1972, perhaps a slant sig? According to the old ibrecker website

 

I have no idea of his setup for that but I have to agree about the recording and the sound. One of the definitive 'pop' solos to my mind. Along with Phil Woods on Dr Wu.

 

At you talking about the version on the Ballads album? That was done in 2001..........


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At you talking about the version on the Ballads album? That was done in 2001..........

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I was told that on the ballads album he was using a EB Rubber link 7* worked on by Frank Wells.

 

I was talking about the original James Taylor version of the song... I didn't know there was another album recording!

 

On his later stuff he done some stuff on a wooden Lebayle mp also.

 

No he did not.

 

Steve, I think he means the original version on 1972 'One Man Dog' LP by James Taylor

 

He is talking about the original version that Everyone (not just us sax nerds) is aware of. My guess would be some sort of metal link???

 

I tried to find the original on YouTube with no success but did find this version ..

Wow, great playing for sure. What was his setup here? This recording reminds me of when I saw MB in St. Pete in a small club, he was on his way to play a big gig in Miami, with Steps Ahead. This kind of playing, up close and personal, is really incredible. Best performance I've ever heard live, the place was electrified every time he played.

 

On this wideo he is playing the same Guardala he (almost?) allways used the last years, he sounds suprisingly round and dark with his Guardala Mouthpiece on some recordings.

I think Phil Barone once wrote that Brecker tested his mouthpieces, maybe it was on the recording of "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight"??

 

I'm pretty sure he used an old 1945 BD Hollywood short shank 7* in the very early 70's. of course I wasn't there so I could be wrong, but I'm 99% sure.

 

Before Mike went to Dukoffs he told me that he never played anything more open than a #6 and the Hollywood's were not short shanks, the Charlie Ventura pieces were short, the Hollywood pieces were quite long in fact. Nevertheless a lot of people felt that he sounded best on a rubber Link. Phil Barone

 

FYI Phil Barone was 13 yrs old in 1972. Not sure if he was in business, yet

 

:sign5:

 

I always thought it sounded like the metal Link. Don't recall which one he favored. If he did play a Hollywood in that era I could easily imagine that piece too. Of course, his mouthpiece du jour is inconsequential when compared to the excellence of his performance.

 

More BS and Blasphemy.

 

My anecdotal experience with Michael Brecker was that he was one of the nicest non-egotistical talented people I have met. He came here to Albuquerque while I didn't live here and played at my friend's performance space and that friend thought he was the nicest "star" who had come through here. I met him through Bob Ackerman at Bob's house while we both were trying horns. Bob kicked us both out of an upstairs bedroom with a stash of Mark VI horns and Michael looked at me sheepishly, raised his shoulders while we both rushed out of the room. He was playing a Guardala piece and was interested in my link and tried it and sounded nearly identical in that little room on both pieces. And he sounded GREAT. I have never been a devotee of his playing ,although I find his improvisations remarkable. Listen to his ballad playing on a Marc Copland CD on a tune called Country Home. I think he just wanted to be a great player and was. If you really want to know what kind of person he was, ask his wife and children if you can. The rest of our opinions are ships passing in the night stories, and no one should be judged by those. His career and his body of work stand for who he was as a musician. Use your ears.

 

Nice!

 

@Phil: I just went to my tech and had a kazoo adjusted to my horn. Man, so many thanks, it looks like sh... but sounds fantastic. You saved us a lot of money, but from now on you will have to be on the run from all those mouthpiece manufacturers including a guy called Phil Barone. It's fantastic, the kazoo makes me sound like the man MB myself, and if serious sources can be trusted, Dave Guardala built Brecker's piece by trimming a blank for weeks until a kazoo could be inserted and fit seamlessly. Dave even considered a custom line of pieces with the notorious "KILL"(Kazoo Inserted Line of Lush-sounding Mouthpieces) (TM) series, but his plans to have kazoos made of gold, silver and platinum had to be put to rest when the prices for the raw material sky-rocketed.

 

Need a shovel to dig through some of the posts.

 

So Phil, I take it you held a grudge against Brecker for something he did regarding your business? We're all humans, we all slip up once in a while. Maybe he was having a bad day that day. I don't mean to pry or stick my nose in peoples' business, but forgiveness is part of being a good, humble human being. For the most part, Brecker WAS a great, humble human being, and I think it's unfair for you to judge him so harshly (Especially about his playing and artistry) based on that one tiny little thing. Nobody's perfect. Again, forgive my butting in, I just thought you should know how I and a lot of other people feel.

 

My guess is Mike just didn't like his mouthpieces. It's funny how PB never used to slag off MB before he died. Beware! If you try a PB mouthpiece, don't tell anyone if you don't like it. Otherwise, after you're dead and gone he might be brave enough to start telling people how bad you sounded.

 

You guys are talking about a person who is now dead, named Mike Brecker, not Jesus Christ.

You guys need to tone down the idolatry and hero worship a notch & remember that he was a real person, just like you.
Remember he was once a JUNKIE and MAINLINED heroin for years, and had his share of problems.

We all know "great guys" that seemingly get along with everyone, but even those guys rub some people the wrong way, no one lives their life getting along with everyone 100%.

I personally heard Brecker at Perry Ritter's repair shop in NYC, play testing Phil's 1st generation NY metal mpc and he sounded fantastic, and was praising Phil's work. (Phil was not present, I happened to wander in for a repair, it was only Perry, me and Mike's wife Susan, sitting there looking bored, present)

Is this what the future of Michael Brecker's legacy is? A bunch of guys holding him up like some kind of god or super being, that was beyond any human flaws?

Grow up

 

You guys are talking about a person who is now dead, named Mike Brecker, not Jesus Christ.
Grow up

Where is the difference?

He was/is definitely in a league of it's own. He raised the bar in so many ways and opened the door for new musicians and new music. He had an inventive and lucid mind - that was maybe supernatural!

 

Seriously?

 

Yes, seriously.

 

Heard the Louisville Slugger guy say that Babe Ruth couldn't hit.

 

Funny conversation, thanks guys!

Anyway, not to defend Phil but I think anyone who NEEDS to think Michael was a great person, as if that has anything to do with the music, is worrying about the wrong ****... And, he is gone, he doesn't care.

Again, not that I know or care how he treated Phil Barone or anyone else.

 

Ask Ravi what his mom thought about the church of coltrane? Didn't she try to sue them at one point.

I went to the old location, back in the 80s & it was fun, like going to a freakshow is fun.

SOTW isn't as entertaining a freakshow as that was.

Gee maybe you can start a Brecker Convention, like they do with Star Trek? That would be neat-o

 

Gee maybe you can start a Brecker Convention, like they do with Star Trek? That would be neat-o

Gotta get me some o' dem lil' oval shades.

Imagine the cacophony - everyone playing altissimo as fast as they can. You could charge me money to let me OUT.

 

I never had the pleasure of meeting MB or PB. I'll take the comments shared at face value without the presumption of any ill will on anyones part.

I've enjoyed a few spirited discussions with Phil here and it's just my take but I do respect people who will share the candid opinions and experiences. It's a very common occurrence that people react adversely when any type of criticism is shared in the forum.

As far as Michael Brecker, guessing I'm probably not the only one who shed a tear when I heard of his passing. I think his music was very meaningful to a lot of musicians. But, like those who came before him MB was a human being (not a God). I'd love to have met him in the same way that I'd love to have met other wonderful musicians I didn't have the pleasure to meet in person. Everyone has their faults, including both MB and PB I'm sure. That's what makes us human.

Sorry for the thread hijack. As far as the original question, it's certainly one of the great "jazz" solos over a pop song. Of course, JT wouldn't even get major label support if he came along in the present industry environment. We really experienced a golden age of music with the 1900s through the 1970s when experimentation was permitted and often expected. Musicians were allowed to present fresh and unique sounds such as Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight.

 

I met Brecker once and he was pretty cool, but of course this isn't knowing someone. I did at one time meet a sax legend who was kind of a douche and to this day it sort of shades how I think of him although others tell me he's a good guy.

 

I want to say something here. I've been thinking about this all day and have come to the conclusion that I am very sorry about this. It was extremely inappropriate of me to say anything about any competitor even if they are out of business or whatever or about Mike, what went on between us or anything else. My relationships are tumultuous at best with a lot of people and I'm not going to go into any explanations or rationalizations as to why, they just are due to my own faults and issues that Mike had nothing to do with and that's all there is to it. I'm not doing this because I'm worried about my sales. Those of you who know me know that I could care less about that. Phil Barone