re man i revered by his peers and idlized By (WI Wiese stunts who painstaking'y pour oe: music Syne incandescent solos. And transcription ty of atta to draw fo. His Fe ment itu ver tne past wo decades is astounding. As his bio puts it, “His appearance on | nearly 400 astounding ASM era pathean of popular sound” inljchal rected een te eaten of Deas 2) sven 08 Tron us, Wil Leon as, 2nd i pty fo Coa Pe ay eaux The Bschr grater ss unease Marie ved Brecher an Soe er) dom lo rei Seventh Fen Sa a ed the wu BY mis ou, 2 ei in cecton Tova te panel hanes & ase py wie acepance wah Pome are er ra ating lst, comes Michaels le deeistarce—2 cream project on Impulse, his debut asa leader. And checkout the crespany he's Keeping: Jack DeJohnette, Charlie Haden, Kenny Serva, Pat Metheny. A zillion stars fr the sidemen alone The long admired Michael Brecker’ gutsy tenor wice. | dug nis funn okes chops with The Brecker Brothers (particularly on they {a te album, Heavy Metal Be-Bop) | wes mesmerized Dy Nis 1970 yearn te evocative Cityscape, aluscous though overlooked rey al project written and arranged forhim by Claus Ogermar 10 aes wearer Bros. | was aved by his application ofthe Steiner 1oa1 Glectronie Wind Instrument) in concert last year with he Flag adit of Steps Ahead (guitarist Mike Stern, drummet tour with, Bassist Daryl Jones, vbit Maine) and on their ast Elektra album, Magnetic. Sr ito peta kick out of hearing his raspy tenor in the house tend ‘Saturday Night Live during the "83-84 seasons (and ant his cameo appearance in Eddie Murphy’ hiarous "James eng ol Tob SKID, Hell, leven dughisflery tenor workon 3 Bro sey cisco albums that Vanguard put out in the mic 70s those che collective name The Players Assocation (sory, MMe, unde! tre ge embarrassed. We've al got fo pay the ent somehow) dr Ta thatthe various band projects, te sideman projects, the chdlese stusio sessions with everyone from John Lennon 10 tre ere & The Muffins to James Taylor to Frank Sinatra to Broce arte teen pales in comparison tothe heights he hits on sores ve Impulse debut, Michael Brecker. With all due respect 16 ‘rPtrevious eforts, this here the eal del. es asifhes wart al te voi SEAT UNE 1087 jalhis life to make this album. It's that special. Far more than just product, this album is full of passion and soars to peaks of Inspiration. It's the crowning achievement in an illustrious carer, From the glorious, gospel-tinged shouts from Michaels horn on the albums opener, Sea Glass, to the all-out burn of Syzyy with Jack DeJohnettes incredible display of just why he's considered ‘number one), thisalbum surges with energy and daring. And yet it's full of such nuance and subtlety tosend chills wpyour spine. Check ‘out Charlie Haden’ playing on the melancholy ballad, The Cost Of Living, a perfect example of “less is more." As Michael says of Haden's piaying on that tune, “Charlie can make me cry with one ‘note. We wanted to use this asa vehicle for him, and | have to say that Charlie's solo here s one of the highpoints ofthe album for me.” | talked with Michael about this very personal, very revealing project inthe solitude of his loft located in the Chinatown district of Manhattan. Oddly, 1 found him to be uncommonly shy and unassuming for someone with such a big rep. (And I thought all cchopsmeisters were swaggering braggadocios. Oh well, so much for that theory.) BILL MILKOWSKI: Fist tell me about the genesis of this album MICHAEL BRECKER: It came about, I guess, from the fact that I felt lke I was finally ready todo it. This year I felt ready to make a record under my own name, probably fr the frst time in my life. 1 hhad always shied away from it previously or had worked in collaborative-type efforts, either with my brother Randy or with Michael Mainieri and Peter Erskine. I guess [never really felt that I ‘merited doing an albu. Iflt afraid to doit, really. But the feeling that T wanted to do something took hold this year, followed by Various feelers from diferent record companies. Sol was approached by Ricky Shultz at Impulse. Initial, it scared. ‘me, just the aura ofImpulse. Wel, not seared me—I as awed by in leu of the rich history ofthe label—Trane, Sonny Rolins, and everybody. [BM: And he immediately talked about a jazz record, as opposed 10.4 fusion album? (MB: Right. We talked about doing jazz record, whichis really what | wanted to do, So I started batting around in my mind certain rhythm sections—people that I wanted to play with, who I felt would really create the right musical environment. I had an association with Pat, Charlie, and Jack from years back, beginning with Pat's record 80/87. We subsequently did a tour, which opened Uupadoor for me, Andit’s remained opened. [just hadnt really had a chance to pursue that type of playing since then. I guess I hadn't taken it quite as far as I wanted. I wanted an opportunity to take it further, particularly with those guys—and with Kenny, whose playing I admire very much. BM: Music in which the rhythm section opens up a bir? IMB: Yes. Where there's a lot of space. Its a way of paying that's really captured by these guys. Where its open anditjust seems lke the harmonic and rhythmic possibilities are infinite. And there's a warmth that the four of them are able to generate that’s very appealing to me. So beyond that feeling, I had to lock composi- tionally at how to structure this, to capture the great talent of these four gentlemen. Their talent at spontaneity and swinging —struc- ture that ina way that wouldn't tie theirands, yet nothaveitbe ike just another free music album, That was the challenge. So I got ‘together with Don Grolnick, who produced the album, and we had a Jot of brainstorming sessions. He'd come over every day and we'd ‘write together, And Mike Stern was also taking part in this. We'd just toss ideas around and eventually came up with the tunes. BM: | very different than Steps Abead, which is obout kinetic lenergy-—lke being on a roller-coaster that goes from point AtoZ, ond ‘once you get en you can't get off But this Flows in so many diferent directions, ond everyone inthe band seems to be tlepothiclly linked. (MB: True, very true. Really, all four of them almost transcend their instruments. They play with such musicality and originality that they transcend the difficulty or the limitations of their instruments, BM: You, in particular, seem ro be reveoling more of yourelf than you've ever done before on record. Especially on very imimate tunes like Sea Gloss ond The Cos! OF Living. MB: Its something that T've always felt able to summon, par- ticularly moreso in the las five years than ever before. That's also probably because I've been in touch with myself emotionally to a ‘much greater degree in the past year or so, Butt really takes being with the right musicians to bring it out in a musical way. Its not something that I've developed intentionally, but [think Pve become ‘more comfortable with it lately—more in touch with my own feelings. That has had a huge effect on my playing is there an inellectuol process connected fo this quality of ‘openness ike an actor who drows upon method acting techniques to get through a scene? ‘MB: Doesn't seem to be with me, It's not an intellectual exercise, although when I'm playing there area lot of intellectual things going ‘oa It a kind of balance. There's the level of just making sure the notes come out andare in tune, and being cognescent of hythm and. ‘swinging and whether what I'm playing is laying in a way that feels natural. But the emotional part, rally, has a life of its own. It& almost lke the felings get in touch with me rather than me getting in touch with them. And it ust comes out in the music. BM: Many musician I've toed to over the years have spaken about the music plying them rather than vice versa, Are you interested in that connection between music and spinitualty? ‘MB: Well, yes Tam, And atthe risk of sounding pretentious —that feeling that you described is something that I've felt quite often, particularly recently. It sounds kind of pseudo-spirtual, but I feel ‘when I'm realy at my best that mot really playing at all. I's almost like it takes on 2 life ofits own, And those moments seem to be Coming more often now than they used to. It a very exhilarating feeling but it seems to be something that, at this point, I have no control over. So I just try to move forward—keep up with technique, keep listening trying to expand and learn, play as much as possible, and just try to have a good attitude. And the rest is really—I don't know. But that does happen. BM: Robert Fripp’ anology is “Geting a vst fram the Good Fay” Kind of like group astral projection. MB: Ican definitely relate to that. It works the same way with me, depending on the musicians that are playing at the time. For instance, I went out on tour recently with the John Abercrombie Quartet, and we really had some high musical experiences. There ‘were moments where we just-—we were so much in tune, Its the same exact thing you're describing. It almost el like we were being played by some other force. BM: | had heord thar Po brought all is hardware tothe session, 50 was kind of expecting Son OF Song X. But he ploys so subdued on the album, ike Jim Holl or Wes Montgomery. And you seem fo be flexing your Coltrane muscles. Do | detect a tribute of sorts? ‘MB: Pat did bring his Synclavier to the date, but we ended up not finding a need for it. He gets an incredible sound without it, and he plays with such lyricism. He's amazing. As for me, there was an element of tribute in making this album, Just the fact that I had the chance to record on Impulse really means something to me. I didn't take that lightly. That immediately put me in a particular frame of ‘mind. I was tempted todo the techno thing because I've been very ‘wrapped up in learning the EWI and experimenting withit. But had to separate that. I wanted to really try and capture a mood on this record and stay witht, not try to throw in everything but the kitchen, sink—10 milion sampled sounds throven in just for fun. For me, it ‘was a question of ess is more, of making an album that would relly hold together as 2 complete statement, which my favorite albums do. And I wanted it to sustain interest, beable to be listened toa lot of times, so you can always hear new things. I really do enjoy the highly techno records ona lot of levels. But I cant listen to them a Jot. Its almost like there’ no mystery—not a lot left to the Jmagination. My senses are assaulted sometimes with just this barrage of hge megasounds, which I've been gulty of doing mysel, 1 didn’t want to go in that direction on this album—especially not for Impulse. BBM: [sir coincidence that you and your brother Randy happen to be doing straightahead jazz projects at this time in your careers? You're loch going back fo your respective reas for your latest clbums-—you fo Trane, Randy to Clifford Brown. (MB: It an interesting kind of phenomenon, realy, I guess it’s indicative ofthe fact that we've always been very much in tune with JUNE 1887 GOWN BEAT 47TIAMMIN From lef Brecker, Marc Johnson, John Abererombie. each other, machin the same way that Branford talks about being in fune with Wynton-—in a way that's kind of indescribable. There’ @ Jandof telepathic link between us, musicaly. There's aquality when T play with Randy that [don't seem to have with any other musician. For instance, i we're gonna play a phrase, I don't have to ask how fhe’ going to phrase it, [ already instinctively know. So its no Surprise to me that we're each making these albums now. T mean, Ye didn't sit down and say, “Let's each make an acoustic, jaza-type tecord,” But that’ basicaly what has happened. And each album isa ‘ery persond statement. Ilove the record that Randy made (In The Idioms a Denon CD tnciuding Joe Henderson, Ron Carter, and Al Fuster|_-some of is best playing to date ison that record. And, of qeurse, Im very happy with the results on my record. Both he and fave always approached our albums very seriously, whether there were backbeats or not. BMA: Rondy mentioned tome, “With The Breckers, we aivoys strived fomoke perfect records But with this new one, | wanted mistkes” MMBr Exactly the same as me with my new album. I didn’t want it ‘Shek, General, alot ofmy favorite records have alot of mistakes in them, Mistakes sound good to me, I don't even hear them as fnistakes, relly. I don't necessarily bke things played perfectly. We Gd concentrate on that with The Breckers. We made sure that all the ensemble stu! was as clean as possible. The only exception was the live album, Heavy Metal Be-Bop, which has all the mistakes You'd get ina ive situation, And that's probably my favorite Brecker Brothers record, [like rough edges. BM: How did growing up in Philadelphia ofect you? IMB: Randy and I realy didn't play that much together until he went fay to school. When he'd came back home, we'd jam and put on Some concerts, Meanwhile, Iwas jamming a lot with Eric Gravatt, a ‘rummer who played with McCoy Tyner and Weather Report. He ‘vas a tremendous influence on me. Eric really turned me on t0 “Trane and McCoy. He taught me alot abou paying, Tused todo alot ofthat in Phil, jamming wth ust tenor and drums. AndT'é play lot ffdrums mysel, reversing the roles just to find out what drummers re comfortable with. Infact, at one point Thad decided | was going fobecome a drummer and seriously study it. Lean get around pretty food on the drums, I've studied Elvin’ style, But [abandoned the Began of becoming @ drummer when Iheard Billy Cobham with the ‘Mahavishnu Orchestra, 1 realized then that Id better stick to Saxophone. But because of my experience with playing drums in ‘Philadelphia and during the first few years I was livingin New York, Td gained a better understanding of rhythm. So I feel very close to frummers, which is why it was such 2 great thrill for me to do that free duet thing with Jack atthe beginning of Spay. That was very special. 'BM: Did you have o mentor in Pilly? IMB: [studied with Vince Trombetta, who really taught me how to Duy the saxophone, He was the sax player on he Mike Douglas Shove for the whole 16-year run ofthat show. Other than that, Ljust Picked up what I could from hearing people. I used to see Sonny Rortune a lot around Philly, Of course, Coltrane was a tremendous ‘18 DOWN BEAT JUNE 1987 influence, And when | moved to New York in the late "608 I started hanging around alot of saxophonists, trying to absorb as much as ‘could from players lke Dave Liebman and Steve Grossman. The ‘whole loft scene was happening then—a lot of janming at people's houses. That's really how I slowiy learned how to play. BBM: How did you begin experimenting with electrifying the sx? MMB! For/Heayy Metal Be-Bop las usingsome electronic things 0 the tenor, [had been looking for somethingat the time because felt that sonority-wise the tenor wasn't able to blend with the rhythm Section, which was completely electronic. So Texperimented with Some electronic outboard devices to put on the tenor, but I didn't Sealy ind anything T liked. 1 found a couple of boxes made by Electro-Harmonix that 1 thought worked pretty wel, but I was never realy happy. Itnever felt right tome. After spencingall those {years of working on a good saxophone sound and then putting it ‘hvough 2 bunch of processors—it felt weird. The sax has such a gorgeous sound, [always felt it cheapened the sound toput.abox on it, Eventually, I just gave up oni IBM: So now the Steinerphane EW! s the answer fo that cero. MB; Yes, because its a departure from the saxophone, Its an instrument unto itself. Very diferent from taking a sax and electrifying it and expecting it to sound good. BM: How did you meet Nyle Steiner? MBs | frst heard of him through Dave Boroff, a wonderful saxo- hone player nto’ now playing the house band on the Joan Rivers howe He hada working moe of the Steinerphone athis house, and jhe demonstrated it for me. I was impressed but not convinced. 1 pe ually called Nyle and asked him ifbe could make me one, He said jes, and over a year later he sent one tome. [had almost forgotten. ‘bout it, The instrument has since gone through diferent stages of evelopment and has recently been purchased by Ali, So the new ‘Akai EWI-1000 should be on the market by the time this article ames out, They’ be very similar tothe original, except afew new features will be added, including programmability BM: When you First got the Sreinerphione, did yeu have to adjust 1 new fingering postions? ‘bs ‘The fingering positions are basicaly identical toa saxophone. AN main difference being it’s touch sensitive, so there’ no moving. keys, whichis hard to adjust toa first because saxophone players dre taught to rest their fingers on the keys. But on this, it would aifjvate a sound. So you have to be very careful what you touch, It requires alot of accuracy both in fingering andin tonguing. The horn Feittached toa suitease-type container with althe electronics, and there'sa set of eight rollers on the back ofthe instrument for making bctave leaps. Whatever roller Tm touching determines the octave Tm playing in. So by rllmg your thumb, you can make incredibly quick octave leaps. 1S really a fascinating instrument, Nyle is @ Genderful trumpet player with a wide background in electronics Heb coming from a very musical place, and he's combined his ‘musicality with his electronics background to come up with an ‘Extremely musical instrument. (Note: Steiner als invented what he ‘alls an EVI, or Electronic Valve Instraement, for trampeters.|BM: Whot do you particularly like about the EWI? ‘MB: The unique thing about Nyle'sboxis the warmth of the sounds You can get. You can make some gorgeous acoustic-lke sounds— alto fute, violin, shakuhachi, a harmonica that sounds ike Stevie ‘Wonder. They're organic sounds instead of cold, brittle synthesizer sounds. That's the idea for me, Its got to sound pleasing or I just don’t like it. And there's virtually no tracking problems with this instrument. I have this Steinerphone MIDI-ed to an Oberheim Expander for multiple voiings and to a Yamaha TX7 and an. Akai ‘$900 digital sampler The Steiner box and the Oberheimare actually {quicker than the TX7, which has to interpret breath and bending via MIDI. So it takes a while for the note to trigger through that. But otherwise, no tracking problems at al [BM: There® alt of technology involved here, yet you're fashioning a voice on the EWI that’s os unique as yaur tenor voce. ‘MB: Yes. The interesting thing about the instruments that there’ few ofthese out now —about 10 guys ae playing them, and every. ‘muy I've heard sounds different. Its because of the breath control factor and the individuals concept of sound. For instance, there are ‘certain sounds that Ilike that Nye finds annoying. So it depends on. the way a sound is used and who’ playing it. came up with some pretty weird sounds, which might seem ridiculous, until you hear them in the context ofthe music. Then they become musical. So for me, the instruments wide-open. The only limits your imagination. Its opened up new vistas for me, yet I'm not putting my sax on the shelf, If anything, I've been playing the saxophone more than I ever did, Having the EWLhas kindof freed me up. And yet, somehow, for ‘me, one can't exist without the other. I enjoy synthesizing and ‘making sounds, blending sounds and experimenting with timbres. ‘And after playing around with that stuff, I getacravingto get back to playing an acoustic instrument lke the tenor. So it really been a ‘very exciting last couple of years asa resuitof getting the EWI. I've been taking it around to universities for clnis, and its been very ‘well-received. There’ alot of interest int. The kids are fascinated byit, And I've noticed that they havea greater understanding of how the instrument works than Idid when I fist gott 've had to slowly learn the basics of synthesis —what wave forms make what kind of sound, and that kind of thing. [had to teach myself how to program, just by asking people a lot of questions. I basically started from scratch with this, but some ofthese kids today have grow up with ‘computers, They take to this stifinstantly. Me? Ijust do t'cause 1 cenjay it, Its fun. I've always, on some level, been fascinated by clectronics. I went through a period about five years ago where | seriously got into video games. So I just took thet energy and applied it to this. I guess I got tired of wasting quarters. BBM: It olmoet presents « Pondora’s Box of possiblities [MB It can tend to get out of hand. So what I dois, I function with short-term goals. Right now my goelis to put aband together and go cut on tour, which I've done—Mike Stern on guitar, Jeff Andrews on bass, Kenny Kirkland on piano, Adam Nussbaum on drums. We'll tour through the summer. That's my main focus, although I'm still playing around town with the John Abercrombie Quartet. 1 just Consider myself very fortunate to have these different outlets. BM: /And what about Steps Abeod? (MB: It's unclear. [love playing with Steps. And [love playing with ‘Mike Mainier, who is just a briliant musician, writer, and player. We've had a longstanding association. It remains to be seen what's going to happen, though. Mike might take Steps and go with it. Or ‘we might do some touring and do alive album. [hope that's going to be possible because I really love the band, and Pd love to document ‘what we have together live. But both Mike and I have been busy ‘with ather projects, so its hard to say what's going to happen. BM: You seem to have reached ¢ point in your career where you're focusing on your own thing as opposed fo the “horn for hire” phase you went through during the 70s MB: Exactly, That's where my energy is going. My concentration right now is on my own group, andi taken me while to get here. I think before I never really felt ready to do it. So its coming comparatively late, But its never too late. I guess I just feel very ‘grateful and fortunate to have the opportunity to go out there and express myself through the musi. Its a rare opportunity, and I'm taking advantage of it a MICHAEL BRECKER’S EQUIPMENT Michael Becker plays @ Semet Marc V enor sax wih Dave Guatdala trouthpeces(asoncll Michaa Bleck! Model designed rhim oretars (Eavaemecien secs Hs soprano #8 Yarana win aban neck ough he ‘acm "dor pay moon" he het man weapon these days ho Evi-tGo0 (Electors Wd Insurer) designee by Ryle Stones He has os ‘iDicto an oem Expander forchorsa oie, 8Yrrana TXT sd ‘2 Au clgtl 3000 saroer Ins teme sudo he ale has an Obernem ‘Suxerum machine, Rolané MSO 700 sequencer acasocz.|syesie, ‘8 Yarnaha DX? syrtesier an an Aka Maa%4 t-vack core MICHAEL BRECKER SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY 3s a leader with mike Meine cia onceeemetooine cam core putea ta Se ec tames Wiest Tape’ aa smn cuenta eo ‘with Garo ingue Weinet occa se — menyelieatee san USCS cata tcans< — SSlnnebe nant aerc ons ‘Srescan soba tse ae SNGKi Tee Teta ara tno ITEC NR ith The Becker Brothers oscouMsumtasiea pera, Nati ee wth John Aberermbio ArT METAL GE 906-en 15 Bon Ste ee scares ‘nth Hlram Buttock ‘with Ene ‘avoust “rere ERED with Chek Cores nse qlee Ware Boe 3552 ‘with Per Erskine paren eRe “corto 100 Aine ros OFS atac a8 “monn sao spe RM ‘IMAGINE MY SURPRISE —Courie 30860. TH priDGE Calon sue eat oe Beene tne gc eens ‘with Davis Sanborn ome Sanne la ete ee ‘STRAIGHT TO THE HEART Wore: Sr, ‘with Steely Dan ence Men Bee AGEAIGE OF Heser—one Ses, wh Bruce Srngsegn ‘ih Jaco Pastors win Lou Reed uconMamueceneness | Berun=ncn ae Ge Meu Bs B05 wih Pronk Sintra t\Konin WaaabeUA,(¢ AT LAD Genie Be i ich ith Frank Zapp ive wn ont ata 0 2250 UNE 1987 DOWN BEAT 43i BLINDFOLD TEST: Danny Gottlieb hea For Contemporary Musicians a © ni a Gee a BERNARD EDWARDS nec uM Mla