Michael Brecker (1949-2007)
While TBP has our favorite Brecker albums--a quick poll would include John Abercrombie's Getting There from Dave, Pat Metheny's 80/81 from Reid, and Joni Mitchell's Shadows and Light from Ethan--there is nobody better to consult about Brecker than another tenor player. We turn the floor over to Mark Turner, who gave his thoughts on the late lamented backstage at the Village Vanguard tonight:
Fuck those motherfuckers who don't give it up for Michael Brecker.
He was so influential to so many players. I fully admit to hours of learning and studying Brecker solos. He's consistently excellent. That Claus Ogerman album Cityscape is prime Brecker--just incredible.
He was one of the greatest technicians of the saxophone that ever lived. The saxophone is deceptive--it is initially easy to play, but hard to really delve into. Brecker really delved into the details. His sound was huge, but he only used a [size] seven mouthpiece. Trane used a six-star, Wayne a seven (nowadays an eight) and many modern players are using sizes up to ten, but Brecker always used a mid-sized mouthpiece with tremendous control, paying attention to the voicing of the low, mid, and high registers of the saxophone in a way that few have. This enabled him to play things that are really hard to play. I saw him put his horn on at clinics and soundchecks and--cold, without warming up--instantly play the most fucking incredible shit, stuff that most saxophonists simply cannot deal with.
In recent years he was improvising more, taking more chances, and exploring more kinds of music. He was really blossoming. I was really looking forward to a few more decades of powerful Brecker.
I met him a few times, and he was always just so cool. A true master.
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In conversations today both Mark Turner and Billy Hart brought up Michael Brecker's playing on the 1976 Hal Galper album Reach Out! (with Hart, Wayne Dockery, and brother Randy Brecker). Billy says that Michael Brecker's ballad feature "I'll Never Stop Loving You" from this album is one of the finest things Billy has played on.
