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Brecker, is best known for his agile and multifaceted post-bop trumpeting.
In the hard-core world of contemporary jazz, his horn has
helped lift bandstands with Horace Silver, Art Blakey’s Jazz
Messengers, Charles Mingus, Clark Terry, Joe Henderson and the Thad
Jones & Mel Lewis Orchestra. As a first-call studio player, Brecker’s
trumpet has energized outings by artists ranging from James Taylor,
Bruce Springsteen, and Parliament/Funkadelic, to David Sanborn, Jaco
Pastorious and Frank Zappa. In the realm of cutting edge jazz-rock
fusion, Brecker has been a major contributor to Blood, Sweat & Tears,
Larry Coryell’s Eleventh House and Dreams.
One of the most amazing aspects about Brecker’s widely varied experiences
is his stylistic continuity. Whatever the venue, like the jazz masters
of yore, one can always recognize Brecker’s inimitable approach. First, there’s his sound – big, brassy and
bold. His neo-boppish improvisations with their unique reconfigurations of such past giants as Miles
Davis, Lee Morgan, and Freddie Hubbard are another hallmark. So, too, is impassioned, heart-on-sleeve
lyricism. Although possessing state-of-the-art virtuosity, with Brecker, there is a palpable song-like intel-ligence
at work. Indeed, like all great artists, his technique and knowledge are a means to a larger vision
rather than ends for showcasing athletic displays.
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