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You are here: Home / Transcriptions / Michael Brecker Transcription of Confirmation-Berklee Clinic 1987

Michael Brecker Transcription of Confirmation-Berklee Clinic 1987

December 16, 2014 by Steve 6 Comments

Here’s another new transcription I’m working on.  Every once in a while I get in a mood to transcribe some Michael Brecker.  Then, after I get started I soon think “What the heck was I thinking?  This is crazy!”  It’s usually after I have slowed down one section to the slowest it can possibly go and  listened to it one hundred times in a row.   I might then throw my pen across the room and start pulling out my hair!   You don’t see many Brecker solos on my site and that is why………   Usually,  I have to have a solo completed and as close to perfect as possible before I share it but………with my new goal of transcribing a chorus ever week, I have decided to break my tradition and just share what I have done so far………

 Michael Brecker in the 70’s

Today, I’m presenting you with page one of Michael Brecker’s solo over the changes to Confirmation.  Brecker performed this at a clinic he did at Berklee in 1987.  The surprising thing to me is that I was at Berklee  in 1987 and somehow I missed this whole clinic.  I don’t know how that is even possible but I have no recollection of attending this event and I was crazy about Brecker back then.

This is Michael Brecker playing acapella to the changes of Confirmation before he starts talking and answering questions from a bunch of  students and teachers.  Along with this solo I have also started transcribing Brecker’s solo on Blue Bossa from 1985.   I completed 7 choruses of that before I started losing my mind………..  I’ll share that later on also………

Like I said, this is page 1 of 4 and I will put up other parts of the solo as I complete them.  Some of these sections are pretty hard so I will do what I can with no promises……..  I hope you enjoy this part of the solo.     Steve

https://cdn.neffmusic.com/2014/ConfirmationBreckerClinic87.mp3

 

Confirmation Solo-Brecker Clinic 1987 Chorus 1 Bb

Confirmation Solo-Brecker Clinic 1987 Chorus 1 Concert

Confirmation Solo-Brecker Clinic 1987 Chorus 2 Bb

Confirmation Solo-Brecker Clinic 1987 Chorus 2 C

*If you would like to support me here at neffmusic.com, you can do so on the support page of my store by debit or credit card.   Any support is appreciated and will go towards keeping this site running, saxophone reeds, mouthpiece patches, coffee, and towards justifying the many hours I spend on providing free transcriptions to the saxophone community!  Thanks,   Steve

Filed Under: Transcriptions Tagged With: 1987, Berklee clinic, Confirmation, jazz sax, Michael Brecker, tenor saxophone

Steve

About Steve

Steve Neff has been playing and teaching saxophone and jazz improvisation around the New England area for over 30 years. He is the author of many best selling jazz improvisation methods as well as founding the popular jazz video lesson site Neffmusic.com.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. AvatarCourtney W. says

    December 17, 2014 at 11:57 am

    You sound great! Can’t wait to hear more.

    Reply
    • SteveSteve says

      December 17, 2014 at 6:32 pm

      Courtney,
      That’s not me in the recording but Michael Brecker playing at a 1987 clinic at Berklee………..

      Reply
  2. AvatarCourtney W. says

    December 17, 2014 at 7:26 pm

    Yeah I realized that after I posted this -_-

    Reply
    • SteveSteve says

      December 17, 2014 at 9:57 pm

      Hey! I’m happy to be confused with Brecker any day of the week………….

      Reply
  3. AvatarJustin says

    December 17, 2014 at 9:27 pm

    “Ray…the next time somebody asks you if you’re a god, you say ‘yes!'”

    Reply
  4. AvatarTrent Reschny says

    January 23, 2015 at 12:29 am

    Hi Steve – loving the transcriptions you are putting out. I had also come across the David Mann blues on the 10M site and loved it so was happy to see your lift which is great too. Thanks so much 🙂

    Reply

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I can’t say enough about my membership at Neff Music. Steve has taken the mystery out of playing the saxophone well and improvising both jazz and rock music. Like most struggling players I have a load of all sorts of books on my shelf just gathering dust. Books that I didn’t understand or know how to put to use…or just have the time to go threw them. Steve’s lessons really simplify things and he puts it in a way that I can understand. They inspire me to keep pushing and having him as my guide or… Read more
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I bought Steve’s dominant bebop book and took a couple of online lesson from him. I really appreciated Steve’s careful listening of what I wanted to get done in a lesson and his clear, concise ideas on next steps to improve my playing and musical interpretation.  His mastering  the Dominant Bebop Scale has lots of exercises to use a scale that addresses the largest percentage of chords I come across in pop/blues music. The dominant V7.  Needless say it has improved my playing.  I teach and a… Read more
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I am enjoying your style of teaching, and you’ve done a great job with the videos….good sound quality and well constructed lessons.  Balances the more guitaristic material found on the majority of guitar based programs.  Jazz vocab is what I’m all about at this point in the journey.  I especially dig the fact that you’ve studied with Bergonzi…helps me see his voluminous output in a more bite sized way.

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Steve- I joined your site this month and have downloaded 4 lessons and also purchased your new book and video on diatonic patterns. I just want to say I am very pleased with your approach and teaching techniques. I am getting back into playing after laying off for some time. The information you offer on your site is of great value and I am enjoying being a member. Thank you for what you are doing for the saxophone community.
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P

Steve,  Just want to say thanks for all you are doing for all of us. I’ve learned more from you than anyone else in my 40 years of playing.

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