Lest We Forget:
Michael Brecker
By Alex Henderson
Michael Brecker went down in history as one of the most influential tenor saxophonists of the ‘70s, ‘80s and beyond. His big, distinctive tone influenced countless saxophonists in fusion and post-bop, from the “five Bobs” (Bob Mintzer, Bob Sheppard, Bob Malach, Bob Franceschini and the late Bob Berg) to Donny McCaslin, Bill Evans, Chris Potter and Joe Lovano. Yet Brecker’s influence was not limited to jazz and he was held in high regard by many R&B and rock musicians as well.
Born in Philadelphia on Mar. 29th, 1949, Brecker (who also played the soprano saxophone as a secondary instrument) came from a city famous for its contributions to both jazz and R&B. One of his main influences on the tenor was a North Carolina native who had a strong Philly connection: John Coltrane. Brecker’s recognizable tone also owed a lot to Joe Henderson and Wayne Shorter.
Brecker was in his early 20s when he played alongside his older brother, trumpeter Randy Brecker (b. 1945, Cheltenham, PA), in the fusion band Dreams; in 1975, they formed their own band, The Brecker Brothers.
The Breckers never claimed to be jazz purists, and that was evident on the albums they recorded. Michael’s appreciation of music other than jazz led to sessions with a long list of non-jazz artists, including Bruce Springsteen, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Steely Dan, Todd Rundgren, George Clinton, Lou Reed and John Lennon. Indeed, the fact that Brecker’s résumé included everyone from Chet Baker and Chick Corea to Aerosmith shows just how eclectic his musical tastes were.
In July 2014, Randy was interviewed for the liner notes for reissues of some Diana Ross albums that The Brecker Brothers played on during the ‘80s. As he saw it, the fact that The Brecker Brothers were capable of playing instrumental jazz one minute and collaborating with an R&B/pop star like Ross the next reflected their Philly upbringing. “Philly was a melting pot for different styles of music,” he said, noting that many of the musicians at Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff’s soul-oriented Philadelphia International Records came from jazz backgrounds. In his view, “jazz and R&B/soul were coming out of the same fountain” in Philly back then.
In the ‘80s, Michael was a member of the all-star fusion band Steps Ahead (which also included, among others, guitarist Mike Stern, keyboardist Eliane Elias and drummer Peter Erskine). However, the first album under his own name didn’t come until 1987, when he recorded Michael Brecker for Impulse Records. In the late ‘90s he joined with fellow saxophone colossi Dave Liebman and Joe Lovano to form Saxophone Summit, which released one album, Gathering of Spirits, on Telarc in 2004. He went on, in addition to all his activities as a sideman, to record ten more albums as a leader, the last of which was Pilgrimage (Heads Up, 2006).
Although the quality of his playing didn’t suffer, Brecker was quite ill when Pilgrimage was recorded. In addition to leukemia, he had been suffering from a rare blood disorder called Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS). He had received a partial stem cell transplant in 2005 and 2006 and his health seemed to be improving but Brecker took a turn for the worse and died Jan. 13, 2007 at the age of 57.
For more information, visit michaelbrecker.com. A Brecker tribute is at The Appel Room, Jan. 20th. See Calendar.
Recommended Listening:
• Randy Brecker—Score (Solid State-Blue Note, 1969)
• Hal Galper Quintet—Children of the Night (Double-Time, 1978)
• Pat Metheny—80/81 (ECM, 1980)
• Michael Brecker—Eponymous (MCA/Impulse!, 1986-87)
• Horace Silver—A Prescription for the Blues (Impulse!, 1997)
• Saxophone Summit—Gathering of Spirits (Telarc, 2004)
