January 14, 2007

Michael Brecker dead Great tenor player Michael Brecker has died of leukaemia at 57. He played sessions almost beyond number, including great recordings with Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin, Joni Mitchell, Charles Mingus, Paul Simon, and the Average White Band, as well as with his brother Randy in the Brecker Brothers. Happy trails, Mr Brecker.
posted by Wolof 17 years ago
  • Damn. This hits me on several levels. Musically, I have heard his work in so many spaces, from Joni to Mingus, to the Brecker Bros. Secondly, I have a close relative about to die from leukemia, albeit at a much more advanced age. 57? Man, way too soon. .
  • Live everyday as if it was your last And play music as if life goes on forever
  • The samples I listened to made we wish I hadn't stopped listening to music in the last several years. Amazing stuff. Ave atque vale to someone I didn't know existed till now.
  • . I'm in shock. I had spoken to our mutual friend, Dave Liebman, as few months ago and Michael had just received a marrow donation from his daughter and he and Dave were planning to resume touring with the Saxophone Summit. I'm gutted. He was a tremendous artist and will go down as one of the all time saxophone collossi. He was also a very nice a man and free of the egotism that often mars the profoundly accomplished. I had the pleasure of meeting him twice and he was a graceful a person as his playing was extraordinary. His playing was deeply inspirational to me, a pianist, primarily due to his unbridled passion, fantastic sound, legendary virtuosity but mostly because the unvarnished joy of creation that he projected through his music. I feel like I have lost a good friend. The saddest part is that he was at his peak of creativity with further peaks likely to come, We can consider ourselves blessed due to the ample documentation his playing receieved and I, for one, will try to focus away from thinking about what he would have accomplished if he were not so cruelly wrenched from this plane of existence. Rest in Peace Michael
  • 57? That's a tragedy. Especially for someone who clearly had so much left to give. RIP.
  • http://www.michaelbrecker.com/ unsurprisingly, has some of his music.
  • . Only saw him once, with McCoy Tyner. Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable.
  • In other sad news, Alice Coltrane has passed away at the age of 69. (reg required for LAT).
  • Is he of the "Brecker Brothers" mentioned in Sinatra's rendition of "Mack the Knife?" Because if so, that's pretty damn cool.
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