I Mean You
When I first began to post, my intentions were to use this blog as a driving force pushing me to dive back into the world of jazz through the examination and sharing of jazz solos which have impacted my life. I also wanted this to be a place where those who visit might experience something "off the beaten path."
Since my first post in September of 2007, I have strayed from this goal becoming distracted by the novelty of personal blog posts. Essentially, writing on jazz solos fell away to personal videos and commentaries, which then degraded to poor attempts at comedic bits. See "My first product review" in the archives, September, 2007, for a good example.
While I will continue to write on personal topics and share aspects of my life with you, I want to take this opportunity to "right the boat" and get back on track. With that in mind, I would like to feature a jazz solo by the great tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker. Sadly, Michael Brecker, unquestionably the top tenor saxophonist of this era, passed away on January 13th, 2007.
Born in the late 70′s, I missed out on the chance to hear and see so many great jazz musicians. To have seen John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderly, or any of the numerous jazz greats at the top of their game in the mid 1900′s would have been life changing. Regretfully I must now add Michael Brecker to that list of names.
The solo, which you can listen to by clicking on the album art below, comes off the track "I Mean You" found on the McCoy Tyner album entitled "Infinity." I began writing this post 4 months ago. During that time I have been unable to find the words that appropriately convey what Michael Brecker’s music means to me. I have many favorite Brecker solos and songs, so there are more to come, but for now, please enjoy and let me know what you think.