Michael Brecker
Michael Brecker was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and exposed to jazz at an early age by his father, an amateur jazz pianist. Among the generation of jazz musicians that saw rock music not as the enemy but as a viable musical option, Brecker began studying clarinet, then moved to alto saxophone in school, eventually settling on the tenor saxophone as his primary instrument. After only a year at Indiana University, Michael Brecker moved to New York City in 1970 where he carved out a niche for himself as a dynamic and exciting jazz soloist. He first made his mark at age 21 as a member of the jazz/rock band Dreams—a band that included his older brother Randy, trombonist Barry Rogers, drummer Billy Cobham, Jeff Kent and Doug Lubahn. Dreams was short-lived, lasting only a year, but influential (Miles Davis was seen at some gigs prior to his recording "Jack Johnson").
Most of Brecker's early work is marked by an approach informed as much by rock guitar as by R&B saxophone. After Dreams, he worked with Horace Silver and then Billy Cobham before once again teaming up with his Brother Randy to form the Brecker Brothers Band, which played fusion that was equal parts bar band, Monk, and Sly Stone. The band followed the trail blazed by Miles Davis's 1970s bands and Weather Report, but with more attention to structured arrangements, a heavier backbeat, and a stronger rock influence. The band stayed together from 1975-1982 with consistent success and musicality.
At the same time, Brecker put his stamp on numerous pop and rock recordings as a soloist. His more notable collaborations include those with James Taylor, Paul Simon, Steely Dan, Donald Fagen and Joni Mitchell. During the early 80s he was also a member of NBC’s Saturday Night Live band. Brecker can be seen in the background sporting shades during Eddie Murphy’s James Brown parody, Get In The Hot Tub. He also played sax briefly on Frank Zappa's live album Zappa in New York.
After a stint co-leading the all-star group Steps Ahead with Mike Mainieri, Brecker finally recorded a solo album in 1987. That eponymously titled debut album marked his return to a more traditional jazz setting, highlighting his compositional talents and featuring the EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument), which Brecker had previously played with Steps Ahead. He continued to record albums as a leader throughout the 1990s and 2000s, winning multiple Grammy Awards, and his solo and group tours consistently have sold out top jazz venues in major cities worldwide.
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Interview
Album Review
- Live in Helsinki 1995 by Jack Bowers
Lyrics
Interview
The Jazz Life
Radio & Podcasts
- March Birthdays
- Michael Brecker, Steven Bernstein and the Art of Jazz-Hacking the Pop World -...
- Michael Brecker, Rodney Holmes, Brett Garsed, and from the '70s Sonny Fortune,...
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Book Excerpts
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John Coltrane
saxophoneB.D. Lenz
guitarBrian Swartz
trumpetDennis Mitcheltree
saxophone, tenorRuss Nolan
saxophone, tenorAnna Brooks
saxophoneDave Wilson
saxophoneAda Rovatti
saxophoneFrank Macchia
composer / conductorRodger Fox
tromboneBob Reynolds
saxophone, tenorDidier Verna
guitarLili Añel
voice / vocalsMichael Pedicin
saxophone, tenorRex Richardson
trumpetIan Willson
saxophoneDave Mullen
saxophone, tenorBodek Janke
drumsTomoko Omura
violinBobby Falk
drumsRicky Hopkins
saxophoneRichard Howell
saxophoneChris Lōser
drumsAnthony Greene
saxophoneSue Orfield
saxophone, tenorPeter Fraize
saxophonePete Sklaroff
guitar, electricLaurent Doumont
saxophoneFrido ter Beek
saxophoneCarl Bartlett, Jr.
saxophoneF. ter Beek
saxophoneMatt Olson
saxophone, tenorJonathan Saraga
trumpetPato Muñoz
bassBeledo
guitarElliot Spero
saxophone, tenorBele Beledo
guitarAlexander Sill
guitarJeremy Shoham
saxophoneEmir Santa Cruz Hernández
clarinetMarek Buble
saxophone, altoVincent Houdijk
vibraphoneAndrew DeNicola
saxophone, tenorRiyoko Takagi
pianoMichael Lake
tromboneGabriel Bey
trumpetAldo Salvent
saxophone, tenorEarle Eidenire
saxophone, tenorGabriel Santiago
guitarJon Bentley
saxophone, tenorStephanie Lottermoser
saxophone, tenorJason Kush
saxophoneZac Zinger
saxophone, tenorLynn Lewandowski
saxophoneJozef Nadj
violinAaron Quarterman, Jr.
saxophone, tenorGregg Fine
guitarViktor Haraszti
saxophoneJosé Valentino
multi-instrumentalistMatteo Prefumo
guitarPaul Ward
pianoSeba Molnar
saxophone, tenorThomas Hamilton
saxophone, tenorRichard Pavlidis
saxophone, tenorYe Huang
clarinetYuto Mitomi
saxophone, tenorRea Meir
woodwindsGiuseppe Pucciarelli
guitarSuzan Veneman
trumpetAnton Chekurov
saxophone, altoBrain Salad
band / orchestraManuel Muzzu
bass, electricMatthew Alec
saxophone, tenorEugene Dobrovolskyi
vibraphoneAlessandro Bertozzi
saxophone, altoIkechi Onyenaka
saxophone, altoCHYKE MARTINS
saxophoneJackson Cotugno
saxophone, tenorTibor Debreceni
guitar, electricSam JC Lee
bassJim M. Lovell
guitarDavid Bernot
saxophone, tenorChris Torkewitz
saxophone, tenorBrian Grace
saxophoneAlessandro Di Liberto
pianoMikkel Villingshoj
drumsSteve Britt
saxophonePhotos
Album Discography
This Is the Thing
From: Live at the Berlin...By Michael Brecker