Michael Brecker Group, BJD 1987, Bratislava, Michael Brecker: Tenor/EWI Mike Stern: Guitar Joey Calderazzo: Piano/Keyboards Adam Nussbaum: Drums Jeff Andrews: Bass
I was there..... The best concert I've ever seen in my life live. After the concert, half the audience remained seated with open eyes and mouth in shock. It was really amazing lineup.
Definitely agree. On Mike Stern studio albums, he plays like a groove oriented studio guy. Live, he’s completely on fire. Just like Stern. He’s a great soloist as well. Check out this bands version of Straight No Chaser on RU-vid. Ridiculously good phrasing and technique. Jeff Andrews is a monster
Yup. If I remember correctly he's on my favorite recorded Stern tune from the Brecker album Don't Try This At Home. The tune is Suspone and is basically this band I think. Andrews plays this pedal thing through Calderazzo's first through the form that really just makes it. Always loved that. Great stuff.
Mike Stern sure can tear it up. Few genuine jazz guitarists have his rock feel. I saw him a few years earlier with Miles Davis doubling with John Scofield. I didn't need a haircut that month!
He’s known as a jazz player but I think his pocket is beautiful. He never gets credit for it. He does some amazing pocket grooves on some of Mike Brecker’s solo albums.
Jeff Andrews always had one of my favorite Fender tones. Tremendous player. And this lineup was just scary good. I had the good fortune of seeing him play a few times in the late ‘80’s and early ‘90’s. He was always RIGHT THERE with his incredible pocket. I wish more people knew of him.
If anything is said about a Tele is that it can do anything. Also, he uses a Seymour Duncan humbucker as his neck pickup (what he uses for almost everything, certainly this solo), not really Tele. :)
I remember when Stern's Upside album came out. I was studying guitar in L.A. and my teacher Adam Levine (no not that one!) had a whole class where we listened to this and studied it. One of my faves to this day!
Incredible solo by Brecker sounds like Holdsworth synthaxe, amazing. Jeff Andrews a real beast reminds me of Jaco, and Hulk on guitar also great, nice track.
I saw this band in 1987. When Miles Davis talked about creating the best MF'ing rock band ever, he was talking about this group. They would start off with a standard jazz type head and just tear it apart.
I saw them numerous times between 1987 and 1989. Each performance was mind blowing. I also saw the group immediately before this, which had Omar Hakim on drums and Kenny Kirkland on piano.
Since I was a kid I've always loved music. Never could choose which horns I liked hearing the most between Sax & Trumpet. Even with Dizzy & Bird, Coltrane & Miles & Randy Brecker. Then I started to listen to Michael Brecker. His incredible gift was missed in Heaven. Now its back there. That guy was Special. R.I.P. Mike
Mike was in Kristiansand, Norway a few year ago, and played in a small venue. Met him. The thing is, that before the gig, in between the gig and after; he was playing/practising. So, like he says himself; he´s practicing all the time :)
I had never heard of Mike Stern until one day , I walked into the jazz dept of the newly opened Tower records in Piccadilly Circus, London & this was playing....needless to say it was my first of many purchases of Mike Stern albums👍
Apart from the obvious props to the frontmen, the drummer and bassist are grooving like crazy. Such a pleasure to listen to. The video editing gave me epilepsy a couple of times though.
Who is more underrated? Michael Brecker or Mike Stern? What awesome musicians! The tracking on one of the first 1987 MIDI wind controller's must have sucked but Michael made it sound flawless! I saw this live in Ann Arbor MI 1987! Peace from Detroit MI.
Michael Brecker, he always had the best notes, him and his brother had a way of phrasing and Michael is one of those talents if you were lucky enough to have heard him play when he was alive makes you crave for more of this., There will never be another Michael Brecker. Sadly, but we can thank God for having been blessed with hearing his genius. Jazz in Heaven?, you bet there is!!
I was lucky enough to see this band five times, as well as an earlier version with Omar Hakim on drums. It was the most intense performances I have ever seen. Everyone was a monster.
a lot of the good jazzers are unlikely candidates for heaven, that’s why the narrative is BS, how could it be heaven if some of my best buddies and idols will not be there?
Saw Brecker in Phila. several years ago and it was , I believe the first tour / introduction of the EWI.....I recall the highs pierced my eardrums bordering on discomfort and the lows were vibrating my ribcage more than any electric bassist I'd ever seen....haha still loved it ! But put a woodwind in this man's hands and he was dangerous....He left us alot of excellent material but just like all the greats , I miss what could have been.
I have been there that evening and it has incredibly good concert, starting well after midnight, as Sun Ra Arkestra playing before them extended their performance quite a lot. In spite of that no one felt tired, it has been really exciting night, ending after 3AM Monday morning. All guys were just perfect.
The Electric Wind Synthesizer was made for Michael Brecker, and so were the tenor and soprano saxophonbes.(lol) Bob Mintzer reported that Brecker was also a "bad-as-ass" flutist; no surprises there. Eddie Harris and King Curtis had had their saxophones "electrified" by the mouthpieces which were then plugged into a rhythm accessory which contained different sounds and various distorted effects. Randy, Michael's elder trumpet-playing brother, revealed that, during their formative years, they would listen to King Curtis and Clifford Brown, trumpet virtuoso. Great work, fellows!
