Every September 5 we celebrate World Brothers’ Day, we want to celebrate this special event by reviewing some of the best moments that musical brothers have left us in Jazz.
The Fabulous Baker Boys, took us to the cinema with Michelle Pfeiffer, Jeff Bridges and Beau Bridges in the main roles, the story of the brothers Jack and Frank Baker. Two jazz pianists in Seattle, who played in bars and lounges of cocktail, giving us intricate jazz duets on twin grand pianos. Among many other awards, the film won the 1990 Grammy Award: Best Music Album for Film (Dave Grusin). This film that we already recommend among the best stories on the big screen of jazz helps us to review the best stories of brothers:
In the review of the best-ranked brothers in the professional and personal mix, we highlight “The Brecker Brothers”, a Jazz fusion band led by brothers Michael and Randy Brecker that obtained seven Grammy Award nominations. The brothers were in charge of all the compositions and arrangements of the group. Musically, The Brecker Brothers Band could be one of the most intelligent and creative bands in the fusion scene, and their most characteristic pieces – mostly composed by Randy – contained complicated melodies, complex harmonies and were structurally unpredictable, typically presenting a unique mix. Great musicians such as David Sanborn and Lou Marini have passed through his training.
Chuck and Gap, the Mangione brothers, have also put a grain of sand in the musical-filial history, less well known is Gaspare Mangione, as a writing pianist, alongside his brother Grammy Award winner and flugelhorn player Chuck Mangione. The two of them together recorded two albums under the name “The Jazz Brothers” accompanied by great musicians.
Two other successful brothers were Art Farmer, trumpet player, and Addison Farmer, double bass. Identical twins, so much so that the British trumpeter Humphrey Littleton recounted as an anecdote: “Once, when an interviewer asked the brothers how they were different from each other, Art replied laconically: in the morning, I take the bass…. and if I can’t touch it, it’s because I’m Art ”.
In addition to musical duets, the history of Hank, Thad and Elvin Jones, the three musicians pianist, trumpeter and drummer, respectively, and brothers stand out. As a curiosity in their 1958 record “Keepin’ Up with the Joneses” the three brothers add a fourth Jones: Eddie Jones on bass, who was not related to them.
Among these three brothers, Hank will be remembered for being the pianist who accompanied Marilyn Monroe on stage on the night of the famous “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” to Kennedy. Thad composed a “standard”: “A child is Born”; and Elvin was the drummer for what is considered the greatest jazz band of all time, John Coltrane’s in 1960-1965.
The Montgomery brothers have also gone down in Jazz history as a trio to remember. Wes played electric guitar, Buddy was a pianist and vibraphonist, and Monk was a bass player. Standing out among them Wes, despite the fact that he passed away with only 40 years of a heart attack.
We keep adding siblings, up to 3, and also a son: Percy, Jimmy and Albert “Tootie” Heath, and Mtume (Jimmy’s son). A family that deserves a separate mention, because their parents came to establish their home in Philadelphia as the Jazz center of this city. The famous Heath house, with a conditioned garage, served as a test workshop for great musicians such as Jimmy, saxophonist and composer, arranger and conductor, Percy who was for decades the double bass player of the Modern Jazz Quartet together with Albert, who has been a “sideman. ”Of large formations. Together they created the band “The Heath Brothers”. And they were later joined by Mtume son of the eldest of the brothers, Jimmy, as a percussionist (who has also accompanied Miles Davis).
Four other siblings to highlight are the Marsallis: Wynton, Branford, Delfeayo and Jason. All of them children in addition to the pianist Ellis Marsalis. And all together they were recipients of the 2011 NEA Jazz Masters award.
The best known Wynton, trumpeter, composer and arranger, considered the jazz musician with the greatest media impact of the last twenty-five years and one of the great trumpeters in history. 9 Grammy Awards and a Pulitzer endorse it. Wynton Marsalis is the standard-bearer for neoclassicism in jazz, encompassing swing and the most modern readings of bebop with a classic and technically flawless style.
Branford Marsalis is not far behind, he is an American jazz and classical music saxophonist. He has been cited as “possibly the most respected American jazz instrumentalist.” While he is primarily known for his work in jazz as the leader of the Branford Marsalis Quartet, he also performs frequently as a soloist with classical ensembles and has led the group Buckshot LeFonque.
Delfeayo Marsalis is an American trombonist and music producer who has developed an important career as a teacher and as a composer of music for film and television. Like his brothers, he is a virtuoso continuator of the musical tradition of jazz and the spirit of New Orleans that has developed established in his own right as one of the coolest voices on the instrument.
And the youngest of them all, Jason, on drums, completes the quartet. All magnificent, as demonstrated by this performance of the entire family live.
The brothers in music are a real inspiration also, as shown in the jazz song “Four Brothers”, composed and arranged by Jimmy Giuffre, recorded by Woody Herman’s big band, in Hollywood in 1947, who played the saxophones Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, Herbie Steward and Serge Chaloff.
This theme was the paradigm of a sonic innovation contributed by Herman’s band: The formation of the saxophone string with an alto sax, three tenors and a baritone. The impact was so great that Woody Herman’s orchestra maintained this type of formation for decades, which became known as “The Four Brothers Band”, changing the musicians but not the sound.
What are your favorite brothers? We invite you to celebrate your day tomorrow with your brothers, accompanied by #TheMostBeautifulMusicInTheWorld
