Michael Brecker

BORN: March 29, 1949, Philadelphia, PA

A remarkable technician and a highly influential tenor-saxophonist (the biggestinfluence on other tenors since Wayne Shorter), Michael Brecker took a longtime before getting around to recording his first solo album. He has spentmuch of his career as a top-notch studio player who often appeared backingpop singers, leading some jazz listeners to overlook his very strongimprovising skills.

Michael Brecker originally started on clarinet and alto before switching to tenorin high school. Early on he played with rock and R&B-oriented bands. In 1969he moved to New York and soon joined Dreams, an early fusion group.Brecker was with Horace Silver during 1973-74, gigged with Billy Cobham andthen co-led the Brecker Brothers (a commercially successful funk group) withhis brother-trumpeter Randy Brecker for most of the 1970s. He was withSteps (later Steps Ahead) in the early '80s, doubled on an EWI (electronicwind instrument) and made a countless number of studio sessions during the1970s and '80s, popping up practically everywhere (including with JamesTaylor, Yoko Ono and Paul Simon). With the release of his first album as aleader in 1987 (when he was already 38), Brecker started appearing moreoften in challenging jazz settings. He recorded additional sets as a leader (in1988 and 1990), teamed up with McCoy Tyner on one of 1995's mostrewarding jazz recordings and toured with a reunited Brecker Brothers band.Two Blocks from the Edge followed in 1998.