Randal Edward Brecker (born November 27, 1945) is an American trumpeter,

flugelhorn The flugelhorn (), also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flügelhorn, is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet, but has a wider, more conical bore. Like trumpets and cornets, most flugelhorns are pitched in B♭, though ...

ist, and composer. His versatility has made him a popular studio musician who has recorded with acts in

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

, and R&B.

Early life

Brecker was born on November 27, 1945, in the

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

suburb of

Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...

to a musical family. His father Bob (Bobby) was a lawyer who played jazz piano, and his mother Sylvia was a portrait artist. Randy described his father as "a semipro jazz pianist and trumpet fanatic. In school when I was eight, they only offered trumpet or clarinet. I chose trumpet from hearing Diz, Miles, Clifford, and Chet Baker at home. My brother (

Michael Brecker Michael Leonard Brecker (March 29, 1949 – January 13, 2007) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He was awarded 15 Grammy Awards as a performer and composer, received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music in ...

) didn't want to play the same instrument as I did, so three years later he chose the clarinet!" Randy's father, Bob, was also a songwriter and singer who loved to listen to recordings of the great jazz trumpet players such as

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( ; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...

and

Clifford Brown Clifford Benjamin Brown (October 30, 1930 – June 26, 1956) was an American jazz trumpeter, pianist and composer. He died at the age of 25 in a car crash, leaving behind four years' worth of recordings. His compositions "Sandu", "Joy Sprin ...

. He took Randy and his younger brother

to see Davis,

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk ( October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the Jazz standard, standard jazz repertoire, includ ...

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...

, and many other jazz icons. Brecker attended Cheltenham High School from 1959 to 1963 and then

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

from 1963 to 1966 studying with Bill Adam, David Baker and Jerry Coker and later moved to New York and performed with

Clark Terry Clark Virgil Terry Jr. (December 14, 1920 – February 21, 2015) was an American Swing music, swing and bebop trumpeter, a pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz, and a composer and educator. He played with Charlie Barnet (1947), Count Basie (1948� ...

's Big Bad Band, the Duke Pearson and the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra.

Career

In 1967, Brecker ventured into jazz-rock with the band

Blood, Sweat & Tears Blood, Sweat & Tears (also known as "BS&T") is an American jazz rock music group founded in New York City in 1967, noted for a combination of brass with rock instrumentation. BS&T has gone through numerous iterations with varying personnel and ...

, on their first album '' Child Is Father to the Man'', but left to join the Horace Silver Quintet. Brecker recorded his first solo album, ''Score'', in 1968, featuring his brother

. After Horace Silver, Randy Brecker joined

Art Blakey Arthur Blakey (October 11, 1919 – October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He was also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina after he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s. Blakey made a name for himself in the 1 ...

's Jazz Messengers before teaming up with brother Michael, Barry Rogers,

Billy Cobham William Emanuel Cobham Jr. (born May 16, 1944) is a Panamanian–American jazz drummer who came to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with trumpeter Miles Davis and then with the Mahavishnu Orchestra. He was inducted into the '' Mode ...

, and John Abercrombie to form the fusion group

Dreams A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5–20 minutes, althou ...

. The group recorded two albums: ''Dreams'' and ''Imagine My Surprise'' for

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

before they disbanded in 1971. In the early 1970s, Brecker performed live with many artists including The Eleventh House,

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

and

. He also recorded several albums with his brother under pianist/composer

Hal Galper Harold Galper (born April 18, 1938) is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, educator, and writer. Biography He was born in Salem, Massachusetts, United States. Galper studied classical piano as a boy, but switched to jazz wh ...

. By 1975, Randy and Michael formed the

Brecker Brothers The Brecker Brothers were a jazz fusion music duo consisting of siblings Michael and Randy. Michael played saxophone, flute, and EWI, and Randy played trumpet and flugelhorn. The brothers attended Cheltenham High School in Wyncote, Pennsylva ...

band. They released six albums on Arista and garnered seven Grammy nominations between 1975 and 1981. Their first record, '' The Brecker Bros.'', featured Randy's composition "Some Skunk Funk", and he composed several pieces on this and subsequent albums. After the Brecker Brothers disbanded in 1982, Randy recorded and toured as a member of

Jaco Pastorius John Francis Anthony Pastorius III, also known as Jaco Pastorius (; December 1, 1951 – September 21, 1987), was an American jazz bassist, composer, and producer. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential bassists of all time, ...

' Word of Mouth big band. It was soon thereafter that he met and later married Brazilian jazz pianist

Eliane Elias Eliane Elias (born 19 March 1960) is a Brazilian jazz pianist, singer, composer and arranger. Biography Elias was born in São Paulo, Brazil, on 19 March 1960. She started studying piano when she was seven, and at age twelve she was transcribing ...

. Eliane and Randy formed their own band, touring the world several times and recording one album named after their daughter together, ''Amanda,'' on

Passport Records Passport Records was a U.S.-based independent record label that existed between 1973 and 1988. It was notable for popularizing such artists as Larry Fast, FM, Richard Barone, and Wendy O. Williams. It was distributed by Jem Records in the Unit ...

. In 1977 he founded the jazz club '' Seventh Avenue South'' with his brother Michael Brecker. In 1992 Randy and Michael reunited for a world tour and the triple-Grammy nominated GRP recording ''The Return of the Brecker Brothers''. The follow-up, 1994's '' Out of the Loop'', was a double-Grammy winner. In 1995 he was featured on ''Turtles'', an album by Polish composer Włodek Pawlik. In 1997, '' Into the Sun'' (Concord), a recording featuring Brecker's impressions of Brazil, garnered Brecker his first Grammy as a solo artist. In 2001, Brecker released ''Hangin' in the City'' (ESC), a solo project that introduced his alter-ego Randroid with lyrics and vocals by Randroid himself. This CD was released in Europe, where Brecker toured extensively with his own line-up. Brecker's next CD for ESC Records, '' 34th N Lex'', won him his third Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Album in 2003. That summer he went back to Europe with the

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, block chords, innovative chord voicings, a ...

Soulbop Band. In the summer of 2003 the Brecker Brothers appeared in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

at the Mount Fuji Jazz Festival. 2004 saw Brecker touring Europe as co-leader (with Bill Evans) of the band Soulbop. The WDR Big Band also invited Brecker to perform at the azz Fest The date was of significance to Randy as it was the last time he played with his brother, who took ill shortly thereafter with a rare form of leukemia known as MDS. In 2005, Brecker's wife Ada (married 2001) sat in for the first time. Brecker's schedule continued with the Randy Brecker Band performing throughout Eastern Europe. In 2007, Brecker was awarded his fourth Grammy for ''Randy Brecker Live with the WDR Big Band'' (Telarc/BHM), the live recording (also available in DVD format) of his performance with Michael at the Leverkusen Jazz Fest in 2004. Michael died that same year on January 13. 2007 also saw the release of a two-CD set of live recordings of the band Soulbop (BHM) featuring

Dave Kikoski Dave Kikoski (born September 29, 1961) is an American jazz piano, jazz pianist and keyboardist. Biography Born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Kikoski learned piano from his father and played with him in bars as a teenager. He studied at the Ber ...

, Victor Bailey, Steve Smith, Rodney Holmes and

Hiram Bullock Hiram Law Bullock (September 11, 1955 – July 25, 2008) was an American guitarist known mainly for playing in jazz funk and jazz fusion, but he also worked as a session musician in a variety of genres. Biography Bullock was born in Osaka, Ja ...

. Brecker returned to Brazilian music in 2008 for the album ''Randy in Brazil'', which was recorded in

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

with Brazilian musicians and released on Summit Records. Chosen as one of the top 10 CDs of 2008 by

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

, the CD won the Grammy for "Best Contemporary Jazz Album", bringing his Grammy total to five. A ''Tribute to the Brecker Brothers'' featuring Randy and recorded live at the Hamamatsu Jazz Festival in Japan with Yoichi Murata's Solid Brass & Big Band was released by

JVC Victor is a subsidiary of JVCKenwood that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It is known as JVC Entertainment in countries where Sony Music Entertainment operates the R ...

in Japan in late 2008. In 2009, Brecker released ''Jazz Suite Tykocin'', a project initiated and conceived by Włodek Pawlik, featuring Randy as a soloist with members of the Bialystok Philharmonic. Tykocin is the area in Poland where Brecker's ancestors (mother's maiden name: Tecosky) hail from, a fact that Pawlik discovered. 2011 saw the release of ''The Jazz Ballad Song Book: Randy Brecker with the Danish Radio Big Band and The Danish National Chamber Orchestra'', which garnered four Grammy nominations and critical acclaim. In 2012,

Legacy Recordings Legacy Recordings is an American record label that is a division of Sony Music. Formed in 1990 after Sony's acquisition of CBS Records, Legacy originally handled the archives of Sony Music-owned labels Columbia Records and Epic Records. In 2 ...

released the boxed set ''The Brecker Brothers – The Complete Arista Albums Collection''. In November of that year the album '' Night in Calisia'', a collaboration between Brecker, the Wlodek Pawlik Trio, the Kalisz Philharmonic Orchestra and Adam Klocek was released in Poland. The album came out in the US in August 2013, and won the 2014 Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album, Brecker's sixth Grammy Award. A Brecker Brothers Band Reunion tour of European festivals in the summer of 2013 supported Brecker's ''Brecker Brothers Band Reunion'', a dual-disk project which was released on September 25, 2013, on Piloo Records. It features a live DVD recorded at the Blue Note in New York City with a new 11-song studio recording featuring members of the Brecker Brothers bands from throughout the years including

David Sanborn David William Sanborn (July 30, 1945 – May 12, 2024) was an American alto saxophonist. He worked in many musical genres; his solo recordings typically blended jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He began playing the saxophone at the age o ...

, Mike Stern, Will Lee, and

Dave Weckl Dave Weckl (born January 8, 1960, in St. Louis, Missouri) is an American jazz fusion drummer and the leader of the Dave Weckl Band. He was inducted into the ''Modern Drummer'' Hall of Fame in 2000. Biography Weckl started playing his first se ...

. George Whitty produced the album, and Brecker's wife Ada Rovatti also played saxophone. The recording was released in North America by Magenta/E-One, in Europe by Moosicus Records in November and in Japan by Victor. It is dedicated to his brother, Michael, and other departed Brecker Brothers Band members. In 2022, Randy began performing the acoustic jazz compositions of his brother

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...

, arranged for the first time to include trumpet, with saxophonis
Tod DIckow
and the Bay Area tri

Performances to date have included shows a
Birdland
(NYC)
Ronnie Scott's
(London)
The Merchants House of Glasgow
(U.K.), Blues Alley (DC)
Dazzle
(Denver)
SF Jazz
(San Francisco)
Vibrato
(Los Angeles) th
Scarborough Jazz Festival
(the UK), the San Jose Jaz
Breakroom
(California), the new Palo Alto jazz clu
MeyhouseThe Spin
Jazz Club (U.K.)
The Stoller Hall
(U.K.) and more. The collaboration was the subject of
newspaper article
in the San Jose Mercury News written by jazz journalis
Andrew Gilbert
and
review
of the Dazzle performance written by Geoff Anderson.

Discography

As leader

* 1969: ''

Score SCORE may refer to: *SCORE (software), a music scorewriter program * SCORE (television), a weekend sports service of the defunct Financial News Network *SCORE! Educational Centers *SCORE International, an offroad racing organization *Sarawak Corrido ...

'' ( Solid State, 1969) * 1985: '' Amanda'' with

(

Passport A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that certifies a person's identity and nationality for international travel. A passport allows its bearer to enter and temporarily reside in a foreign country, access local aid ...

, 1985) * 1986: ''In the Idiom'' (

Denon is a Japanese electronics company dealing with audio equipment. The Denon brand came from a merger of Denki Onkyo (not to be confused with the other Onkyo) and others in 1939. It originally started as Nippon Chikuonki Shoukai in 1910 by Freder ...

, 1987) * 1988 ''Live at Sweet Basil'' ( GNP Crescendo, 1988) – live * 1990: ''Toe to Toe'' ( MCA, 1990) * 1995: '' Into the Sun'' (Concord, 1997) * 2001: ''Hangin' in the City'' (ESC, 2001) * 2002: '' 34th N Lex'' (ESC, 2003) * 2003: ''Soul Bop Band Live'' with

(BHM Productions, 2004) – live * 2003: '' Some Skunk Funk'' with

(

Telarc Telarc International Corporation is an American audiophile independent record label founded in 1977 by two classically trained musicians and former teachers, Jack Renner and Robert Woods. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, the label has had a long assoc ...

, 2005) – live * 2006: '' Randy in Brasil'' (

Mama Mama(s) or Mamma or Momma may refer to: Roles *Mother, a female parent * Mama-san, in Japan and East Asia, a woman in a position of authority *Maternal uncle, in some parts of South Asia Places * Mama, Russia, an urban-type settlement in the Mam ...

, 2008) * 2008: ''Nostalgic Journey'' (Summit, 2009) * 2011?: ''The Jazz Ballad Song Book'' with the Danish Radio Big Band (Half Note/Red Dot, 2012) * 2011: '' Night in Calisia'' (Summit, 2012) – featuring Włodek Pawlik Trio, Kalisz Philharmonic Orchestra & Adam * 2012: ''Trumpet Summit Prague: The Mendoza Arrangements Live'' with Bobby Shew, Jan Hasenohrl (Summit, 2015) – live * 2012–13: ''The Brecker Brothers Band Reunion'' (Moosicus, 2013) D + DVD-Video* 2014: ''Dearborn Station'' (Jazzed Media, 2015) – with the

DePaul University DePaul University is a private university, private Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from ...

Jazz Ensemble * 2015: ''RandyPOP!'' (Piloo, 2015) – live at " Blue Note Jazz Club" * 2018: ''Together'' with Mats Holmquist (Mama, 2018) – also with UMO Jazz Orchestra * 2018: ''Live At Sweet Basil 1988'' ( Gazell Records, 2018) - as Randy Brecker Quintet * 2019: ''Rocks'' (Piloo Records, 2019) * 2019: ''Sacred Bond'' with Ada Rovatti (Piloo Records, 2019) * 2020: ''Double Dealin with

Eric Marienthal Eric Marienthal (born December 19, 1957) is a Grammy Award-nominated Los Angeles-based contemporary saxophonist best known for his work in the jazz, jazz fusion, smooth jazz, and pop genres. Early life Eric Marienthal was born on December 19, 1 ...

( Shanachie, 2020) As the

* '' The Brecker Bros.'' ( Arista, 1975) * '' Back to Back'' (Arista, 1976) * '' Don't Stop the Music'' (Arista, 1977) * '' Heavy Metal Be-Bop'' (Arista, 1978) – live * '' Detente'' (Arista, 1980) * '' Straphangin''' (Arista, 1981) * '' Return of the Brecker Brothers'' ( GRP, 1992) * '' Out of the Loop'' (GRP, 1994) * ''Live And Unreleased'' (Piloo Records, 2020)

As group

* ''Dreams'' ( Columbia, 1970) * ''Imagine My Surprise'' (Columbia, 1971) GRP All-Star Big Band * '' GRP All-Star Big Band'' (GRP, 1992) * '' Dave Grusin Presents GRP All-Star Big Band Live!'' (GRP, 1993) – live * '' All Blues'' (GRP, 1995) – recorded in 1994

As sideman

With

Patti Austin Patti Austin (born August 10, 1950) is an American Grammy Award-winning R&B, pop, and jazz singer and songwriter best known for " Baby, Come to Me", her 1982 duet with James Ingram, which topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 after its re-release ...

* '' End of a Rainbow'' ( CTI, 1976) * ''Body Language'' (CTI, 1980) * ''In My Life'' (CTI, 1983) * ''Gettin' Away with Murder'' (CTI, 1985) With

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American jazz fusion guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the ...

* ''

Good King Bad ''Good King Bad'' is the thirteenth studio album by American guitarist George Benson featuring performances recorded in 1975 and released by CTI Records in 1976.Payne, DCTI Records discographyaccessed February 24, 2012 Reception The Allmusic r ...

'' (CTI, 1976) – recorded in 1975 * '' Pacific Fire'' (CTI, 1983) – recorded in 1975 * ''

In Your Eyes In Your Eyes may refer to: Film * ''In Your Eyes'', a 2004 film featuring Michael DeLorenzo * In Your Eyes (2010 film), ''In Your Eyes'' (2010 film), a Philippine romantic drama * In Your Eyes (2014 film), ''In Your Eyes'' (2014 film), a film writt ...

'' (Warner Bros., 1983) * '' Big Boss Band'' (Warner Bros., 1990) With Walter Bishop Jr. * '' Soul Village'' (Muse, 1977) * ''

Cubicle A cubicle is a partially enclosed office workspace that is separated from neighboring workspaces by partitions that are usually tall. Its purpose is to isolate office workers and managers from the sights and noises of an open workspace so that ...

'' (Muse, 1978) With Frank Catalano * ''Pins 'n' Needles'' ( Lakeside, 1997) * ''Live at the Green Mill'' ( Delmark, 2000) With

* '' Shabazz'' (Atlantic, 1975) * '' A Funky Thide of Sings'' (Atlantic, 1975) With

* '' Cross Currents'' (Denon, 1987) * '' So Far So Close'' (Blue Note, 1989) * '' Kissed by Nature'' (RCA, 2002) * '' Light My Fire'' (Concord Picante, 2011) * '' I Thought About You'' (Concord, 2013) * '' Dance of Time'' (Concord, 2017) With

Donald Fagen Donald Jay Fagen (born January 10, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and musician who is the co-founder, lead singer, co-songwriter, and keyboardist of the rock band Steely Dan, formed in the early 1970s with musical partner Walter Becker ...

* '' The Nightfly'' (Warner Bros., 1982) * '' Kamakiriad'' (Warner Bros., 1993) With Michael Franks * '' Tiger in the Rain'' (1979) * '' Objects of Desire'' (1982) * ''

Passionfruit ''Passiflora edulis'', commonly known as passion fruit, is a vine species of passion flower native to the region of southern Brazil through Paraguay to northern Argentina. It is cultivated commercially in tropical and subtropical areas for its ...

'' (1983) * '' The Camera Never Lies'' (1987) * '' Abandoned Garden'' (1995) * '' Barefoot on the Beach'' (1999) With

* '' The Guerilla Band'' (Mainstream, 1971) * '' Wild Bird'' (Mainstream, 1972) * '' Reach Out!'' (SteepleChase, 1976) With Bob James * '' Lucky Seven'' (Tappan Zee, 1979) * '' H'' (Tappan Zee, 1980) With

Garland Jeffreys Garland Jeffreys (born June 29, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter in rock and roll, reggae, blues, and soul music. Career Jeffreys is from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, of African American and Puerto Rican heritage. He majored in art histo ...

* ''

Ghost Writer A ghostwriter is a person hired to write literature, literary or journalism, journalistic works, speeches, or other texts that are credited to another person as the author. Celebrities, executives, participants in timely news stories, and pol ...

'' (1977) * '' One-Eyed Jack'' (1978) With

Jimmy McGriff James Harrell McGriff (April 3, 1936 – May 24, 2008) was an American hard bop and soul-jazz organist and organ trio bandleader. Biography Early years and influences Born in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, McGriff started playing pia ...

* '' Red Beans'' (Groove Merchant, 1976) * ''

Tailgunner A tail gunner or rear gunner is a crewman on a military aircraft who functions as a air gunner, gunner defending against enemy fighter aircraft, fighter or interceptor aircraft, interceptor attacks from the rear, or "tail", of the plane. The t ...

'' (LRC, 1977) With Mingus Dynasty * 1988: '' Live at the Theatre Boulogne-Billancourt/Paris, Vol. 1'' ( Soul Note, 1989) * 1988: '' Live at the Theatre Boulogne-Billancourt/Paris, Vol. 2'' (Soul Note, 1993) With

Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan ( ), is an American singer. Known as the " Queen of Funk", her career has spanned more than five decades beginning in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of ...

* ''

'' (1978) * '' Naughty'' (1980) * '' What Cha' Gonna Do for Me'' (1981) * ''

Destiny Destiny, sometimes also called fate (), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. Fate Although often used interchangeably, the words ''fate'' and ''destiny'' ...

'' (1986) With

Bette Midler Bette Midler ( ;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and author. Throughout her five-decade career Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Bette Midler, numero ...

* '' Songs for the New Depression'' (1976) * '' Thighs and Whispers'' (1979) With

Idris Muhammad Idris Muhammad (; born Leo Morris; November 13, 1939 – July 29, 2014) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He had an extensive career performing jazz, funk, Rhythm and blues, R&B, and Soul music, soul music and recorded with musicians s ...

* '' Power of Soul'' (

Kudu The kudus are two species of antelope of the genus '' Tragelaphus'': * Lesser kudu, ''Tragelaphus imberbis'', of eastern Africa * Greater kudu, ''Tragelaphus strepsiceros'', of eastern and southern Africa The two species look similar, th ...

, 1974) * ''Could Heaven Ever Be Like This'' (Kudu, 1977) * ''Camby Bolongo'' (Kudu, 1977) With

* ''

'' (Epic, 1976) * '' Invitation'' (Warner Bros, 1983) With Duke Pearson * '' Introducing Duke Pearson's Big Band'' (

Blue Note Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by German-Jewish emigrants Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue no ...

, 1967) * '' Now Hear This'' (Blue Note, 1968) With

Todd Rundgren Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the bands Nazz and Utopia. He is known for his sophistica ...

* ''

Something/Anything? ''Something/Anything?'' is the third album by American musician Todd Rundgren, released in February 1972. It was Rundgren's first album released under his own name, following two records credited to the quasi-group project Runt, and was also his ...

'' ( Bearsville, 1972) * '' A Wizard, a True Star'' (Bearsville, 1973) * '' Todd'' (Bearsville, 1973) With Don Sebesky * '' Giant Box'' (CTI, 1973) * '' The Rape of El Morro'' (CTI, 1975) With

Horace Silver Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver (September 2, 1928 – June 18, 2014) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, particularly in the hard bop style that he helped pioneer in the 1950s. After playing tenor saxophone and piano at sch ...

* '' You Gotta Take a Little Love'' (Blue Note, 1969) * '' In Pursuit of the 27th Man'' (Blue Note, 1972) * '' A Prescription for the Blues'' (Impulse!, 1997) With

Spyro Gyra Spyro Gyra is an American jazz fusion band that was formed in Buffalo, New York, in 1974. The band's music combines jazz, R&B, funk, and pop music. The band's name comes from ''Spirogyra'', a genus of green algae which founder Jay Beckenste ...

* ''

Morning Dance ''Morning Dance'' is the second album by the jazz fusion group Spyro Gyra. The album was released in March 9, 1979 and was certified gold by the RIAA on September 19, 1979, and was certified platinum on June 1, 1987. At ''Billboard'' magazine, ...

'' ( MCA, 1979) * '' Catching the Sun'' (MCA, 1980) With

Rickie Lee Jones Rickie Lee Jones (born November 8, 1954) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter. Over the course of a career that spans five decades and 15 studio albums, she has recorded in various musical styles including rock, R&B, pop, soul, an ...

* '' Pirates'' (1981) * '' Flying Cowboys'' (1989) With

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Althoug ...

* ''

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

'' (RCA, 1973) * '' New Sensations'' (RCA, 1984) With

Carly Simon Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Billboard Hot 100, top 40 U.S. hits include "Anticipation (song), Anticipatio ...

* '' Boys in the Trees'' (1978) * '' Spy'' (1979) * ''

Torch A torch is a stick with combustible material at one end which can be used as a light source or to set something on fire. Torches have been used throughout history and are still used in processions, symbolic and religious events, and in juggl ...

'' (1981) With

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter known for his solo work and his collaborations with Art Garfunkel. He and Garfunkel, whom he met in elementary school in 1953, came to prominence in the 1960s as Sim ...

* ''

Graceland Graceland is a mansion on a estate in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, once owned by American singer Elvis Presley. Presley is buried there, as are his parents Vernon and Gladys, paternal grandmother Minnie Mae, grandson Benjamin, and daugh ...

'' (1986) * '' The Rhythm of the Saints'' (1990) With

Phoebe Snow Phoebe Snow (born Phoebe Ann Laub; July 17, 1950 – April 26, 2011) was an American roots music singer-songwriter and guitarist, known for her hit 1974 and 1975 songs "Poetry Man" and "Harpo's Blues", and her credited guest vocals on Paul Simo ...

* '' Never Letting Go'' (1977) * ''Rock Away'' (1981) With

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, us ...

* '' Ringo's Rotogravure'' (1976) * '' Ringo the 4th'' (1977) With

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. Taylor achieved his breakthrough in 1970 with the single "Fi ...

* '' One Man Dog'' (Warner Bros., 1972) * '' Walking Man'' (Warner Bros., 1974) * '' That's Why I'm Here'' (Columbia, 1985) * '' New Moon Shine'' (Columbia, 1991) With Jack Wilkins * ''Merge'' (

Chiaroscuro In art, chiaroscuro ( , ; ) is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts of light to ach ...

, 1978) * ''Reunion'' (Chiaroscuro, 2001) With others *

Air An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...

, ''

'' (

Embryo An embryo ( ) is the initial stage of development for a multicellular organism. In organisms that reproduce sexually, embryonic development is the part of the life cycle that begins just after fertilization of the female egg cell by the male sp ...

, 1971) *

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of lead vocalist Steven Tyler, bassist Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton, drummer Joey Kramer, and guitarists Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry and B ...

, ''

Get Your Wings ''Get Your Wings'' is the second studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released on March 15, 1974. The album was their first to be produced by Jack Douglas, who also was responsible for the band's next three albums. Three singles were ...

'' (Columbia, 1974) *

Philip Bailey Philip James Bailey (born May 8, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter and percussionist, best known as an early member and one of the two lead singers (along with group founder Maurice White) of the band Earth, Wind & Fire. Noted for his fo ...

, ''Dreams'' (1999) *

Gato Barbieri Leandro "Gato" Barbieri (November 28, 1932 – April 2, 2016) was an Argentine jazz tenor saxophonist who rose to fame during the free jazz movement in the 1960s and is known for his Latin jazz recordings of the 1970s. His nickname, Gato, is Spa ...

, '' Chapter Three: Viva Emiliano Zapata'' (Impulse!, 1974) *

Bob Berg Robert Berg (April 7, 1951 – December 5, 2002) was an American jazz saxophonist. Biography Berg was born in Brooklyn, New York. Berg started his musical education at the age of six when he began studying classical piano. He began playing ...

, ''Another Standard'' (Stretch, 1997) * Michel Bisceglia, ''About Stories'' (BMG, 1997) *

Carla Bley Carla Bley (born Lovella May Borg; May 11, 1936 – October 17, 2023) was an American jazz composer, pianist, organist, and bandleader. An important figure in the free jazz movement of the 1960s, she gained acclaim for her jazz opera ''Escalator ...

, '' Night-Glo'' (Watt, 1985) *

Ron Carter Ronald Levin Carter (born May 4, 1937) is an American jazz double bassist. His appearances on 2,221 recording sessions make him the most-recorded jazz bassist in history. He has won three Grammy Awards, and is also a Cello, cellist who has reco ...

, '' Anything Goes'' (

, 1975) *

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

, ''

August August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Southern Hemisphere, August is the seasonal equivalent of February in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, August ...

'' (1986) * David Clayton-Thomas, ''Clayton'' (1978) *

Joe Cocker John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances featuring expressive body movements. Most of his best-known singles, such as "Feelin' Alright ...

, '' Civilized Man'' (1984) * Dan Costa, ''Iremia'' (2022) * Ray Drummond, '' Continuum'' (Arabesque, 1994) * Robin Eubanks, '' Mental Images'' ( JMT, 1994) *

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...

, '' Aretha'' (1980) * Bunky Green, '' Places We've Never Been'' (Vanguard, 1979) * g.org, ''A New Kind of Blue'' (2004) * Toninho Horta, ''Moonstone'' (Verve Forecast, 1989) * Jaroslav Jakubovič, ''Coincidence'' (VMM, 2009) *

, '' Escape Artists'' (1981) *

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

Blue Moves ''Blue Moves'' is the eleventh studio album by English musician Elton John. It was released on 22 October 1976 through John's own Rocket Record Company (his first for the label), alongside MCA Records in certain countries. John's second double ...

'' (1976) *

Al Kooper Al Kooper (born Alan Peter Kuperschmidt; February 5, 1944) is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Throughout much of the 1960s and 1970s he was a prolific studio musician, including playing organ on the Bob Dylan song " Like ...

, ''Rekooperation'' (1994) *

Steve Khan Steve Khan (born Steven Harris Cahn; April 28, 1947) is an American jazz guitarist. Career Steven Harris Cahn was born in Los Angeles. His father, lyricist Sammy Cahn, "loved to hear any and all versions of his songs". He took piano lessons as a ...

, ''Backlog'' (2016) *

Yusef Lateef Yusef Abdul Lateef (born William Emanuel Huddleston; October 9, 1920 – December 23, 2013) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and prominent figure among the Ahmadiyya Community in the United States. Although Lateef's main i ...

, '' In a Temple Garden'' (CTI, 1979) * Hubert Laws, '' The Chicago Theme'' (CTI, 1974) * O'Donel Levy ''

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

'' (Groove Merchant, 1976) *

Arif Mardin Arif Mardin (March 15, 1932 – June 25, 2006) was a Turkish-American music producer, who worked with hundreds of artists across many different styles of music, including jazz, rock, soul, disco and country. He worked at Atlantic Records for ov ...

, '' Journey'' (Atlantic, 1974) * Markolino Dimond featuring Frankie Dante, ''Beethoven's V'' (Cotique, 1975) *

Melanie Melanie is a feminine given name derived from the Greek language, Greek μελανία (melania), "blackness" and that from μέλας (melas), meaning "dark".Metropole Orkest conducted by John Clayton, ''Better Get Hit In Your Soul: A Tribute To the Music of Charles Mingus'', (BHM Productions, 2012) *

Laura Nyro Laura Nyro ( ; born Laura Nigro; October 18, 1947 – April 8, 1997) was an American songwriter and singer. She achieved critical acclaim with her own recordings, particularly the albums ''Eli and the Thirteenth Confession'' (1968) and ''Ne ...

Smile A smile is a facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile. Among humans, a smile expresses d ...

'' (1976) *

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono (, usually spelled in katakana as ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up in Tokyo and moved to New York ...

, ''

A Story ''A Story'' is an album by Yoko Ono, recorded in 1974, during the "lost weekend" sessions in which John Lennon produced '' Walls and Bridges''. It was unreleased until the 1992 box set '' Onobox'', which featured material from ''A Story'' on ...

'' (1997) * Lonnie Smith '' Keep on Lovin''' (Groove Merchant, 1976) *

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...

, '' Born to Run'' (1975) *

Dire Straits Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals, lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Pick Withers (drums, percussion). Th ...

, '' Brothers in Arms'' (1985) *

, '' Child Is Father to the Man'' ( Columbia, 1968) *

Johnny Hodges Johnny Hodges (July 25, 1907 – May 11, 1970) was an American alto saxophone, alto saxophonist, best known for solo work with Duke Ellington's big band. He played lead alto in the saxophone section for many years. Hodges was also featured on sop ...

, ''

3 Shades of Blue ''3 Shades of Blue'' is the final album recorded as leader by American jazz saxophonist Johnny Hodges featuring performances recorded in 1970 with vocalist Leon Thomas and composer/arranger Oliver Nelson and first released on the Flying Dutchman ...

'' (

Flying Dutchman The ''Flying Dutchman'' () is a legendary ghost ship, allegedly never able to make port, but doomed to sail the sea forever. The myths and ghost stories are likely to have originated from the 17th-century Golden Age of the Dutch East India C ...

, 1970) *

Jennifer Holliday Jennifer Yvette Holliday (born October 19, 1960) is an American singer and actress. She started her career on Broadway in musicals such as ''Dreamgirls'' (1981–83), '' Your Arms Too Short to Box with God'' (1980–1981) and later became a ...

, '' Say You Love Me'' (1985) *

Dave Liebman David Liebman (born September 4, 1946) is an American saxophonist, flautist and jazz educator. He is known for his innovative lines and use of atonality. He was a frequent collaborator with pianist Richie Beirach. In June 2010, he received a ...

, ''

Pendulum A pendulum is a device made of a weight suspended from a pivot so that it can swing freely. When a pendulum is displaced sideways from its resting, equilibrium position, it is subject to a restoring force due to gravity that will accelerate i ...

'' (Artists House, 1978) *

Jack McDuff Eugene McDuffy (September 17, 1926 – January 23, 2001), known professionally as "Brother" Jack McDuff or "Captain" Jack McDuff, was an American jazz organist and organ trio bandleader. He was most prominent during the hard bop and soul jazz ...

, '' Who Knows What Tomorrow's Gonna Bring?'' (

, 1970) *

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, ...

, '' Gently'' (1996) * Alphonse Mouzon, '' Funky Snakefoot'' (Blue Note, 1973) * Mark Murphy, '' Bridging a Gap'' (Muse, 1972) *

David "Fathead" Newman David "Fathead" Newman (February 24, 1933 – January 20, 2009) was an American jazz and rhythm-and-blues saxophonist, who made numerous recordings as a session musician and leader, but is best known for his work as a sideman on seminal 1950s an ...

, '' Scratch My Back'' (Prestige, 1979) * Aaron Neville, ''Nature Boy: The Standards Album'' (2003) *

, '' Walk the Dog and Light the Light'' (1993) * Robert Palmer, '' Double Fun'' (1978) * Włodek Pawlik, ''Turtles'' (1995) * Ben Sidran, ''Live in Montreux'' (Sony, 1978) *

, ''Something Real'' (1989) *

Candi Staton Canzetta Maria "Candi" Staton (, ) (born March 13, 1940) is an American singer–songwriter, best known in the United States for her 1970 cover of Tammy Wynette's " Stand by Your Man" and her 1976 disco chart-topper " Young Hearts Run Free". In E ...

, ''Chance'' (1979) *

Stanley Turrentine Stanley William Turrentine (April 5, 1934 – September 12, 2000) was an American jazz tenor saxophone, tenor saxophonist and record producer. He began his career playing R&B for Earl Bostic and later soul jazz recording for the Blue Note Reco ...

, '' Nightwings'' (Fantasy, 1977) *

, ''Candi Staton'' (1980) *

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023) was a singer, songwriter, actress, and author. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", her vocal prowess, raspy voice, and electrifyin ...

, '' Love Explosion'' (1979) * Miroslav Vitous, '' Universal Syncopations II'' ( ECM, 1995) *

Roseanna Vitro Roseanna Elizabeth Vitro (born February 28, 1951) is a jazz singer and teacher from Arkansas. Biography Born Roseanna Elizabeth VitroScott Fredrickson and Gary W. Kennedy.Vitro (Wickliffe), Roseanna" In ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'', 2 ...

and

Kenny Werner Kenny Werner (born November 19, 1951) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and author. Early life Born in Brooklyn, New York, on November 19, 1951, and then growing up in Oceanside, Long Island, Werner began playing and performing at a young ...

, '' The Delirium Blues Project: Serve or Suffer'' (

Half Note In music, a half note (American) or minim (British) is a Musical note, note played for half the duration of a whole note (or semibreve) and twice the duration of a quarter note (or crotchet). It was given its Latin name (''minima'', meaning "le ...

, 2008) * Grover Washington Jr., '' A House Full of Love'' (Columbia, 1986) * Charles Williams, ''

Stickball Stickball is a street game similar to baseball, usually formed as a pick-up game played in large cities in the Northeastern United States, especially New York City, Philadelphia, and Boston. The equipment consists of a broom handle and a rubber ...

'' (

Mainstream Mainstream may refer to: Film * ''Mainstream'' (film), a 2020 American film Literature * ''Mainstream'' (fanzine), a science fiction fanzine * Mainstream Publishing, a Scottish publisher * ''Mainstream'', a 1943 book by Hamilton Basso * ...

, 1972) * V.A.., ''Thank You, Joe! Arkadia Jazz Presents: Our Tribute To Joe Henderson''(Arkadia Jazz, 2000)

References

External links

Official WebsiteRandy Brecker interview
with Mike Brannon at allaboutjazz.com
Interview with Randy Brecker (audio)Randy Brecker's recording of 'Ballad of John Henry'
for Pioneers for a Cure
Randy Brecker interview
on Yuzu Melodies {{DEFAULTSORT:Brecker, Randy Jazz fusion trumpeters Crossover jazz trumpeters Hard bop trumpeters 1945 births Living people American jazz trumpeters American male trumpeters Bebop trumpeters Musicians from Philadelphia Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania American male jazz musicians P-Funk members Blood, Sweat & Tears members Grammy Award winners Blue Note Records artists Arista Records artists MCA Records artists Telarc Records artists People from Cheltenham, Pennsylvania Dreams (band) members White Elephant Orchestra members GRP All-Star Big Band members Mingus Big Band members Mingus Dynasty (band) members The Eleventh House members Brecker Brothers members The Jazz Messengers members

Early life

Career

Discography

As leader

As group

As sideman

References

Further reading

External links