On the evening of July 3, Mumbai’s jazz fans waited patiently to see two renowned American musicians at Tata Theatre. Around 7.40 p.m., after compere Brian Tellis had welcomed the audience, the duo walked in to a rousing applause. Trumpeter Randy Brecker, in a black and red shirt and his trademark cap, and drummer Peter Erskine, in black shirt and blazer, were a picture of elegant, avuncular grace.
Three other musicians — saxophonist Yaacow Mayman, pianist Otmaro Ruiz and bassist Richie Goods — joined them. Though the crowd knew little about them before the show, they all attracted plenty of claps over the next 90 minutes and made the NCPA (National Centre for Performing Arts) ‘Legends’ show a success.
Randy, who was part of the famed Brecker Brothers group (featuring his brother Michael Brecker, a renowned saxophonist), was visiting India for the second time. In 1966, he came with the Indiana University Jazz Ensemble as part of the U.S. State Department initiative that covered the Middle East and some regions of Asia.
Peter Erskine exhibited a gentle flourish on the drums
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
“I remember the city as Bombay. It was very different from what it is today. We met many Indian musicians, and discovered the commonality between Indian music and jazz in terms of their improvisation,” he said after the show.
Apart from Bombay, the tour had taken the group to Madras, Bangalore and Calcutta. Interestingly, in his debut solo album Score, released in 1968, Randy wrote a piece called ‘Bangalore’, inspired by the city’s lush greenery. But the composition was not part of the set-list of his current India tour.
In Mumbai, the group played ‘The Marble Sea’ from the same album, with Randy switching to flugelhorn. According to the musician, it was inspired by the Sea of Marmara near Turkey, which they visited on the same tour. The piece also featured solos by saxophonist Yaacow and pianist Otmaro.
With the exception of the standard ballad, ‘I can’t get started’, where Randy charmed with his melody, all tunes were originals by the members. The evening began with two compositions by Peter. While ‘Cats & Kittens’ was seeped in the New Orleans tradition, ‘Twelve’ had innovative rhythmic patterns and a medium-swing tempo. Even the uptempo encore, ‘Leaving LA’ from the 2024 film Sacramento, was composed by him. One of the highlights was the gentle flourish shown by Peter, a far cry from the more energetic drumming one hears at many concerts.
Randy and Peter were joined by Otmaro Ruiz on piano, Yaacov Mayman on saxophone and Richie Goods on bass.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
The Richie Goods composition ‘Treasure mountain’ had a funk flavour, as the melodic bassline was matched by solos by Randy and Otmaro. Yaacow dedicated the piece ‘Song For Horace’ to the great pianist Horace Silver, using the electronic wind instrument (EWI) on it. The coordination between the musicians was exceptional, and this was jazz as its best, without gimmicks or one-upmanships.
Though 79-year-old Randy’s physical movements have slowed down, his playing has not been affected by age. He has that rich tone, his ability to improvise is spontaneous and he switches between the trumpet and flugelhorn effortlessly. It was awkward to see him strain while picking up a bottle of water from the floor. Ideally, it should have been placed on a stool. The other minus, on the side of the organiser was, not giving him a hand mic either, and the existing microphone forced him to bend uncomfortably.
Randy is part of an illustrious line-up of jazz trumpeters — Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry. Don Ellis, Woody Shaw, Freddie Hubbard, Don Cherry, Arturo Sandoval and Dave Douglas, besides younger acts such as Benny Benack III and multi-genre artiste Ibrahim Maalouf — to have played in India.
Before focusing on jazz, Randy was part of the jazz-rock group, Blood Sweat & Tears, and played in their album Child Is Father To The Man. Later, he joined the Horace Silver Quintet, and then, Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. The Brecker Brothers with Michael, was formed in 1975 and was a huge success till they disbanded seven years later. He then married Brazilian jazz pianist, Eliane Elias, and they played together till they parted ways. The Brecker Brothers reunited in 1992 and won two Grammys for their 1994 album Out Of The Loop.
Besides jazz, Randy has played on albums by many rock and pop acts including Eric Clapton, Dire Straits, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Chaka Khan and Aretha Franklin. Like Randy, 71-year-old Peter went to the Indiana University, albeit, a few years later. Peter said he was always a fan of Randy. “He is my hero and I naturally followed him,” he added.
Peter began his career with pianist Stan Kenton’s Orchestra in 1972. In 1978, he joined the jazz fusion band, Weather Report, and later the group Steps Ahead with Michael Brecker and vibraphonist Mike Manieri. He too has played on numerous rock and pop albums.
The show was a worthy follow-up to last year’s NCPA Legends concert, which featured the Legendary Trio — pianist Cyrus Chestnut, bassist Buster Williams and drummer Lenny White.
Published – July 09, 2025 03:20 pm IST
