Barry Finnerty

REMEMBERING MIKE B.

I was very saddened to hear of the death Jan. 13, 2007 of my friend Mike Brecker.

I met Mike and Randy shortly after I moved to New York in 1973. They were already stars on the music scene, playing on everybody's records, but were always approachable and friendly to other musicians. I had gotten the gig with Chico Hamilton right after I got there which gave me a little bit of an "in" to the jazz scene.

We were all young guys. I was 21, Mike 23, Randy I guess 27 or 28. I remember hanging out with my actor father Warren in the very hip and trendy artist/rock and roll club Max's Kansas City and spending an evening with Mike and Randy who had happened to come in, we sat at the same table and got to know each other a little bit.

Back then the scene was very different. New York was a LOT more affordable. Guys - top guys - used to get together for jam sessions regularly, just to play, hang out, and work on their chops and ideas. A drummer named Chris Braun had a little loft just around the corner from Max's and had sessions almost every night, and Mike and Randy would frequently drop by, as well as players such as Woody Shaw, Joe Farrell, Bob Mintzer, Victor Lewis, Tom Harrell, and a host of others.

I was 19 and at the Berklee School of Music in Boston in 1971 when I heard Mike for the first time, on the Dreams record. The whole school was abuzz about this hot new tenor player who was playing with such fire and virtuosity at such a young age. And when I came to New York, he was definitely on my A-list of people I wanted to play with. Those jam sessions gave me my first chance to do that.

He was, obviously, a major talent. A fabulous tenor player in the tradition of Coltrane and Sonny Rollins with tremendous technique and a soulful tone, he mastered not only the fleet-fingered vocabulary of bebop but also the harder-edged, more powerful r&b phrasing of guys like Junior Walker and King Curtis. I think he also got inspiration from guitar players like Jimi Hendrix as well. But in any case he took all his influences and made them his own. Mike was one of a kind, and inspired legions of imitators. He was undoubtedly the single most influential saxophone player of the last 30 years. And by the way, he was also a very good piano player and a hell of a drummer.

You might think that a guy with that much talent and ability would be the world's #1 egomaniac. But not so. Mike was a very gentle, humble, and genuinely nice person. He was very soft-spoken, a quality that many of New York's foxiest ladies found irresistible in his early years, and inspired his friend Don Grolnick to write a tune about him: "The Whisperer". Dave Liebman said something interesting in a letter he sent out after attending Mike's funeral yesterday - that he and Mike had shared a close connection to John Coltrane's music, but that "more important than the music was the message that Trane left to us all concerning humility, humanity, and honesty". And those three qualities, along with his droll and sometimes mildly self-deprecating sense of humor, to me, pretty much sum up what Mike was all about.

He used to take his humility to extremes sometimes... he would complain to me that he hated his own playing, was tired of all his licks, that he felt he was doing nothing but endlessly repeating himself on every solo he took. I couldn't sympathize with him too much on that one. I'd tell him, "I should be able to repeat myself like that!" Besides, I would console him, he was the only one that could tell! There was one lick he used to play a lot that actually became kind of a private joke between us. It was a lightning-fast pentatonic scale riff in groups of 6, going up chromatically... I figured it out and started to play it in my solos, giving him a wink out of the corner of my eye, and then he would do the same to me when it was his turn. Once he came into a club where I was playing, and I spotted him in the back...and when it came time for my solo, I cranked up the distortion and looked him right in the eye as I blasted out the lick for the first thing I played! It cracked him up. I put that lick in my "Serious Jazz Practice Book" in the Chromatic Pentatonic section..page 135, if anyone is interested.

I joined the Brecker Bros. Band in early 1977. What a band! The incredible Terry Bozzio, on loan from Frank Zappa's band, on drums, star studio man Neil Jason on bass, and me, backing Mike and Randy who at that time were playing their horns through every electronic gizmo then available and two massive Sunn amplifiers. We recorded most of the "Heavy Metal Bebop" album live on the road during a one-month tour we did in April of that year. We had a ball, a real camaraderie, it was a great experience and one of the highest energy bands I have ever been in. But unfortunately the record company had other priorities, finance-wise, and we weren't able to go out on the road again for several years, despite having a surprise top 40 hit in England with "East River".

Right around that time Mike and Randy decided to open their own nightclub in New York, Seventh Avenue South. Located on 7th a couple of blocks below Bleecker St, it immediately became the total and ultimate New York "musicians hang". It was a great place to play - I worked there probably at least 6 months worth of nights during the 5 or 6 years it was open, not just with the Breckers but with a lot of different bands, including my own on many occasions. If Mike was available he would often play in my band, Randy too. He also played some great solos on my first two solo record projects, for extremely low money. He and Randy were always very generous about lending their time and talents to new projects by their friends and associates. But more than a place to play, Seventh Ave. was the place to be! I used to leave my house at 1:30 or 2 in the morning every night and head for the club, all the guys in town would come down after their late gigs or recording sessions, and we would hang out and drink and play video games until 4, sometimes 5 or 6 in the morning. It was a great, fun time.

Of course, the 500-pound gorilla in the room during that whole time was drugs. Just about everybody on the scene was doing cocaine. I was not much of a hard drug user when I joined the Breckers in '77. I was a hippie kid from San Francisco, I smoked weed, but a $25 quarter gram of coke would last me a week. Mike was a lot further down that road than I was. I was shocked when he told me about his heroin addiction. I suggested he try just smoking pot, but he would say, "No, because it leads to hard drugs, which is what I want." He was pretty discreet about it... I never once saw him really noticeably fucked up in public... but I knew he was a lot unhappier and troubled than most people knew. I was worried about him. I never personally used heroin, but I was hangin' and my own use of coke gradually started to creep up....and creep up... until my own life was almost destroyed.

I am mentioning this because when Mike finally got clean, in 1981, as far as I know he never relapsed once and he never looked back. He went to meetings religiously and put a lot of effort into helping other people who had addiction problems get clean as well. He was very sincere in his motivations, he never judged you, he only wanted you to find the same relief that he had found.

I was one of the people he helped. He took me to my first meeting in '94, and when I finally got into rehab, in 2001 (yeah, I was a hard case!) he called me a bunch of times and made sure I went through with it. He cared. And I will always be grateful to him for that. Not coincidentally, his solo career really took off after he got the proverbial monkey off his back. And look at the results: 11 Grammys, stellar performances with the world's top artists, etc. Not to mention a nice family with two kids. I think it's a great thing that after he conquered his demons, he was able to have such a clear, focused, and productive last 25 years of his life.

I did two more tours with the Brecker Bros. band. In 1980 we did a month in Europe, playing the Montreux and NorthSea festivals among others, this time with the addition of Richie Morales on drums and Mark Gray on keyboards, and in 1994 I went to Japan with Dennis Chambers on drums and James Genus on bass. There are some videos of both those tours floating around on YouTube.

I only saw Mike a few times after I moved back to California in late '98. I saw him at Yoshi's jazz club in Oakland and expressed jealousy that he had stayed so slim, (I've put on a few pounds since the old days) and he replied, "But, Barry. You still have hair!" The last time was in Feb. '05, when he played UC Berkeley with Herbie Hancock, the band with Terry Lynn Carrington and Roy Hargrove. He got us into the show, which was top notch, and played great as usual.

Afterwards, we went backstage to find him packing up his own gear, looking older and just a bit frail. We made small talk and reminisced about the old days. I would have loved to play with him one more time. Especially with that group. I asked, "You know what this band needs, don't you?" He looked at me and smiled and said, "A guitar player?" He mentioned that he had been in the hospital - his back had just spontaneously broken somehow, and he had had some kind of surgical cement holding it together. I was concerned, telling him to take care of himself... "You don't have anything if you ain't got your health". I gave him a hug and said I'd see him soon.

From the Brecker Brothers first "Heavy Metal Bebop" tour, April 1977...Mike B, me, Terry Bozzio, Neil Jason, and Randy B. A fun bunch of young dudes!

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POLITICAL WRITING

BUSH, THE ELECTION, and TERRORISM
© Barry Finnerty - November 2004

Everyone seems to be talking about how important an election this is going to be, how it is the most important one in our lifetime. I certainly feel that way, but not particularly because of all the issues being debated, which are undoubtedly of considerable importance: the war, the economy, health care, the environment, civil rights (which would include the matters of abortion, same-sex marriages and gun ownership), etc. etc.

This election is the most important in my 52 year old life because I really believe that it might be the last real election the United States of America will ever have.

Serious danger signs are all around us and if they go unheeded it could well signal the death of democracy in this country. "Democracy"...such a lofty word.

It is supposed to symbolize what is best about America, what has made this country

a model for freedom-loving people all over the world. A system where every person, regardless of race, sex, economic status or personal beliefs, has a say...it's called a VOTE...in the running of the government. Government of, by, and for the people...it's not a cliche. It is a fundamental tenet of the Constitution, and it is supposed to be guaranteed by law. And the law is supposed to be fair, weighed in the impartial scales of Justice, and enforced without personal or political prejudice.

Elections are supposed to be above all honest and fair. Every citizen has the right to cast his or her vote and that vote must be counted accurately. In no way must it EVER be tampered with or cast or counted under questionable circumstances. This is our most precious and sacred right as Americans. I am sure that most people would agree with that, regardless of political affiliation.

So what are we to say, then, about the incredible lack of conscience we are seeing in those who are seeking to suppress the vote? Of course, I understand that these are battleground states, elections are battles, and one side is obviously afraid that they might lose. But is winning really everything? Is it really worth it to obtain victory if you have to subvert and undermine our most basic American institution to do it?

The answer, for the side that supports Mr. Bush, is sadly, but clearly, yes.

What happened in Florida in 2000 was their first real test. Could they get away with illegally taking tens of thousands of people, mostly minorities, off the voter rolls because their last names matched those of totally unrelated convicted felons in Texas, and then could they get another many thousands of votes intended for Gore cast mistakenly for Pat Robertson because of an incredibly misleading ballot configuration in several highly Democratic counties? And would they then claim victory by the thinnest of margins...537 votes? And could they then block a true and accurate recount with legal tricks, and have the Supreme Court appoint the President? And would the Democrats cave in and the press be intimidated into not running any stories seriously investigating what really happened? And would the population shrug their shoulders and look the other way? And was it a coincidence that Jeb Bush was governor of Florida at such a crucial moment?

Obviously the answer is yes on all counts. Except of course the Bush question. Let's face facts: they CHEATED and COVERED IT UP to "win" that election. And that set the tone for the next four years. In my personal opinion, the situation in Florida demanded a full, seriously and impartially monitored RE-VOTE, not a recount. After the very integrity of the vote was called into question that would have been the only really right thing to do.

But they got away with it. And I fear that that has only emboldened them further.

I would like to ask these individuals, who are working so hard to block people from participating in our (so-called) democracy and exercising their rights as citizens a question: How can you look in the mirror and honestly call yourselves Americans?

I'm not really interested in their answer. They will be full of rationalizations and spin-doctored explanations. The plain fact is that politics in America has become so polarized in the last few years that both sides hold the other in utter contempt. And the current administration has clearly shown that they have no use or regard for any kind of rational discussion. Why should they? They have proved by their actions that they are interested above all in pushing their own right wing ideology and serving the interests of big American money and big American power. And they have also proved that they are willing to do anything...even LIE SHAMELESSLY to the American people and to the world, and CHEAT on elections...to do it.

And this is what really worries me: if you believe the polls, their strategy is working.

A large portion of the population is uneducated and uninterested. They, like their President, seek simple-minded answers to complicated problems. They don't really seem to care that they have been lied to. The fear of terrorism is their overwhelming concern and they will gladly look the other way as their rights are taken away in exchange for a false sense of security. TV Guide is more relevant to their lives than the Constitution.

Invading Iraq has not made America more secure. It has made us more hated and feared than ever before in the world. That is exactly what Osama bin Laden was hoping for. George W. Bush is Osama's new best friend.

The sons and brothers of the countless innocent Iraqi civilians killed by our pre-emptive military invasion, which we were falsely told had to be done to defend America, will want revenge. They will become future terrorists by the thousands.

Osama bin Laden couldn't have done a better job of recruiting if he had put up store fronts in every city in the Arab world, with big signs out front with his picture, finger pointing forward, and the caption "Uncle O. Sam Wants You!"

But while we are on the subject of terrorists, and terrorism, I think it is unfortunate that we have made so little effort to understand exactly WHY we were attacked on 9/11. Both political parties are equally united in their quest for "revenge", in their bloodthirsty determination to "hunt down and kill the terrorists". The political climate and the public sentiment seem to demand this. But again, this is a reaction, not an attempt to understand the causes of what happened.

9/11 was a horrible thing. Many innocent people were killed.

But shouldn't we at least try to make some sense of the motivations that led 19 men armed only with box cutters, an insidiously brilliant plan to use America's own freedom and openness against us, and the determination to DIE doing it, simply to strike a blow against America that the whole world would notice?

Were these people insane? No. Were they cowards? No. Was this, as our leaders would have us believe, an attack on "freedom"? Do they hate "democracy", the American people, the American way of life so much? Is that why they are against us? If we truly examine the world situation in the cold light of reason, the answer is..

NO!

This was not an attack on freedom. This was an attack on the way America has

THROWN ITS WEIGHT AROUND IN THE WORLD, militarily, economically, politically, overtly and covertly, for many years. And that conduct has been in many ways antithetical to the concepts of freedom and democracy which we espouse for our own citizens.

For many years, it was Communism. Communism was then the catch word that described the enemies of the American way, that we had to be against, or we were simply anti-American. But then we found ourselves propping up and supporting completely un-democratic, oppressive dictatorial regimes all over the world, simply because they assured us they were anti-Communist. We found ourselves preventing or overturning democratic elections because we feared the results would not be favorable to American political and economic interests. It wasn't about our American principles anymore, it was simply us or them. And in many cases we came down on the wrong side of what is right. A country can not stand for freedom at home and oppression abroad. The whole world will see the hypocrisy.

Crucial to the Arab world's problems with America is what they see as our unconditional support of Israel coupled with our lack of equal respect for them and their concerns. Israel is "America's policeman in the Middle East." They get all our best and latest planes, hardware, military technology. The Arabs don't. Israel has used its military superiority to defend itself when attacked, but also to attack towns and villages they designated as "terrorist strongholds", killing many innocent people. Of course, suicide bombers have killed innocent people in Israel too. It's like 9/11 on a smaller scale, but on a much more frequent basis. But these are acts of pure desperation. Only a person who feels completely powerless and helpless would resort to blowing himself up on a crowded bus.

The US-Israel military alliance has created an uneven geopolitical playing field in the Middle East. And the Arab world does not like it. They were there first. And they have not been treated fairly. But Israel is not going anywhere. They are now an established country. They have the power and the weapons...yes, even nuclear weapons. Most Israelis would like to live in peace with their neighbors. But there are radical factions on both the Israeli and Arab sides which realistically make it almost impossible to imagine any kind of genuine peace or reconciliation. This makes it unavoidable to continue the hatred, the resentment, the injustice. The unfairness of Palestinian helplessness in the face of American/Israeli military might.

Terrorists. Terrorism. They are the new catch words. The thought of them strikes fear into everyone's hearts. Folks in Montana and South Dakota are quaking in their boots. They're going to vote for George W. Bush because he's going to protect them from the bad guys...the terrorists...by unilaterally invading and occupying an Arab country and trying to establish a Western-style "democracy" in the Middle East. You know what he is going to get if he is successful, and does not tamper with the election, like he did here? He is going to get a Shiite theocracy, probably hostile to the US, democratically elected by the 60% Shiite majority of the Iraqi population.

America, if it really wants to win the "war on terror", would do well to study and try to correct, as much as realistically possible, the various mistakes and injustices in our foreign policy that have led us to the point where such a large portion of the world's population, particularly those of the Muslim faith, has good reason to not like us very much.

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Your Choice... (A rehab poem)

Your life is half over
Or it's 95% over
Your choice

Ascend to the mountain top
Or re-descend into the garbage dump
Your choice

Do what you know you can do
Or just say fuck it
Your choice

Live your life like a man
Or like a rat trapped in a maze of its own making
Your choice

Share your heart and soul and vision with the world
Or stay fucked up trying to hide from the pain
Your choice

Shine with the brilliance of a thousand suns
Or cringe and cower in your own private hell forever

No middle ground

Either you're going to do it
Or you're not

Your choice.