Erlic Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 Many thanks to Michael for all of his contributions. He will be sorely missed. _____________ Erlic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangefunk Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 Yep saw him in 2000 in the UK with the late Don Alias, Django Bates, Randy B. and Alex Acuna et al... doing a big 1970s style fusion jam. It was the best gig I've ever seen... very intense... I was stood about 4 ft from Michael throughout the whole gig... I could see the veins on his hands.. I remember thinking "thats Michael Brecker, and those are his hands!" ;-) I was also in Lugano for Steps Ahead in 2005 when Mike Manieri first commented about Mikes ill health... Bill Evans took over but it wasn't the same... Mike was the guy who really paved a new sound... everyone else just sounds like they're trying to be John Coltrane, Charlie Parker or even...erm.. Kenny G. Some of my favourite Mike Brecker moments are on early 1970s fusion sessions like Hal Galpers "Wild Bird" or "Guerilla Band"... again very intense stuff... I'm hearing the beginning of Mikes sax part in my head as I'm remembering the track Convocation.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanS Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 I was just listening to The Ballad Book. It's sad to think we're not going to hear any more from him. What tone & phrasing the man had. What we record in life, echoes in eternity. MOXF8, Electro 6D, XK1c, Motif XSr, PEKPER, Voyager, Univox MiniKorg. https://www.abandoned-film.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cnegrad Posted January 14, 2007 Author Share Posted January 14, 2007 According to what I've heard through the grapevine, in the last year or so, he somehow managed to record an electronic album (with EWI) as well as an acoustic album. I sincerely hope that these will be released. I also hope that Herbie's concert in NYC was recorded where Mike sat in on "One Finger Snap". That Mike was even able to lift his horn that day was nothing short of a miracle. The day before that performance he was seriously in doubt that he would be able to make it. Ever since I heard of his passing, I've been hearing his "Cityscape" CD playing in the back of my mind. What a loss.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moon Zero Two Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Truly someone who carried the coltrane mantle forward - a great player - terrible loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangefunk Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 There was a documentary (circa 2003/2004)where Mike was playing a very weird kind of EWI that seemed like a flat rectangular board with keys on it.. he was playing some smoking B3 licks... It was a funny show as the main presenter of the documentary was Branford Marsalis who was very disparaging of anything that wasn't (his words) "real jazz" (i.e. stuff that sounds like its from 1965) yet I don't think he knew what to say when he was around Mike... even when he was playing the EWI.. Thats the thing I like about guys like Mike Brecker, Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, and so on... they seem to have taken jazz to a new level that uses the technology in a positive way... I don't think theres another sax player like Mike... everyone else just seems like they're carrying the torch of Coltrane (again).. yet Brecker transcended that. Originally posted by cnegrad: According to what I've heard through the grapevine, in the last year or so, he somehow managed to record an electronic album (with EWI) as well as an acoustic album. I sincerely hope that these will be released. I also hope that Herbie's concert in NYC was recorded where Mike sat in on "One Finger Snap". That Mike was even able to lift his horn that day was nothing short of a miracle. The day before that performance he was seriously in doubt that he would be able to make it. Ever since I heard of his passing, I've been hearing his "Cityscape" CD playing in the back of my mind. What a loss.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobsk8 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 http://www.michaelbrecker.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cnegrad Posted January 15, 2007 Author Share Posted January 15, 2007 There was a documentary (circa 2003/2004)where Mike was playing a very weird kind of EWI that seemed like a flat rectangular board with keys on it.. That was probably one of the very early incarnations of the EWI, which at the time was called the "Steinerphone", named after it's inventor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreamer Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 May he rest in peace Korg PA3X Pro 76 and Kronos 61, Roland G-70, Integra 7 and BK7-m, Casio PX-5S, Fender Stratocaster with Fralin pickups, Fender Stratocaster with Kinman pickups, 1965 Gibson SG Standard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreamer Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 May he rest in peace Korg PA3X Pro 76 and Kronos 61, Roland G-70, Integra 7 and BK7-m, Casio PX-5S, Fender Stratocaster with Fralin pickups, Fender Stratocaster with Kinman pickups, 1965 Gibson SG Standard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerrythek Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Yes, what a huge loss... I was at the concert, and was visiting backstage before the show and saw his name on the set list and couldn't believe it. But it seems he really wanted to get out and play - perhaps the best medicine? Or closure? Anyway - seeing his obituary in the paper yesterday next to Alice Coltrane somehow "fit"... God bless MB and thanks for all the music and inspiration. Jerry Originally posted by cnegrad: I sincerely hope that these will be released. I also hope that Herbie's concert in NYC was recorded where Mike sat in on "One Finger Snap". That Mike was even able to lift his horn that day was nothing short of a miracle. The day before that performance he was seriously in doubt that he would be able to make it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Schmieder Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 I was in L.A. this weekend, where it was the lead stry on the front page yesterday, accompanied by a full-page obituary. Michael's death came as a bit of a shock to me, as I didn't realise his Leukemia had progressed that far. It is very sad that even his daughter was unable to save him. The big surprise for me in the obit was that he attended I.U., my alma mater (probably ten years before I did). I don't recall ever seeing him mentioned in alumni magazines/publications. He must have been one of the first students in the then-fledgling Jazz Studies department. I will try to remember to post an excerpt here if the next issue of the alumni magazine has a writeup, as people might enjoy hearing more about his pre-professional time in school leading to his session work. Michael Brecker was not only one of the best musicians out there, but a wonderful person (I doubt he would have received the call for over 900 album sessions if he was not so easy to get along with). I saw him several times in small club settings in the Boston area after his first couple of solo jazz outings on the revived Impulse label, and remember speaking to him for a long time after the concerts regarding his groundbreaking work on wind synthesizers and whether he had to adjust his embouchre, breathing, fingering techniques, etc. He was very gracious in taking the time to talk to students who came up to him at gigs asking for pointers. And unquestionably he was my greatest inspiration in making the decision to take up the wind synthesizer myself a few years later. I imagine there will be a tribute of sorts for him at the NAMM convention this upcoming weekend, so it probably pays to recheck the NAMM Show website every day to see if anything new has been scheduled in his honour. Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1, Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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