| Saxophone virtuoso Michael Brecker was given an | | | | During the 70s and 80s he worked often in studio |
| early start in jazz by his amateur jazz pianist father, | | | | sessions for the pop singer-songwriter movement |
| who was a lawyer by trade. Brecker began his | | | | playing with Joni Mitchell. His playing was obviously |
| musical studies on clarinet, moving to alto saxophone, | | | | informed by Coltrane, but his work in the pop arena |
| and finally settling on the tenor sax, which would | | | | forced him to condense his solos into shorter spaces, |
| become his primary instrument as his career | | | | gathering the full range of the sax, from altissimo to |
| progressed. | | | | the deepest notes into a small space. |
| He grew up near Philadelphia and then attended | | | | His brilliance in this melding of styles was admirable, but |
| Indiana University for a short time, but left at 19 to | | | | many believe that his talent was more aptly |
| pursue music. His mouthpieces for much of his career | | | | showcased on his work in the early 80s, on Steps |
| were made by Dave Guardala, and the reeds he used | | | | Ahead's first two albums, on Chick Corea's "Three |
| were LaVoz, medium strength. He played a Selmer | | | | Quartets", and Pat Metheny's "80/81." His solos were |
| Mark VI 86,000 series saxophone. Previously, he had | | | | technically intricate, but accessible. He played with |
| played a Selmer Super Balanced Action saxophone. | | | | punchy style that cut through the mess of |
| His first foray into professional musicianship was with a | | | | improvisation and stuck to the music, straight talk on |
| jazz/rock band called Dreams which featured | | | | the sax, littered with "signature riffs" that his fans often |
| legendary drummer Billy Cobham. Dreams was a short | | | | wait for on every solo. |
| lived project, but held influence with such greats as | | | | Over the course of his lifetime, Michael Brecker won 11 |
| Miles Davis. | | | | Grammy awards, shortly after his death he was |
| Most of Brecker's early work was informed by rock | | | | awarded two posthumous Grammy awards for his |
| guitar as much as R&B saxophone. After working | | | | involvement on his brother Randy's album Some |
| with Dreams, Brecker began working with pianist | | | | Skunk Funk. |
| Horace Silver and Billy Cobham before starting a side | | | | In 2005, Michael was diagnosed with myelodysplastic |
| project with his brother Randy called the Brecker | | | | syndrome (MDS - a cancer of the blood marrow) |
| Brothers. | | | | after noticing a sharp pain in his back at the Mount Fuji |
| During the years that followed, Brecker was a sought | | | | Jazz Festival. In late 2005 he was a recipient of a |
| after soloist and sideman. He worked with James | | | | controversial stem cell transplant received from his |
| Taylor and Paul Simon, Jaco Pastorius, Pat Metheny, | | | | daughter. After two years battling leukemia, he passed |
| Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, and more, showcasing | | | | away from related complications on January 13, 2007. |
| the jazz-rock fusion style that would become a | | | | He is survived by his wife Susan, his children Jessica |
| landmark for a generation of jazz musicians. His | | | | and Sam, his brother, Randy, and his sister Emily |
| career would span an enormous number of records, | | | | Brecker Greenberg. |
| with over 900 albums in his discography. | | | | |