Expanding Michael Brecker’s Legacy

Michael Brecker used to receive one or two unsolicited cassettes in the mail, every week, from young and aspiring musicians seeking his advice and guidance. One of the most influential saxophonists to emerge in the wake of John Coltrane’s death in 1967, Brecker was a busy man—he played on close to 1,000 albums in his lifetime, garnering 15 Grammy Awards—but he always made time for those tapes.

“He listened to every single one of them,” his widow, Susan Brecker, recalled