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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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Hal Galper Quintet: Live at the Berlin Philharmonic 1977
![Read "Hal Galper Quintet: Live at the Berlin Philharmonic 1977" reviewed by Paul Rauch](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/coverart/large/90cdeb5cc426c21c2f876e63ae12362e.jpg)
by Paul Rauch
Sullivan County, New York, is a long way from the grind of the jazz scene in New York City. For iconic pianist Hal Galper, it has been home for some forty five years. The area has long drawn artists attracted to its rural lifestyle, and quick access to the city. For Galper, his move represented a bit of a repose lifestyle-wise, after spending many years on the road and in the studio with the likes of Chet Baker, Cannonball Adderly ...
read moreSteve Khan: Arrows
![Read "Steve Khan: Arrows" reviewed by AAJ Staff](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/coverart/large/c8bde1400587db91542469e37e2ec294.jpg)
by AAJ Staff
By Steve Khan With The Blue Man not selling as well as Tightrope, Dr. George Butler requested that I have a co-producer for the next CD. I was lucky to be able to land the engineering / production talents of my old and dear friend, Elliot Scheiner. Elliot and I had recorded together on countless sessions, but perhaps most people link us together because it was Elliot who recommended me to Donald Fagen and Walter Becker for AJA, which, of ...
read moreOde to a Tenor Titan
![Read "Ode to a Tenor Titan" reviewed by Bill Milkowski](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/profile/musician/1d472f7482638d8da371088d1388a511.jpg)
by Bill Milkowski
The following is an excerpt from Chapter 8, Going Solo, The Pittbull and The EWI" from Bill Milkowski's Ode to a Tenor Titan: The Life and Times and Music of Michael Brecker (Backbeat Books, 2022). By early 1986, Michael began formulating plans for his long-overdue solo debut. He was 37, a universally respected figure and acknowledged 'monster' player admired by fellow musicians from the pop, rock and jazz worlds. He had ridden to fame through the '70s ...
read moreMichael Brecker: Ode to a Tenor Titan
![Read "Michael Brecker: Ode to a Tenor Titan" reviewed by Kyle Simpler](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/profile/musician/1d472f7482638d8da371088d1388a511.jpg)
by Kyle Simpler
Ode to a Tenor Titan Bill Milkowski 408 Pages ISBN: # 978-1-4930-5376-6 Backbeat Books 2021 By the summer of 2005, most people in the jazz world knew that legendary tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker was suffering from a serious medical condition. He had been diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a pre-leukemia bone marrow disorder, and his wife, Susan, was desperately trying to find someone with a bone marrow match who would provide the possibility ...
read moreMichael Brecker, Rodney Holmes, Brett Garsed, and from the '70s Sonny Fortune, Lee Ritenour and George Duke
![Read "Michael Brecker, Rodney Holmes, Brett Garsed, and from the '70s Sonny Fortune, Lee Ritenour and George Duke" reviewed by Len Davis](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/profile/musician/1d472f7482638d8da371088d1388a511.jpg)
by Len Davis
Michael Brecker from his album Wide Angles, drummer Rodney Holmes, Sonny Fortune, Lee Ritenour and George Duke.Playlist Michael Brecker"Modus Operandi" from Wide Angles (Verve) 00:00 Rodney Holmes The Bronx Experiment" from Twelve months of October (Self Produced 06:13 Uncle Moe's Space Ranch [email protected]" from Uncle Moe's Space Ranch (Tone Centre) 12:22 Dirty Martini Miss You" from Live at Baked Potato (Self Produced) 18:31 Tom Scott and LA Express Rock Island Rocket" from Tom Cat (Record Label) 24:39 Sonny ...
read moreHal Galper Quintet: Live At The Berlin Philharmonic 1977
![Read "Live At The Berlin Philharmonic 1977" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/coverart/large/90cdeb5cc426c21c2f876e63ae12362e.jpg)
by Dan McClenaghan
It must be gratifying to accomplish everything you set out to do. Pianist Hal Galper says he has done just that. And, after a career that included work with trumpeter Chet Baker and saxophonists Cannonball Adderley and Stan Getz, along with a ten year stint in saxophonist Phil Woods' band (1980-1990), followed by ten years of touring and recording with his own trio, that claim would have been a valid one then, before the dawn of the new millennium. But ...
read moreMichael Brecker, Steven Bernstein and the Art of Jazz-Hacking the Pop World - Part 2
![Read "Michael Brecker, Steven Bernstein and the Art of Jazz-Hacking the Pop World - Part 2" reviewed by Ludovico Granvassu](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/profile/musician/1d472f7482638d8da371088d1388a511.jpg)
by Ludovico Granvassu
This is the second part of our exploration of Michael Brecker's and Steven Bernstein's work as first-call musicians in the world of high-end pop productions. Their capacity to adapt to the demands of these productions while remaining true to their jazz roots has offered millions of listeners that might have looked at jazz with a grain of diffidence an opportunity to re-assess their skepticism. Brecker and Bernstein musicians that have played and keep playing a prime role in ...
read more'The Practice Notebooks Of Michael Brecker' Now Available From Sher Music
!['The Practice Notebooks Of Michael Brecker' Now Available From Sher Music](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/news/ce719ac61c038a5cd2f12e4bb3284725.jpg)
Source:
Sher Music Co.
Sher Music Co. proudly presents The Practice Notebooks of Michael Brecker, an extraordinary release that grants unprecedented access to the inner workings of one of the greatest saxophonists in jazz history. This remarkable publication offers a rare opportunity for musicians to dive deep into the mind of a jazz legend and unlock the secrets of his improvisational mastery. Featuring over 700 beautifully engraved entries, The Practice Notebooks of Michael Brecker chronicles 35 years of Brecker's artistic journey, capturing his inspirations, ...
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Jazz Musician of the Day: Michael Brecker
![Jazz Musician of the Day: Michael Brecker](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/profile/musician/1d472f7482638d8da371088d1388a511.jpg)
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Michael Brecker's birthday today!
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 ...
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Jazz Musician of the Day: Michael Brecker
![Jazz Musician of the Day: Michael Brecker](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/profile/musician/1d472f7482638d8da371088d1388a511.jpg)
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Michael Brecker's birthday today!
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 ...
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Ode to a Tenor Titan: The Life and Times and Music of Michael Brecker by Bill Milkowski
![Ode to a Tenor Titan: The Life and Times and Music of Michael Brecker by Bill Milkowski](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/profile/musician/1d472f7482638d8da371088d1388a511.jpg)
Source:
All About Jazz
After John Coltrane, there was no more revered and profoundly influential saxophonist on the planet than Michael Brecker. For those coming of age in the 1970s, during that transitional decade when the boundaries between rock and jazz had begun to blur, Brecker stood as a transcendent figure. He was their Trane. Ode to a Tenor Titan follows Michael's story from growing up in jny: Philadelphia, finding his tenor sax voice during his brief stint at Indiana University, making his move ...
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Jazz Musician of the Day: Michael Brecker
![Jazz Musician of the Day: Michael Brecker](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/profile/musician/1d472f7482638d8da371088d1388a511.jpg)
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Michael Brecker's birthday today!
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 ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: Michael Brecker
![Jazz Musician of the Day: Michael Brecker](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/profile/musician/1d472f7482638d8da371088d1388a511.jpg)
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Michael Brecker's birthday today!
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 ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: Michael Brecker
![Jazz Musician of the Day: Michael Brecker](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/profile/musician/1d472f7482638d8da371088d1388a511.jpg)
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Michael Brecker's birthday today!
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... Read ...
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Jazz Musician of the Day: Michael Brecker
![Jazz Musician of the Day: Michael Brecker](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/profile/musician/1d472f7482638d8da371088d1388a511.jpg)
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Michael Brecker's birthday today!
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... Read ...
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Jazz Musician of the Day: Michael Brecker
![Jazz Musician of the Day: Michael Brecker](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/profile/musician/1d472f7482638d8da371088d1388a511.jpg)
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Michael Brecker's birthday today!
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... Read ...
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First Michael Brecker Saxophone Competition Announced
![First Michael Brecker Saxophone Competition Announced](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/coverart/large/billandeli200.jpeg)
Source:
Eli Degibri
Internationally acclaimed saxophonist, Eli Degibri, announced his intention to establish The Michael Brecker Saxophone Competition last month at the Nearness of You Concert, a biennial event held at Lincoln Center to raise money for cancer research in honor of the late Michael Brecker. In front of an audience consisting of President Bill Clinton and Secretary Hillary Clinton, Degibri reminisced about the first time he heard the legendary Brecker perform, thirty years prior, at the inaugural Red Sea Jazz Festival in ...
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John Coltrane
saxophoneB.D. Lenz
guitarBrian Swartz
trumpetDennis Mitcheltree
saxophone, tenorGabriele D'Angela
guitar, electricRuss Nolan
saxophone, tenorAnna Brooks
saxophoneDave Wilson
saxophoneAda Rovatti
saxophoneFrank Macchia
composer / conductorRodger Fox
tromboneBob Reynolds
saxophone, tenorDidier Verna
guitarLili Añel
vocalsMichael Pedicin
saxophone, tenorRex Richardson
trumpetGlenn White
saxophoneIan Willson
saxophoneDave Mullen
saxophone, tenorBodek Janke
drumsDr. Andrew Nevala
pianoBobby Falk
drumsRicky Hopkins
saxophoneScott D Marshall
saxophoneRichard Howell
saxophoneChris Lōser
drumsAnthony Greene
saxophoneSue Orfield
saxophone, tenorPeter Fraize
saxophonePete Sklaroff
guitar, electricLaurent Doumont
saxophoneFrido ter Beek
saxophoneCarl Bartlett, Jr.
saxophoneJohnny Padilla
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, tenorRoy Futaba
saxophone, tenorEarle Eidenire
saxophone, tenorCaleb Dillon-Murray
saxophoneGabriel Santiago
guitarJon Bentley
saxophone, tenorStephanie Lottermoser
saxophone, tenorJason Kush
saxophoneZac Zinger
saxophone, tenorLynn Lewandowski
saxophoneJozef Nadj
violinAaron Quarterman, Jr.
saxophone, tenorGregg Fine
guitarBruce Phares
bass, acousticViktor Haraszti
saxophoneJosé Valentino
multi-instrumentalistMatteo Prefumo
guitarPaul Ward
pianoSeba Molnar
saxophone, tenorQ3
band / ensemble / orchestraRob Cope
saxophone, sopranoThomas Hamilton
saxophone, tenorRichard Pavlidis
saxophone, tenorYe Huang
clarinetYuto Mitomi
saxophone, tenorRea Meir
woodwindsGiuseppe Pucciarelli
guitarSuzan Veneman
trumpetAnton Chekurov
saxophone, altoBrain Salad
band / ensemble / 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
drumsJohn Patrick Douglas
saxophoneSteve Britt
saxophoneSamvel Gasparyan
pianoModern Times Ensemble
band / ensemble / orchestraMichele Gori
flutePete Oxley
guitarJabin Ward
saxophoneAlex Madeline
saxophoneEgor Tokarev
saxophone, tenorStefán S. Stefánsson
composer / conductorHejira
band / ensemble / orchestraPhotos
Music
This Is the Thing
From: Live at the Berlin...By Michael Brecker