About Randy Brecker
Randy Brecker is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer. His versatility has helped shape the sound of jazz, R&B and rock for over six decades. When he was eight years old, his father exposed him to recordings of great jazz trumpet players like Miles Davis and Clifford Brown, which ultimately influenced Randy decision to play the trumpet. He attended Cheltenham High School and moved to Indiana to complete his undergraduate career at Indiana University, from which he graduated in 1963. He later moved to New York and performed with Clark Terry’s Big Bad Band, the Duke Pearson and the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra.
In 1967, he ventured into jazz-rock with the band Blood, Sweat and Tears, but left to join the Horace Silver Quintet. He recorded his first solo album “Score” in 1968 featuring his brother Michael Brecker. He co-founded the fusion groups Dreams, recording two acclaimed albums before their dissolution in 1971. Along with his brother and the help from talented composers, The Brecker Brothers band formed in 1975, releasing six albums on Arista and earning seven Grammy nominations between 1975 and 1981.Their biggest debut featured Randy’s classic composition “Some Skunk Funk”. In 1992, exactly ten years after they parted ways to pursue solo careers, Randy and Michael reunited for a world tour and the triple-Grammy nominated GRP recording “The Return of the Brecker Brothers”, and the follow-up 1994’s “Out of the Loop” was a double-Grammy winner. The recording “Into the Sun” featuring Randy’s impressions of Brazil, garnered him his first Grammy solo as a solo artist. Furthermore, the 2003 album “34th n’ Lex” secured his third Grammy for “Best Contemporary Jazz Album”. Randy Brecker’s contributions to contemporary music continue to resonate, making him a true legend.
