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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZBRECKER, Randy and MichaelAll-round sidemen of the fusion era late '60s-early '70s, carrying on in more straightahead fashion when that era was over, both born in Philadelphia. Mike (b 29 March 1949; d 13 January 2007 on leukemia) was a reedman; Randy (b 27 November 1945) plays trumpet; both also play drums and piano. Both have played and recorded with Horace Silver, Billy Cobham, James Taylor, Larry Coryell, Charles Mingus (Me Myself, An Eye '78), Mike also with Carly Simon, on John Lennon's Mind Games '73; with Yoko Ono in Japan '74, with Paul Simon on his Rhythm Of The Saints tour. Randy worked with Blood, Sweat and Tears, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen ('Meeting Across The River'), Art Blakey, Janis Joplin, Clark Terry, Duke Pearson, Edgar and Johnny Winter, Mingus Dynasty, etc. They opened a restaurant (with Kate Greenfield) in NYC '78 where they played with guest artists; they played at the Playboy Jazz Festival '80. Worked together as Dreams on CBS (two albums '70-3, with John Abercrombie on guitar, Billy Cobham on drums, Will Lee on bass), as the Brecker Brothers on Arista: The Brecker Brothers, Back To Back '75, Don't Stop The Music '77, live Heavy Metal Be-Bop '78, Detente '79, Straphangin' '80. Randy did octet LP Score '69 on Solid State (on Blue Note CD) including Eddie Gomez and Coryell, and led an electric band mid-'80s with his wife keyboardist Eliane Elias (from São Paulo); released In The Idiom '87 on Denon, Live At Sweet Basil '88 on GNP Crescendo and Toe To Toe '90 on MCA with Michael. Mike played disco mid-'70s ('The Players Association'); on Cityscape '82 on WB with octet arranged and conducted by Claus Ogerman; played in the house band on Saturday Night Live '83-4 and with group Steps Ahead from '79 (three LPs on Elektra). He experimented with a Steiner EWI (electronic wind instrument) plugged into a synthesizer, adding octaves, sampling etc but still a wind-driven sound of human origin; he returned to acoustic playing with Kenny Wheeler and others on ECM, began recording as a leader on MCA labels (Impulse, GRP) with Michael Brecker '87 with Jack DeJohnette, Charlie Haden, Pat Metheny and Kenny Kirkland. The debut was highly regarded, follow-ups Don't Try This At Home and Now You See It (Now You Don't) respectfully received; meanwhile he toured with Mike Stern on guitar, Jeff Andrews on bass, Joey Calderazzo on piano, Adam Nussbaum on drums. Return Of The Brecker Brothers '92 was a reunion, followed by Out Of The Loop '94 (won a Grammy). Their fusion music brought a slickness with it that lacked a certain unpredictability essential to jazz, like one-way traffic avoiding the possibility of jams. Mike's first solo album in five years Tales From The Hudson '96 was more like it, with Calderazzo and McCoy Tyner, DeJohnette, Pat Metheny and Dave Holland; he also made In Out And Around with Mike Nock on Timeless and Hearts And Numbers with Don Grolnick on Hippocket. The brothers continued as sought-after sidemen, playing on too many albums to count, as well as recording as leaders separately and together on Novus, One Way and other labels. |