Choices is a jazz fusion composition by Mike Stern, first recorded on Michael Brecker's self-titled debut album in 1987. The piece is structured in an AAB form across 80 bars, with a solo form built on intricate, unpredictable harmonic progressions that challenge improvisers. The harmony makes extensive use of suspended chords and modal thinking, cycling through areas such as B Dorian, C-sharp Dorian, A-flat Dorian, and D Dorian over chords like Bm7(sus)/F-sharp and Db7(sus), often interpreted in Lydian terms by soloists. Chromatic neighboring tones, pentatonic lines, and jazz-oriented chromaticism in the later bars create rhythmically confident phrasing with forward momentum and modal interplay. The composition reflects Stern's characteristic blend of rock-inflected energy with sophisticated jazz harmony, producing a warm yet complex harmonic landscape that rewards close study. Contemporary critics described the material as tricky and far from predictable straight-ahead jazz, emphasizing the ensemble interplay it demands. Choices has drawn attention from jazz educators and transcribers for its harmonic richness and the demands it places on improvisers navigating its changes. The piece remains a respected deep cut in the fusion repertoire rather than a broadly performed jazz standard, primarily associated with its original recording on the Brecker debut, where it served as a vehicle for extended improvisation by the ensemble.
