On Tuesday, January 20, 2015, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Bobby McFerrin, and other prominent musicians will honor the memory of their friend and colleague, 15-time Grammy-winning saxophonist Michael Brecker, at "The Nearness of You" benefit concert in New York City.
Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness are the benefit chairs, and Meredith Viera will serve as master of ceremonies.
Proceeds from the concert will support cancer research at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) and the work of Azra Raza, MD, and Siddhartha Mukherjee, MD, PhD. Dr. Raza is director of the Myelodisplastic Syndromes (MDS) Center at CUMC.
Dr. Mukherjee is a physician and researcher at the MDS Center. In 2011, he won a Pulitzer Prize for The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer.
In 2004, Brecker was diagnosed with MDS. In need of a bone marrow transplant, he searched in the International Bone Marrow Registry for a match. He failed to find a matching donor, and in 2007 he died at age 57.
As a result of the tens of thousands of people worldwide who registered in an effort to save Brecker's life, 54 lives were saved when new registrants were perfect matches for others in need.
"When I learned that a cure for MDS will likely provide the key to curing leukemia, I realized there was no better way to honor my husband's legacy than by raising important funds for research through this benefit concert," said Brecker's widow, event producer Susan Brecker.
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
Partial support of the "The Nearness of You" concert has been provided by Novartis. The concert will be held in The Appel Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall. General tickets, starting at $200, may be purchased as of Monday, November 17, at The Jazz at Lincoln Center box office, located on the ground floor of the Time Warner Center (Broadway and 60th Street), by Center Charge phone at 212-721-6500, or online at www.jazz.org/events/all/
Acoustic Nation is written by Laura B. Whitmore, a music industry marketing veteran, music journalist and editor, who has contributed to Parade.com, Guitar World, and others. She has interviewed hundreds of musicians and hosts the She Rocks Podcast. As the founder of the Women’s International Music Network, she advocates for women in the music industry and produces the annual She Rocks Awards. She is the Senior Vice President of Marketing for Positive Grid, making the world safe for guitar exploration everywhere! A guitarist and singer/songwriter, Laura is currently co-writing an album of pop songs that empower and energize girls.
