Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

BREAKSTONE, Joshua

(b 22 July '55, Elizabeth NJ) Guitarist. Exposed to a wide variety of music at home; saw Jimi Hendrix dozens of times (his sister worked at Fillmore East); studied with Sal Salvador (b 21 Nov. '25, Mondon MA; played with Stan Kenton '50s); played in rock group but quit as they were about to sign contracts: switched to jazz while acquiring several college degrees. Toured Canada with reedman Glen Hall, LP debut on Hall's Book Of The Heart '79 on Sonora (with Joanne Brackeen, Cecil McBee, Billy Hart); gigging in NYC followed his own albums Wonderful! '83 with pianist Barry Harris and 4/4=1 '84 with Kenny Barron on Sonora (the latter later on Mobile Fidelity CD with extra tracks). He switched to Contemporary for Echoes '86, with Barron, Pepper Adams, Keith Copeland, Dennis Irwin on bass. Breakstone's mainstream post-bop playing was infl. by Kenny Burrell, Grant Green; Echoes was a happy, swinging date (though Adams had not long to live), with tunes by Harris incl. 'To Monk With Love', by Bud Powell, Thad Jones, and ballads by Rodgers and Hart. More albums: Evening Star '88 (with Tommy Flanagan and Jimmy Knepper), Self-Portrait In Swing '89 (with Barron, Irwin and Kenny Washington), 9 x 3 '90 (Irwin and Washington), all on Contemporary; Walk Don't Run '91 on Evidence, with Barron returning; Sittin' On The Thing With Ming '93 on Capri with Barron, Copeland, Ray Drummond on bass. Remembering Grant Green '93 on Evidence has more tracks by the Ming quartet plus seven trio tracks with Jack McDuff and drummer Al Harewood in a tribute to the late guitarist. Trio Let's Call This Monk '96 on Double Time solved the problem of transcribing Monk's tunes to the guitar and captured their essence, with Irwin and Mickey Roker on drums equal partners.