A tenor sax player who emerged as a musical force in the '70s with early fusion groups, and hasn't backed down since. He fell in love with jazz after being born into a musical household in 1949 (For further proof, see brother, Randy Brecker). He started off playing alto sax and clarinet, but moved to tenor in high school after discovering the genius of John Coltrane, who's obviously his biggest influence, not just in improvisation, but also general tone and attack.
After high school, he studied at Indiana University and made the obligatory jazz pilgrimage to New York City in 1969. He got early gigs playing with local R&B outfits, but soon co-founded the jazz-fusion group Dreams. After Dreams, he joined his brother in Horace Silver's Jazz Quintet, but soon moved on to his most successful project with Randy, the Brecker Brothers. The Brecker Brothers continue to remain one of the funkiest, tightest, most influential jazz-rock bands to date.
Michael still kept
playing all
styles of music at an alarming rate,
covering many
Coltrane tunes and is one of the
most sought-after
studio musicians. He has
recorded with countless
musicians, among them
Yoko Ono,
Paul Simon,
Frank Zappa, and
Jaco Pastorius . In 1986 Michael started his
solo career with a
self-titled debut that was voted
Album of the Year in
Downbeat magazine. He has received numerous
Grammys, and countless other jazz
awards, but probably his biggest
impact is as a major influence for tenor players
everywhere.
Discography:
Solo Career
Michael Brecker 1987
Don't Try This At Home 1988
Now You See It ... (Now You Don't) 1990
Tales From The Hudson 1996
Two Blocks From The Edge 1998
Time Is Of The Essence 1999
Nearness of You 2001
The Brecker Brothers
The Brecker Brothers 1975
Back To Back 1976
Don't Stop The Music 1977
Heavy Metal Be-Bop 1978
Detente 1980
Straphangin' 1981
Return Of The Brecker Brothers 1992
Out Of The Loop 1994
Collection Vol.1 (Compilation) 1990
Collection Vol.2 (Compilation) 1990
Steps Ahead
Smokin' In The Pit 1981
Step By Step 1981
Paradox 1982
Steps Ahead 1983
Modern Times 1984
Magnetic 1986
Live in Tokyo 1986