[Nefertiti]

I wanted to share this interesting video I found on Facebook this morning that was shared by Louis Gerrits who runs the website michaelbreckerliverecordings.com which is a website dedicated to the great tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker who passed away in 2007.

There are thousands of Michael Brecker videos floating around the internet but what makes this one so interesting to me is that it is the only one I have seen of Michael Brecker playing a hard rubber tenor sax mouthpiece during a live performance.

https://www.neffmusic.com/blog/2020...-on-a-hard-rubber-tenor-saxophone-mouthpiece/

 

[A Greene]

I saw this on your weekly email. Pretty dark sound. To me it really takes the punch out of Brecker’s sound like a pillow in the bell. Wonder why he decide to play this show on a HR piece.

 

[Benjamin Allen]

I wanted to share this interesting video I found on Facebook this morning that was shared by Louis Gerrits who runs the website michaelbreckerliverecordings.com which is a website dedicated to the great tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker who passed away in 2007.

There are thousands of Michael Brecker videos floating around the internet but what makes this one so interesting to me is that it is the only one I have seen of Michael Brecker playing a hard rubber tenor sax mouthpiece during a live performance.

https://www.neffmusic.com/blog/2020...-on-a-hard-rubber-tenor-saxophone-mouthpiece/

Fantastic. Thanks for sharing.

 

[JimD]

It's such a poor quality recording that it's hard to draw any conclusions. If you listen to the album, assuming he's using the hard rubber mpc, he still sounds like Brecker, and just as bright to my ears.

 

[LiAm84]

He sounds just like Stan Getz!!

 

[MLucky]

I have heard that he used a HR mouthpiece to record the Ballads album.

 

[HeavyWeather77]

Damn, Neff, this is awesome, thanks for sharing it. Really interesting, I'm gonna have to go back and listen to the "Nearness of You" record, I didn't realize he'd used a Link on that! And I agree with your observations, he still sounds like Brecker but with less high-end bite than the Guardala. Almost like he's got a low-pass filter on his tone. I'd love to see and hear more videos like this, it's an interesting comparison.

It almost sounds to me like he's not quite used to this mouthpiece. Not in a bad way, he still sounds like one of the greatest saxophonists who ever walked the earth, but almost like it inspired him to make some different creative decisions. Very, very cool to hear!

 

[Nefertiti]

Someone on my site said this concert from the same year is also on a hard rubber mouthpiece. There is a photo on the internet with him playing a hard rubber piece that says July 2000 Nice, France concert.

 

[Nefertiti]

Damn, Neff, this is awesome, thanks for sharing it. Really interesting, I'm gonna have to go back and listen to the "Nearness of You" record, I didn't realize he'd used a Link on that! And I agree with your observations, he still sounds like Brecker but with less high-end bite than the Guardala. Almost like he's got a low-pass filter on his tone. I'd love to see and hear more videos like this, it's an interesting comparison.

It almost sounds to me like he's not quite used to this mouthpiece. Not in a bad way, he still sounds like one of the greatest saxophonists who ever walked the earth, but almost like it inspired him to make some different creative decisions. Very, very cool to hear!

Someone on Facebook said they talked to Brecker and he said that all the tracks except one on the Ballads album were with a HR Link. One was with a Guardala. He asked if I could tell which one was on the Guardala? I started listening to it last night as I was lying in bed but fell asleep soon after. I want to listen to all the tracks and see if I can tell........

 

[MojoBari]

It is interesting that he is not trying to make it sound brighter like he used to do on a metal Link.

 

[Nefertiti]

It is interesting that he is not trying to make it sound brighter like he used to do on a metal Link.

How do we know he isn't trying and that's as bright as he can get it?

 

[Nathan Bellott]

so cool, thanks for posting this Steve! I remember in the masterclass tape from the late 80's in Italy (which has disappeared from YT, anyone know where to find it?) that when he was studying with Joe Henderson Joe wanted him to use the soloist mouthpiece and that was a rift that couldn't really be reconciled. I always wondered about him playing HR mouthpiece.

Interesting discussion re: light/dark. I've always thought MB had a dark sound, especially the early days on those links/dukoff but even on the Guardalas there is a darkness. I suppose it's from the strong core in the tone and an absurd level of control of his air.

Anyway thank you!

 

[Pawel Kaminski]

Cool - never saw him playing a hard rubber mouthpiece.
Thanks for sharing!

 

[JazzManCan]

Very cool! Thanks for sharing!

 

[10mfan]

I dug his sound on a metal Link, Dukoff, Guardala, etc....but the hard rubber Link in the original clip, just doesn't do it for me AT ALL....I found this to be the worst sound I've heard coming from Michael, to be honest with you.
I was hoping and expecting to dig it, but I definitely didn’t. Quite the opposite.
WHAT he is playing, is fantastic, as always! The sound I just don't care for at all.
To each his own, as they say.

I am glad you posted this though, because it makes me appreciate the sound and vibrancy I am used to hearing from him on his other pieces, even more.

 

[MojoBari]

How do we know he isn't trying and that's as bright as he can get it?

Really? . I think he gets whatever sound he wants. If he wanted to sound brighter he would or he would switch mouthpieces.

 

[Nefertiti]

Really? . I think he gets whatever sound he wants. If he wanted to sound brighter he would or he would switch mouthpieces.

I just ask because I got the impression at times during the video that he was working hard to make it brighter and even at times it sounded to me like he was biting a bit to get the added edge and brightness. That was my impression anyways.

 

[dctwells]

so cool, thanks for posting this Steve! I remember in the masterclass tape from the late 80's in Italy (which has disappeared from YT, anyone know where to find it?) that when he was studying with Joe Henderson Joe wanted him to use the soloist mouthpiece and that was a rift that couldn't really be reconciled. I always wondered about him playing HR mouthpiece.

Interesting discussion re: light/dark. I've always thought MB had a dark sound, especially the early days on those links/dukoff but even on the Guardalas there is a darkness. I suppose it's from the strong core in the tone and an absurd level of control of his air.

Anyway thank you!

Great post ..... I heard him discuss Joe Hen in a clinic as well but he wouldn't go into the nature of their falling out. Do you know any early recordings that he actually used a Soloist on? I seem to remember hearing he used one with Horace Silver on "In Pursuit of the 27th Man" but I have no idea if that's true.

 

[whaler]

Absolutely beautiful. I never cared for the Guardala sound, especially since I got to hear him live with Hal Halper’s quintet when he was playing a Link.
I like that it doesn’t have the raspiness of the Guardala. It always sounded, to me, like his reed was too soft on the Guardala.
I wonder why he could play a Tone Edge and not an STM? I thought he had a throat issue with Links.

 

[Morph1590]

Cool video! I'm surprised about how different he sounds... obviously he still sounds great. Good video illustrating that it's not all about gear, but also, gear does make a difference.

Would also be really interested to hear more about the Brecker/Henderson thing