See BEBOP.
BOSSA NOVA
A style of Brazilian music that became popular during the 1950s. Tenor saxophonist Stan Getz famously recorded several bossa novas written by Antônio Carlos Jobim, a Brazilian composer credited with spearheading the increased awareness of the Brazilian style. See also CASTRO-NEVES, (CARLOS) OSCAR (DE) (1940–2017); GILBERTO, ASTRUD (1940–); GILBERTO, JOÃO (1931–2019); POWELL, BADEN (1937–2000).
BOSTIC, EARL (1913–1965)
Bostic was considered to be an above-average alto saxophonist and arranger. Bostic spent most of the 1930s touring with various bands, attending college for a brief time (although he did not graduate), and leading bands. In the 1940s, Bostic led bands that featured up-and-coming players including John Coltrane, Blue Mitchell, and Benny Golson. Bostic did not shy away from playing more commercial types of music and made several successful albums during the 1950s before a heart condition led to early retirement and eventually his death in 1965.
BOWIE, LESTER (1941–1999)
A significant avant-garde trumpet player of the 1970s, Bowie first toured with rhythm and blues groups in the 1960s before settling in Chicago. While living there, Bowie was an important part of the creative music scene, frequently recording and playing with members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. After a brief period living abroad, Bowie returned to Chicago with a new group, the Art Ensemble of Chicago. This ensemble would become one of Bowie’s most acclaimed units.
In the 1980s, Bowie became very active as a leader and started many groups including the New York Hot Trumpet Repertory Company, Brass Fantasy, and From the Root to the Source. Bowie frequently found himself paired with musicians including Arthur Blythe, Archie Shepp, Roscoe Mitchell, and Jack DeJohnette. Bowie died due to complications of liver cancer.
BRAFF, RUBY (1927–2003)
Born in Boston, Ruby Braff began studying the cornet at a young age against his own wishes, as he wanted to be a tenor saxophone player. His music, which was primarily Dixieland, was considered to be outdated, and therefore he had difficulty finding work throughout much of his career. He moved to New York in 1953 and recorded live for the Savoy with clarinetist Pee Wee Russell. As a leader, Braff recorded for Vanguard with artists such as Urbie Green, Vic Dickenson, and Buck Clayton. After working with Benny Goodman in the mid-1950s, Braff went on to form a quartet with guitarist George Barnes in 1973, which opened the way for him to become more active in the small-group setting.
BRASS BAND
An ensemble, consisting primarily of brass instruments, that is often accompanied by a percussion section. The brass band tradition dates back to the 1800s during the U.S. Civil War and evolved with the development of ragtime and early jazz in New Orleans. Brass bands were very common in the area. In the early 1900s, influential players including Buddy Bolden and Freddie Keppard are attributed with fronting many of these bands. During the swing and bebop eras, the brass band tradition was not as popular, but it experienced a resurgence during the 1950s. See also DIRTY DOZEN BRASS BAND; EUREKA BRASS BAND; EXCELSIOR BRASS BAND; GREEN, CHARLIE (1900–1936); HANDY, W(ILLIAM) C(HRISTOPHER) (1873–1958); ONWARD BRASS BAND; ORIGINAL TUXEDO ORCHESTRA; PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND; YOUNG TUXEDO BRASS BAND.
BRASS (SECTION)
A general term used to describe the trombones, trumpets, French horns, tuba, and euphonium instruments in a given ensemble. The brass section in jazz ensembles frequently features four trumpets and four trombones, although some groups, like those led by Stan Kenton, have been expanded to feature additional brass.
BRAUD, WELLMAN (1891–1966)
Braud was born in St. James Parish, Louisiana, and moved to New Orleans in his early teen years. By 1910, he had already been playing violin and bass in the Storyville district of New Orleans. After briefly living in Chicago, he relocated to New York City and began playing with Wilbur Sweatman’s band before joining the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Braud introduced the walking-bass style of playing, emphasizing all four beats in a measure, which was a departure from the two-beat approach used in jazz groups to that time. Braud also utilized a slap bass style of playing at times, which became a popular technique for other bassists that followed. Braud also doubled on tuba and occasionally played that instrument on recordings.
BRAXTON, ANTHONY (1945–)
One of jazz’s most creative and forward-thinking artists, Braxton’s early saxophone career was forged in Chicago working with members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). Developing a very unique style and unorthodox playing method, Braxton spent the end of the 1960s leading groups and touring. In the 1970s, Braxton became an important member of the Chick Corea–led unit Circle before continuing work on his own career. Braxton would perform in a variety of situations and ensembles, most notably performing many solo concerts. Throughout the 1980s, Braxton would become increasingly active as an educator while performing across the globe in many different contexts. Braxton has remained equally influential as a composer and as a saxophonist and has had compositions premiered by several groups in the United States and Europe during the 1990s and 2000s. He was awarded a genius grant by the MacArthur Foundation in 1994. Braxton served as professor of music at Wesleyan University until his retirement in 2013 and was named a Jazz Master by the NEA in 2014.
BREAK
A term used to describe a section of a song in which the rhythm section stops playing for a period of time. A break can be any length, from one measure to an entire chorus of a given tune. A break is done to give the soloist a completely different texture to work with and to help generate excitement.
BRECKER, MICHAEL (1949–2007)
Widely considered to be one of the most influential saxophonists to come after John Coltrane, Brecker studied tenor saxophone at Indiana University during the 1960s before moving to New York. Throughout the 1970s, Brecker was heard in a variety of settings, included straight-ahead sessions with Horace Silver, and with many fusion groups. Along with his brother, trumpet player Randy Brecker, Brecker formed the Brecker Brothers in 1974, a highly influential fusion group. After the group disbanded in 1979, the two would continue to record together for the next several decades.
In the 1980s, Brecker began to lead his own groups in addition to performing with notable musicians including Herbie Hancock and Jaco Pastorius, and playing on a number of pop and studio sessions. During this time, Brecker’s popularity soared, and he became one of the top touring musicians during the 1990s, bringing along sidemen like Pat Metheny and Jeff “Tain” Watts. Brecker would continue to be one of the most recorded saxophonists well into the 2000s until his death due to complications of leukemia.
BRECKER, RANDY (1945–)
Part of an incredibly musical family, Randy Brecker is older brother of tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker. Brecker’s career began while a prodigious youth, winning several competitions in both classical and jazz music. In the 1960s, Brecker played with pop and jazz groups, most notably Blood, Sweat & Tears and Horace Silver. Very active in the fusion movement, Brecker worked with several groups in this style during the 1970s, including ones led by Billy Cobham and Larry Coryell, along with a group