In 2007 the jazz world lost two of its brightest lights: Michael Brecker and Joe Zawinul. This is my personal tribute to two giants of jazz who enriched my life and inspired my own musical development.
Michael Brecker: March 29, 1949 - January 13, 2007
I first heard Brecker back in 1979 on the blistering Brecker Brothers track Some Skunk Funk, and being heavily into section playing at the time I was naturally knocked out. At that time, however, my listening preference lay with Coltrane, George Coleman and European players like John Surman and Dave Liebman, so it wasn’t before being mesmerized by Chick Corea’s Three Quartets, and Brecker’s collaboration with Claus Ogerman on Cityscape, that I realized I needed to delve into Brecker's recordings. His effortless genre-switching ability made him a sought after sideman and following his sessions became especially rewarding - through him I discovered the music of Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell and Frank Zappa.
With Steps/Steps Ahead, Brecker began to refine his own fusion sound and first used Akai's EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument) to dramatic effect. His unmistakable voice could captivate irrespective of whether the sound itself was acoustic or synthetic. His mastery of the EWI became even more evident on his astounding debut solo album Michael Brecker. I still count this album amongst my favourite recordings, and I expect never to tire of it. The beauty in Brecker’s sound just grew and grew. Every solo album is excellent and I particularly treasure Now You See It ... (Now You Don't), and Nearness of You. (The intimacy of his sound on Nearness can melt your heart and I have fond memories of swaying around the room with my baby daughter to this disc.)
No saxophonist since Coltrane has had so much influence stylistically, and none have done more to popularise Coltrane's mid-period approach for new generations. And, unsurprisingly, none have been more imitated. As a composer Michael Brecker shone just as brightly and many of his compositions are absolutely suberb.
To be lost so soon - age 57 ... there is no justice.
Joe Zawinul: July 7, 1932 - September 11, 2007
I first heard Zawinul, albeit unknowingly, in Miles' revolutionary lineup on the seminal Bitches Brew. It was probably 1976 and I was very much focused on hard bop but starting to get into the European flavour of crossover with Ian Carr's Nucleus and ECM artists like Eberhard Weber’s Colours. My first real introduction to Zawinul came in 1978 when an American exchange music teacher interrupted my bop-based practice session and handed me a Heavy Weather LP saying that this was now the hottest thing in the New York clubs. That evening I was hit by the musical equivalent of culture shock - finding parts deeply fascinating, yet others too commercial.
In 1981 I was persuaded to see Weather Report on their Night Passage tour - the classic lineup with Jaco & Erskine. I left that concert speechless. The effect was profound and I began absorbing all their recordings. It was Zawinul’s amazing sounds that lead me towards playing synthesizers. He simply made sounds like no one else. Even though my listening covered all the Fusion greats on both sides of the Atlantic, no outfit reached me as consistently as Weather Report, and the main reason was Zawinul. It wasn't just his originality, or compositional genius, or his expertise with sound synthesis. It was his story - a bold journey from a poor Viennese community in pre-war Austria to pre-eminent electric jazz pioneer in the States. For me, then a young adult, Zawinul was a role model for what could be achieved in life.
It came as no surprise when Weather Report finally burned out, mid 1980's, but that didn't ease the disappointment. However Zawinul's solo electronic masterpiece Dialects set the stage for the next phase and it seemed a natural progression for early Zawinul Syndicate to be exploring territory that would further integrate ethnic elements into what would later be termed 'World Fusion'. But as Zawinul steered his later Syndicate lineups toward a more vocal-based concept, I kept hoping for a new direction. It didn’t come, but it really didn’t matter. Zawinul was an innovator supreme and through an amazing career he would frequently demonstrate that the essence of jazz is exploration. When real explorers meet a boundary, they cross it. Boundaries defining musical genres are not barriers – but that’s a concept jazz purists fail to comprehend.
One thing is certain. No musician ever left a greater impression on my life than that left by Josef Zawinul. He was, quite simply, extraordinary.
Favourite Discs: Mysterious Traveller, Tale Spinnin' 8:30, Black Market, Night Passage, Weather Report (1982), Procession, Sportin’ Life, Dialects, Lost Tribes, World Tour, Faces and Places.