After Sister Act, and a cocktail at The View, I headed down to The Blue Note for dinner and to see the Brecker Brothers Reunion Band.
Long regarded as one of jazz's pioneering fusion outfits, and boasting two of the best players in the music's history, trumpeter Randy Brecker and the late saxophonist Michael Brecker, the Brecker Brothers was founded in 1975 and was one of the first acts signed to Arista Records. The band recorded six albums and garnered seven Grammy nominations. The band attracted some of the finest players on the scene including Steve Gadd, David Sanborn, Mike Stern, Dave Weckl, Chris Parker, Will Lee and Lenny White.
After a ten year hiatus, the band reunited in 1992 and released a Grammy nominated album Return of the Brecker Brothers. The band completed a world tour and then returned to the studio to record Out Of The Loop which won two Grammys. They became the first international contemporary jazz group to perform in mainland China.
Although Michael Brecker passed awayfrom leukemia in 2007, Wednesday's performance at the Blue Note found Randy and many of the key musicians on stage, including Mike Stern (2nd photo on guitar), Will Lee (also 2nd photo on bass), Dave Weckl, George Whitty, Ada Rovatti, and Oli Rockberger (3rd photo).
