I need to start by saying I have loved Randy Brecker’s music since I heard his first album Score. I continued to love the group Dreams (1970-71) with Randy & Michael Brecker, Don Grolnick, Billy Cobham and Will Lee. I especially liked the track Imagine My Surprise, a hip, comedy track with Randy on lead vocals. Of course The Brecker Brothers Band (1975) with Randy, Michael and Dave Sanborn hit me so hard it made me feel like a duck being run over by the 20th Century Limited g

You will no doubt recall the classic scene in the Blues Brothers movie where Jake and Elwood stroll into the Soul Food Cafe and order dry white toast and four fried chickens from a somewhat bemused and ultimately dismissive Aretha Franklin. When she takes the order to the kitchen, chef Matt “Guitar” Murphy knows immediately who it is and, before you know it, they are putting the band back together. The reformation of Bandzilla, for me, was akin to a vegetarian version of that

Long ago in the mists of time [actually, in prehistoric days is WAS very misty, due to atmospheric conditions with the earth still cooling down and the steam and all. Later on there was a cabaret group called the Mists of Time who did very well on the cruise ships but that’s probably best left for another story) there was… HEY! WHOA THERE, TRIGGER! That was one long-ass parenthetical interjection! Do you seriously think anyone remembers where the sentence started? Give it to

What BANDZILLA Means to Me Dr. Richard Niles (09.01.2016) It’s GOING to happen. As Mose Allison sang, “If you live – your time will come”. Few of us look forward to getting older. The disadvantages are pretty obvious: mental (disillusionment, cynicism), biological (ill-health, death). But there are also some advantages. Wisdom is one. A lot of youth is wasted with focusing on the wrong things. Age can show people what’s really important. Another thing is, people become better