String Theory: Melodic Minor Domination, Part 2 — The Conclusion of Last Month’s Tribute to Michael Brecker

The following content is related to the September 2013 issue of Guitar World. For the full range of interviews, features, tabs and more, pick up the new issue on newsstands now, or in our online store.

Picking up where we left off last issue, I’d like to present the second half and conclusion of my tribute to the late, great tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker.

Though he’s widely remembered as a jazz saxophonist, Brecker also forayed into jazz-funk and -fusion styles throughout his illustrious career with groups such as the Brecker Brothers (which he co-founded in the mid Seventies with his brother, trumpeter Randy Brecker) and Steps Ahead, with whom he worked in the Eighties. He also pursued these explorations on various solo projects and collaborations with Mike Stern, Pat Metheny and others.

Building upon the innovative genius and body of work of John Coltrane and other legendary musicians, Brecker was a musical pioneer in his own right, regarded by many as the greatest saxophonist of his generation. He embraced and masterfully combined jazz, funk/R&B and rock elements and sensibilities into an exciting signature style that countless others have eagerly sought to emulate.