First Michael Brecker Saxophone Competition Announced

SOURCE: ELI DEGIBRI 
February 22, 2017

Internationally acclaimed saxophonist, Eli Degibri, announced his intention to establish The Michael Brecker Saxophone Competition last month at the Nearness of You Concert, a biennial event held at Lincoln Center to raise money for cancer research in honor of the late Michael Brecker.

In front of an audience consisting of President Bill Clinton and Secretary Hillary Clinton, Degibri reminisced about the first time he heard the legendary Brecker perform, thirty years prior, at the inaugural Red Sea Jazz Festival in Eilat, Israel in 1986. “I was mesmerized," he recalled in his speech.

The benefit concert featured performances by Dianne Reeves, Diana Krall, Wynton Marsalis and Chaka Khan. Degibri performed a piece from his last album, Cliff Hangin', and the former President took notice.


“President Clinton came up to me after the show," Degibri glowingly recounted, “one of the greatest speakers of my lifetime shared that he was inspired by my speech and my playing. It was surreal. He told me a funny story about [former Israeli Prime Minister] Ehud Barak and we chatted about jazz. It was 20 years ago at The White House when we met and our love of jazz is something we'll forever share."

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