Michael Brecker

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Michael Brecker

Michael Brecker (b. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, March 29, 1949) is a popular jazz saxophonist of the post-Coltrane era. As of 2005, he has won 11 Grammys as both performer and composer.

Michael Brecker has been diagnosed with the blood disorder myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Despite a widely-publicized worldwide search, Brecker was unable to find a matching stem cell donor. In late 2005, he was the recipient of an experimental partial matching stem cell transplant. As of late 2006 he is recovering, but it is unclear whether the experimental procedure will provide a long term remedy. Brecker made his return to public performance in June 2006, playing with Herbie Hancock at Carnegie Hall. His first recording after his illness is bassist Chris Minh Doky's album The Nomad Diaries, released November 2006.

[edit] Biography

Michael Brecker was 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, 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")^{[citation needed]}.

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 70s 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, 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.

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.

He favors his Selmer Mark VI tenor saxophone and a highly-customized Dave Guardala mouthpiece.

Michael Brecker Discography
As a Leader
Wide Angles \| Nearness of You \| Time Is of the Essence \| Two Blocks From the Edge \| Tales From the Hudson \| Now You See It \| Don't Try This At Home \| Michael Brecker
As a Co-Leader
Directions In Music: Live at Massey Hall \| Gathering of Spirits \| Cityscape
Steps Ahead
Live in Tokyo \| Magnetic \| Modern Times \| Steps Ahead \| Paradox \| Step By Step \| Smokin' In the Pit
The Brecker Brothers
Out of the Loop \| The Return of the Brecker Brothers \| The Straphangin \| Detente \| The Heavy Metal Be-Bop \| Don't Stop the Music \| Back To Back \| The Brecker Brothers \| The Collection, Vol. 1 \| The Collection, Vol. 2