Michael Brecker

Brecker, Michael Leonard (b. 29th March 1949, Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, d. 13th January 2007). Born into a musical family — father lawyer and keen semi-pro jazz pianist, sister concert pianist and bother Randy a trumpet player — began on drums, clarinet from age seven, alto saxophone in High School and finally tenor saxophone.

While studying at Indiana University played mostly rock and R&B, early influence Alan Skidmore’s tenor playing on Blues Breakers: John Mayall with Eric Clapton (Decca) from 1966; by the time he had moved to New York he was heavily into jazz; played with The White Elephant Band led by Mike Mainieri, a rehearsal band of young, up coming musicians such as his brother Randy, Stevie Gadd, Ronnie Cuber, Warren Bernhardt and others; 1968 in R&B band Birdsong; 1969 joined Dreams formed by Barry Rogers (tmb) with Jeff Kent (org), Doug Lubham (b); brother Randy (t), John Abercrombie (g) and Billy Cobham (d); signed by Columbia; made two albums, but did not reflect what were by all accounts stunning live shows featuring Cobham and Michael since Columbia wanted vocals and a more “commercial” product.

1972 joined Horace Silver’s Quintet with brother Randy, appeared on In Pursuit of the 27th Man; end of 1973 appeared on Billy Cobham’s Crosswinds and subsequently toured appearing on Shabazz whichwas recorded live in Europe; joined Bob Mason’s Stardrive recording Intergalactic Trot; 1975 back with Cobham for A Funky Thide of Sings; then formed The Brecker Brothers with brother Randy; complex, demanding charts in soul jazz/R&B tradition, single “Sneakin’ Up Behind You” crept onto the Top 40 ensuring 200,000 plus sales for debut album The Brecker Brothers; 1976 Back to Back overtly commercial; 1978 Heavy Metal Be-Bop band back on track, its slick and glossy ensemble writing a model for countless fusion bands in 1980s; Brecker Brothers wound up in 1982, since both brothers had become heavily involved in studio work — Michael recording with, among others: Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Steely Dan, Frank Zappa, Bruce Springsteen, Joni Mitchell and Charles Mingus; in January 1982 was featured soloist on Claus Ogerman’s Cityscapes that represented the finest exposition of his talent on record to date; between 1977 and 1985 the brothers ranSeventh Avenue South a New York club.

In 1979 Mike Mainieri formed a quintet to fulfil a run of dates at Seventh Avenue South with Michael Brecker (ts); Don Grolnick (key); Eddie Gomez (b); Steve Gadd (d); band booked in Japan as Steps, two albums followed Step by Step and Smokin’ in the Pit for a Japanese label in 1980, further album Paradox recorded live at Seventh Avenue South followed in 1981; 1982 Gadd and Grolnick left, replaced by Peter Erskine and Eliane Elias, recorded Steps Ahead for US label, one of best albums of 1980s; recorded Modern Times using electronic instruments in 1984, Magnetic from 1986: by now Brecker had appeared on over 500 albums, and formed his own band that year, touring extensively with Joey Calderazzo (p); Jeff Andrews (b); Adam Nussbaum (d).

1987 made his debut as a leader on record with Micheal Brecker, another candidate for one of the best albums of the 1980s, with a different group including Pat Metheny, Kenny Kirkland, Charlie Haden and Jack DeJohnette; subsequent albums represented a change of direction to a more straight ahead approach, Tales From the Hudson, Time Is Of the Essence, and The Ballad Book; 1992 recorded Three Quartets with a Chick Corea group which provides some of Brecker’s finest playing on record; the Brecker Brothers reformed in 1992, the Return of the Brecker Brothers (1992), Out of the Loop (1994) plus extensive touring for each album; an outing with McCoy Tyner on Infinity from 1995 provides a dazzling exposition of his post-Coltrane style in full flight on “Impressions”; in 2001 toured UK with Contemporary Music Network and special music commissioned for a medium sized Anglo-American ensemble arranged by Gil Goldstein which was recorded in USA by an American band as Wide Angles in 2004, winning two Grammy Awards; 2005, Brecker appeared on Herbie Hancock’s The New Standard and toured the album briefly with Hancock; 2006 it emerged Brecker was suffering from the blood disease myelodysplastic syndrome, a condition that frequently precedes leukaemia.

Made his final public performance on June 23, 2006, playing with Hancock at Carnegie Hall; 2007 Pilgrimage, his final recording, was released; Brecker critically ill when recorded, but album went on to win two Grammy awards; died from complications of leukaemia in New York City on 13 January 2007.