John Walters, himself no mean slouch at blowing down things, talks to Michael Brecker during his recent British gigs. Jazz, MIDI and wind synths all in one interview. Funny stuff this music.

Michael Brecker is one of the most influential instrumentalists of the last 15 years. The Brecker Bros (with his trumpet-playing elder brother Randy) set new standards in tight jazz-funk ensemble playing. His distinctive and melodic tenor sax solos, heard on dozens of hit records, have inspired many imitators.

He was a key member of Steps Ahead, the muso's band of recent years, and he champions the Akai/Steinerphone EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument), which, like Yamaha's WX7, is taking wind synthesizers into the MIDI age. This summer he's touring with his own band in the wake of his first solo album release — Michael Brecker (Impulse).

It's hot and sticky in central London, but Michael Brecker's band of effortlessly accomplished New York musicians are relaxing in a cool hotel. Brecker, tall and quietly spoken is anxious to play down his reputation as the ultimate sax sessioneer, the Man with the Golden Invoice Book. I ask him if much of his time is still taken up with studio work.

"No. As a matter of fact it never was... that's a weird misconception that's always followed me. I have recorded on many albums but they never took me very long to do. I just walk in and do it, and split.

"I've always been on tour pretty much since the early 70s, originally with Dreams then followed by Horace Silver, followed by the Billy Cobham band, followed by Brecker Bros, followed by Steps Ahead — it's almost continuous. And many smaller tours such as Pat Metheny, Chaka Khan, James Taylor, even Dan Fogelberg! And on and on... and when I'm back in the city I do studio work.

"I always laugh when I'm typecast as a studio musician because in the studios of New York I'm always considered like a renegade... who's this guy that comes in every once in a while; appears and then he's gone. But I have had the good fortune to be able to exist in both worlds."

Does he enjoy horn section work?

"There have been times when it has been immensely satisfying — playing with my brother, Dave Sanborn, Ronnie Cuber and Barry Rogers — people that really have a rapport.

"I did an album with Frank Sinatra with a big band conducted by Quincy — that was like a little vignette of what it must have been like 30 years ago to be a studio musician. But there are lots of time when it's just schlock and it's purely for paying the rent."

Among Brecker's 400-plus record credits - Billy Joel, Steely Dan, Frank Zappa, etc - are some classic sax solos: 'Still Crazy After All These Years'; 'Native New Yorker'. How does he go about recording a solo for a pop record?

"If it's something that's destined to be a single, and they'll usually tell you that 'we see this as a single' then of course I get nervous! I usually envision it practically, as something that's written. It's not about getting up and improvising some real free thing, unless the tune really lends itself to that.

"Generally I would just as soon as sit and write it out. You have eight bars in which to come up with memorable ideas. The way I often do it is to put two or three tracks or more of solos down and let them composite, or occasionally I'll just punch in and do it until it's right. Every once in a while you can wing it."

Brecker has a strong jazz background - how does he view solos in rock and pop music?

"There's a certain common musical ground but there are definitely different techniques for different kinds of things; different kinds of articulation, sound production and musical ideas; different kinds of ways to lay lines over a rhythm section.

"I've always felt comfortable playing in different settings although basically with the group we're playing a lot of jazz. I think those are still my strongest roots being a saxophone player and that's the way I enjoy playing the most — it's the free-est for me in every way — harmonically, rhythmically."

He tells me that his excellent band, Joey Calderazzo (pno/keys), Mike Stern (gtr), Geoff Andrews (bass) and Adam Knussbaum (dms) had really come together as a band in the last week or so.

"Often it's a matter of trust. People are willing to take chances on stage and trust the other musicians to support them. Playing in more rigid structures is less appealing unless the music is sensationally good."

We talk about the changes in the music scene since he arrived in New York.

"For wind players there seems to be less work. It used to be that a studio musician could literally stay busy every day over there... those days are over.

"There's always been a fairly prolific live scene in New York. My brother and I ran a club for eight years which ran all kinds of jazz and fusion-related music.

"In the beginning I probably would have told you that we set out to have a business, but in reality it was more a place for me to hang out and play."

The Breckers closed the club after problems with licences. "It was taking up too much time. The most important lesson I learnt was never to do it again. Musically it was very successful and it has left a void which hasn't been filled. A lot of bands formed there — Steps Ahead for example."

Michael Brecker's eponymous debut album features what he calls a 'dream band' of Charlie Haden, Pat Metheny, Jack de Johnette and Kenny Kirkland. I asked him how he and Don Grolnick set about producing a jazz album.

"For me it was a conscious decision that everything doesn't have to be perfect... often my favourite things are the mistakes. The tendency in a high-tech record is... you go for every beat to be perfect... every ensemble.

"Right off the bat I was looking for something looser; mainly the feel, the swing factor. We rehearsed for a couple of days — the trick usually is to keep the tape rolling... you never know when something's gonna fly. We basically did the album in two-and-a-half days."

Brecker is clearly very excited and inspired by his new horn — the Steinerphone EWI which has recently been adopted by Akai.

"Nyle Steiner made it at his house. I knew the minute I blew it that it was exactly right — I was home.

"The fingering is basically the saxophone fingering with some modifications. There are no upper side keys... you bend notes with your thumb... there are eight octave keys and the keys are touch sensitive — there are no moving keys. Once one gets used to it, there's a tremendous amount of freedom.

"It consists of sensors that detect wind pressure. There's no mouthpiece... it's a kind of a tube. You blow across a hole and the sensor senses how hard you're blowing. You're not vibrating anything. I don't know how it works.

"With the EWI I immediately felt like here's something I could make my own and build a voice on. I sit around for hours sometimes wasting time at home programming... mostly out of pure enjoyment; the time just flies by and I start coming up with things that I never expect."

At the Bracknell gig Brecker came up with some startling sounds, following Stern's blitzing guitar solo on one number with an even wilder sampled guitar sound on the EWI. For another ensemble he used a great muted trumpet sound.

"I like to do my little Miles imitation occasionally. I've always listened to guitar players — BB King, Albert King — and felt frustrated that I couldn't do something like that on the sax. Now I can on the EWI."

How did he feel about the question of MIDI delays.

"MIDI is just a little slower. What that means for me is that I tend to use the quicker voices, the Oberheim Expander and the EWI itself which has two gorgeous oscillators in it, for the real solo voices, for lines that have to be really in time. The other tones are a little slower so it's harder to play something with a good time feeling — I use those more for colouring. I use the Yamaha TX7 — all that kind of stuff — more to fatten something, and I use the Akai S900 sampler more for broad orchestral things. I rarely use one of those just to solo one because the time gets too screwy."

I ask him if it's practicable to play ahead of the beat.

"I can't do that — I have enough trouble playing a note where it's supposed to be. As an actual performance instrument, timing is what makes or breaks these things.

"After playing the EWI for a while I always crave going back and moving air molecules and I like the vibrating reed, that's another kind of mentality and freedom. The EWI is very impressive but in a different way."

When I ask Mike if the EWI is tiring to play, he volunteers a fascinating insight.

"No. It's less tiring — I need that because I have difficulties with my neck as a result of years of playing. I was born with some kind of congenital defect which make it difficult for me to play sometimes, and painful. It's bothered me for years and with the advent of the EWI I can coast through a whole set without any problems. It's been a real gift — something I'm very grateful for."

Is a jazz background essential for a rock/pop horn player?

"A jazz background would seem to be very important at least given the vast, long history of the instrument and how it's developed — then again there's always exceptions; Dave Sanborn to me is such an incredibly great saxophonist. His roots were never solely jazz-based — he was coming from more R'n'B and pop music all along."

Does he have any advice for young aspiring players? Michael Brecker thinks hard, shrugs and finally says.

"Keep an open mind, work hard and practice hard."

But how does he practice?

"I have no schedule... I just make time. I get up early."