SAXOPHONIST BRECKER DIES

Influential tenor saxophonist MICHAEL BRECKER has died. He was 57. The musician died in a hospital in New York on Saturday (13JAN07) from leukaemia - according to his manager DARRYL PITT. Brecker had previously struggled with myelodysplastic syndrome, a cancer in which the bone marrow stops producing enough healthy blood cells. The disease, known as MDS, often progresses to leukaemia. During his career, which spanned thirty years, Brecker performed with numerous jazz and pop music leaders, including Herbie Hancock, James Taylor, Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell. He has been labeled in the past as "inarguably the most influential tenor stylist of the last 25 years." He is survived by his wife SUSAN and his children, JESSICA AND SAM.

15/01/2007 03:28