Don Grolnick joined Steps Ahead and became a go-to pianist for James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, and Steely Dan. He released solo albums of jazz originals before his untimely death from lymphoma in 1996.

Doug Lubahn recorded two late-Seventies albums with Pierce Arrow and then joined Riff Raff, whose 1981 album Vinyl Futures includes the Lubahn-penned “Treat Me Right,” a later hit for Pat Benatar. He then joined Pierce Arrow drummer Bobby Chouinard in Billy Squier‘s backing band, performing on the ex-Piper singer’s iconic Eighties hits “The Stroke,” “My Kind of Lover,” “Everybody Wants You,” “Emotion In Motion,” and “Rock Me Tonight.”

Discography: