Michael Brecker as sideman

[Milestones]

I'm curious to know what people think of Brecker's work as sideman. Of course, he did an enormous amount of this on pop and rock records, although I'm sure in most cases he is more of a "session man." The jazz stuff is big, but seemingly not huge in quantity.  I'm familiar with a fair amount of it, notably records by Hancock, Corea, Tyner, Metheny, Palmieri, and Silver. But I have not found a list of such appearances, so I thought I'd come here for recommendations.

    

 

[JSngry]

The more engaged with pop(ish) music he was, the more I liked him, and vice-versa. Because, you know, everybody's gonna trot out their Personal Coltrane Jouneys on a jazz record. On a James Taylor record, not so much.

Context matters, just as often as not.

If that's not what you're looking for,..I think other people like these more than me, but at least, be aware that they exist.

 

 

That Guerilla Band record is pretty good, actually...

[soulpope]

 

[Milestones]

Hal Galper is not a musician I know at all, other than his work on some Phil Woods records.

 

[soulpope]

4 minutes ago, Milestones said:

Hal Galper is not a musician I know at all, other than his work on some Phil Woods records.

and this excellent trio recording with Dave Holland (b) + Bill Goodwin (r):

[Mark Stryker]

 

I have gone back and forth on this record for decades, but when I was kid, LOTS of people loved it. Very much a straight-ahead product of the '70s in the sound and production, the arrangements and mix of personalities  -- Mel, Ron, Carter, Hank Jones, Brecker, Freddie Hubbard, with Gregory Herbert and Cecil Bridgewater in the mix at times.

 

 

 

[JSngry]

32 minutes ago, Milestones said:

Hal Galper is not a musician I know at all, other than his work on some Phil Woods records.

 

Yeah, well, I imagine that's true for a lot of people. But there's been a lot of Kool-Aid drank on all sides, especially once it came down to really making a living.

If you want to know where so many people came from before they made those decisions, listen to what they were doing before they made them. surprises abound!

No judgement here, people do gotta make that living. Just saying, though...looking at you, Norman Connors, to name but one. Stanley Clarke, to name another but one. And you, Jan Hammer, especially but not really just you.

And that's just from my youth. Imagine everybody's!

Brecker...I don't have the experiential frame of reference to have heard his earlier work AFTER his later work. So for me, Dreams, Horace, James Taylor (on the freakin' AM radio!), that's always how I think of him, as this young, possibly crazy, kid that just don't give a damn about "styles" and shit, like Tom Scott only maybe not perpetually, if indeed ever,  freshly showered.. And then he did all those other records and the sense of possibility became a reality, and it was just not as exciting anymore, at least not for me.

Of course, he was an exceedingly gifted saxophonist until the end, worked his ass of until the end, and by everything I've heard, a supremely, sincerely humble person. So much love about all that. But jeeeeesus, that opening solo on Side two of that first Dream album, where the fuck did that come from? And will it ever come again?

 

[Chuck Nessa]

I met Michael when he was a student at Indiana. He bought records in my store.

[JSngry]

What records did he buy? Any one type?

[Chuck Nessa]

39 minutes ago, JSngry said:

What records did he buy? Any one type?

No information in the memory files. I didn't feel it would matter.

[JSngry]

It doesn't, really. Besides, that time/place, probably any number of people buying more than one type of record.

[sambrasa]

I met him once after his concert with McCoy Tyner trio. Nice guy (of course.)

Here's a solo from Frank Zappa 1976 NYC show.

 

[Milestones]

I'm sure Michael Brekcer had a very diverse record collection.

 

[JSngry]

 

[JSngry]

 

[JSngry]

If you hear a little microsecond in the drumming that sounds like Tony Williams, it is.

[felser]

4 hours ago, Milestones said:

Hal Galper is not a musician I know at all, other than his work on some Phil Woods records.

 

Galper did some really firey albums with the Brecker's in tow between '76 and '78.  Very different than his work with Woods and since, more than a little McCoy Tyner influence in places.  

[felser]

4 hours ago, JSngry said:

that opening solo on Side two of that first Dream album, where the *** did that come from? And will it ever come again?

 

It won't, no one makes albums like that first Dreams album any more.  Dreams themselves couldn't even follow it up - "imagine My Surprise" is one of the great sophomore slumps of all-time.   For that first album, they were a fascinating group who made a fascinating record.  High quality ca 1969 BST/Chicago, wonderfully written and performed on side 1, and something very different and quite wonderful on side 2.  And any group with the Brecker's, John Abercrombie, and Billy Cobham, all frisky, pre-fame, and in their 20's, had the potential to make some sparks. 

[soulpope]

5 hours ago, JSngry said:

 

👍👍!!

[optatio]

JOACHIM KÜHN: NIGHTLINE NEW YORK. SANDRA MUSIC PRODUCTIONS SMP 2113 [1981]

[mikeweil]

Never was a Brecker fan, but I really like his playing on the Don Grolnick albums. 

[Mark Stryker]

This fills out the Brecker story a bit ... https://www.artsjournal.com/rifftides/2007/01/michael_brecker_remembered.html

 

[BillF]

I saw Michael very early on as a sideman - with Horace Silver in 1969 - together with brother Randy and Billy Cobham. I don't know of any recording of this group.

[sidewinder]

3 minutes ago, BillF said:

I saw Michael very early on as a sideman - with Horace Silver in 1969 - together with brother Randy and Billy Cobham. I don't know of any recording of this group.

‘In Pursuit of the 27th Man’ has the Breckers but with Mickey Roker in place of Cobham.

[soulpope]