R.I.P. Michael Brecker

[pseudojazzer]

Michael had been diagnosed with MDS about 2 1/2 years ago , which then turned to Leukemia, and he passed away January 13th.

A great loss to the music community and the jazz world.

Thanks for the music.

[dawman]

R.I.P. Brotha' Man Brecker,
He was an incredible talent to say the least. Wah-wah brass w/ 11th House and Larry Coryell was awesome.

[pseudojazzer]

Too right! I saw him do a set at the north sea jazz festival, which included him on his EWI (electronic wind instrument, that he helped design) which was just blinding!
Anyone who can write a tune called "skunk funk" and get away with it, deserves an honoring in my book!

[dawman]

I dug up my old CD of 11th w/ M.B. and listened to Birdfingers. He actually kept up w/ Coryell on the hookline doing 32nd note triplets over 6/8 all w/o slurring. I am not sad, but glad I had the pleasure to hear him, as trumpet, and trombone w/ stompbox, and tape echo was way out there when this was recorded. Watch the music thread in Februrary. I shall re-do something as a tribute 4 our fallen brother.

[paulrmartin]

R.I.P. Brotha' Man Brecker,
He was an incredible talent to say the least. Wah-wah brass w/ 11th House and Larry Coryell was awesome.

Uh, That was his brother Randy on the trumpet (listen to "Yin" and tell me that's not a trumpet)...

I am going to miss Michael immensely but he left us so much and the legacy is endless as far as other sax players who carry on his way of playing.

I'll have something very special posted in the Music section one day soon.

Edit:
P.S.: Alice Coltrane also passed the next day. She was quite an influence on many such as McCoy Tyner .

[Nestor]

I am going to miss Michael immensely but he left us so much and the legacy is endless as far as other sax players who carry on his way of playing .

Michael is one of the greatest musicians of our time, as a sax player, as a composer and as an arranger, too. I have heard and follow him for a long time, studying his solos with jazz-fusion related friends I have played with, and he has been for many years, our sax player idol.

Michael is to the sax school, what Jaco to the bass one. He created a new style of playing and new daring sound for sax players.

His style is revolutionary in many ways. He played based on intuition and emotion, far away from the coldness of intellectual improvisation that the many use when improvising.

He was a heart man when improvising, and this is why his great impact onto the listener.

What you say Paul, is true, there are sax players out there who have taken this great Michael School seriously and that are developing as truly great artists. He left us recorded in so many extraordinary pieces of music, videos, and many live recording sessions, much to enjoy and learn from. These pieces of music are in the street, spread around the world and will slowly be found.

I have a friend of mine, with whom I’ve played for around 6 years in a folk-fusion band, called “Javier Girotto”, who is following Michael ways. I remember that we used to talk about Michael as being unreachable, but he was an amble man. My friend Javier had the chance to get to know him well, because of his brother, whith whom he recorded an album. Lucky him!
Here you have a couple of links from Javier Girotto, it’s a pleasure to get to know too, if you like Michael-like-saxophonists:
His personal page
http://www.javiergirotto.com/2.html
He’s a hot, talented player and composer as well. Here some pics:

[Nestor]

This is one of Javier Girotto latest albums, just in case:

http://my.opera.com/STEFANfromPARIS/blo ... ssions2006