October 29, 2023Scott Goldfine

TIR 112: Randy Brecker Tells How Brothers Became Funk-Jazz Horn Honchos

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Brought to you by FUNKNSTUFF.NET and hosted by Scott Goldfine — musicologist and author of “Everything Is on THE ONE: The First Guide of Funk” ― “TRUTH IN RHYTHM” is the interview show that gets DEEP into the pocket with contemporary music’s foremost masters of the groove.

Featured in TIR Episode 112 (2 parts): A true giant of modern music — trumpeter and composer Randy Brecker, who for more than 50 years has been one of the most active and recorded horn players of all time.

From releasing his first solo album in 1968 to recording six albums from 1975-1981 with his sax-playing sibling Michael as the acclaimed Brecker Brothers to collaborating with greats including Horace Silver, George Benson, Bob James, Idris Muhammad, Jaco Pastorius, Ron Carter, Billy Cobham, Lonnie Smith, Alphonse Mouzon, Stanley Turrentine, Grover Washington, Lenny White, Dennis Chambers, Chick Corea and Spyro Gyra — Randy Brecker has carved out an amazing jazz and jazz fusion legacy.

But that is only part of the story as he has also been involved with myriad R&B, funk, rock and pop projects. Those include Blood, Sweat & Tears, Lou Reed, Aerosmith, George Clinton and Parliament, Bootsy’s Rubber Band, Dire Straits, Stevie Wonder, Johnny Winter, Average White Band, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Chaka Khan, Carly Simon, Breakwater, Kleeer, Steely Dan, Aretha Franklin, Chic, Frank Sinatra, Bette Midler, Robert Palmer, Todd Rundgren, Bill Withers, J. Geils Band, James Taylor, Paul Simon, Diana Ross, Joe Cocker, B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Frank Zappa, Liza Minelli, Yoko Ono, James Brown and The Spinners.

Brecker’s contributions to contemporary music are staggering, and he discusses it all here.

RECORDED SEPTEMBER 2019

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Scott Goldfine

As a fervid lifelong music & film enthusiast / student, I grew up in and around the Los Angeles entertainment industry. I have worked and held many positions in various media realms, since 1998 serving as Editor-in-Chief and now Associate Publisher for Security Sales & Integration, a trade publication serving the electronic security industry. I love several genres of music & film. The former includes funk (Parliament-Funkadelic, Prince, Ohio Players, etc.); blues (Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy, Eric Gales, etc.); rock (Jack White, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Young, etc.); hard rock (AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, etc.); jazz (Herbie Hancock, Bob James, Crusaders, etc.); R&B (Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Gil Scott-Heron, etc.); and more. I was a club disc jockey and ran a mobile DJ company (Musical Moods) for more than 15 years, which is where the name Dr. GX originates (Doctor Good Times). Fave film genres include horror (Dawn of the Dead, Evil Dead, Nightmare on Elm Street, etc.); science fiction (Aliens, Terminator, 2001, etc.); action (Warriors, Road Warrior, Die Hard); westerns (Outlaw Josey Wales, Showdown at OK Corral; Wild Bunch, etc.); suspense (Jaws, Inception, Silence of the Lambs, etc.); drama (Apocalypse Now, Goodfellas, Pulp Fiction, etc.); and comedies (Life of Brian, Superbad, Ruthless People, etc.). I have attended many hundreds of concerts and movies (in theaters or screenings). I may as well also throw in a few favorite TV shows to give an even broader taste of my sensibilities. A handful would be Breaking Bad, Walking Dead, Lost, Justified, Fargo, Seinfeld, Sopranos, South Park, Brooklyn Nine Nine, Key & Peele, Monty Python, Inside Amy Schumer, Louie, Modern Family, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Last Man on Earth, Bob Newhart Show, All in the Family and The Office. Fave authors are Stephen King, Clive Barker and Michael Crichton. I am also a big sports fan and lifelong supporter of the Dallas Cowboys (NFL), Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) and Pittsburgh Pirates (MLB). Also enjoy my family of course, electronics/computers/AV gear, and animals, nature and outdoor activities. Graduate of Santa Monica High School, Santa Monica College and California State University Northridge (Radio-TV-Film, Psychology minor). Also studied at UCLA for kinesiology/psychology and earned post-grad Certificate in Accounting from Santa Monica College. Present main occupation is as Associate Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Security Sales & Integration (SSI), which I joined in 1998. I am responsible for overseeing all editorial content in print. online, electronic, in-person and any other media or products for the electronic security industry's leading business-to-business trade publication. SSI is part of Framingham, Mass.-based Emerald Expositions.