Date/Time
Date(s) - 07/09/2021
8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Location
Old First Presbyterian Church
Category(ies)
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BUY TICKETS – This is a hybrid concert (in-person or online) – Old First seating is limited to 100 tickets.
Renowned jazz critic Bill Milkowski introduces the event with a short talk and preview of his forthcoming book Ode to a Tenor Titan: The Life and Times and Music of Michael Brecker, the first-ever definitive biography of Michael, coming out this fall.
A celebration of Michael Brecker the composer, the saxophonist, the innovator, and the band leader, by Bay Area group Charged Particles and featuring saxophonist Tod Dickow. Brecker, who passed away in 2007 after a prolonged illness, is beloved for his unique voice and approach to the saxophone. Charged Particles perform a selection of his compositions spanning thirty years, capturing the essence of Brecker’s spirit without slavish adherence to every nuance of his classic recordings. Perhaps because Brecker’s playing was so technically demanding and his compositions are so challenging to perform, Charged Particles’ forthcoming recording Live at the Baked Potato! is the first tribute presenting his small group compositions since his passing almost 15 years ago. No less an authority than Mike’s brother Randy Brecker weighed in with his approval of the recording: “Everyone’s at the top of their Mike game. I found myself pinching my arm to remind myself that Mike is sadly no longer with us.”
Tod Dickow and Charged Particles
- Tod Dickow – saxophone
- Murray Low – keyboards
- Aaron Germain – acoustic, electric bass
- Jon Krosnick – drums
Bill Milkowski also wrote an essay about Charged Particles and Tod Dickow’s recording Live at the Baked Potato! of Michael Brecker’s music, which you can download and read here.
Michael Brecker was an innovator on the tenor saxophone whose unique voice and approach to the instrument influenced every performing saxophonist. Winner of 15 Grammy Awards, he was a prolific composer and leader of a range of different bands, as well as a guest soloist with many other ensembles. He was awarded some of the highest honors in jazz: an Honorary Doctorate from the Berklee College of Music and induction into Down Beat Magazine’s Hall of Fame.
He led his own quartet and was co-leader of the Brecker Brothers (with his brother, trumpeter Randy Becker), Steps Ahead (with vibraphonist Mike Mainieri), the Pat Metheny-Michael Brecker “Special Quartet”, and “Directions in Music”, co-led with Herbie Hancock and Roy Hargrove.
IMAGE courtesy of Old First Concerts, by Tod Dickow (Fair Use)