When the Electronic Wind Instrument (EWI) first appeared in the early 1980s, plenty of musicians weren’t convinced.
To some, it looked like little more than a futuristic controller: a plastic tube covered in touch-sensitive keys that could trigger synthesiser sounds. Critics dismissed it as a novelty, arguing that it lacked the physical connection and expressive possibilities of an acoustic saxophone.
Then Michael Brecker picked one up.
The performance below is still regarded by many musicians as one of the defining moments in the EWI’s history. It helped transform the instrument from a curiosity into something capable of genuine artistic expression.
What Is an EWI?
The EWI was invented by Nyle Steiner in the 1970s as a way for woodwind players to control electronic sounds without abandoning the techniques they had spent years developing.
Rather than using piano keys or a traditional synthesiser keyboard, it responds to breath pressure, fingerings, bite pressure and other performance gestures. For experienced saxophonists or clarinettists, much of the physical vocabulary feels immediately familiar, while opening the door to an almost unlimited palette of sounds.
That combination fascinated Michael Brecker.
Already regarded as one of the greatest tenor saxophonists of his generation through his work with Steps Ahead, the Brecker Brothers, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Frank Zappa and countless others, he saw the EWI not as a replacement for the saxophone but as an entirely new improvising instrument.
The Performance That Changed Minds
During a Steps Ahead concert in Tokyo in July 1986, Brecker reached for the EWI instead of his tenor saxophone during “In a Sentimental Mood.”
What followed sounded unlike almost anything jazz audiences had heard before.
Instead of trying to imitate an acoustic instrument, Brecker embraced the electronic nature of the EWI. His solo moves effortlessly between shimmering pads, bell-like tones, synth textures and lyrical melodic lines, all shaped with the phrasing, dynamics and rhythmic imagination of a master improviser.
The remarkable thing isn’t the technology.
It’s how quickly you stop thinking about the technology.
Within a minute or two, the instrument disappears, leaving only the musical conversation. Brecker phrases exactly as a great jazz soloist should, building tension, developing motifs and telling a coherent story despite using sounds that could never have come from a traditional saxophone.
For many musicians, this performance demonstrated that the EWI could do far more than produce unusual sounds. It could support genuine jazz improvisation.
More Than a Synthesiser
The EWI arrived during a period when jazz musicians were still debating synthesisers, drum machines and digital technology.
Fusion had already introduced electronic keyboards into jazz, but wind controllers remained controversial. Many listeners questioned whether electronic instruments belonged in improvised music at all.
Brecker never argued the point in interviews.
Instead, he simply played.
His performances gradually persuaded audiences that expressive phrasing, harmonic imagination and musical storytelling mattered far more than the source of the sound itself.
That philosophy would influence generations of EWI players who followed.
A Lasting Legacy
Although Brecker continued to record extraordinary acoustic tenor saxophone performances throughout his career, the EWI remained one of his defining musical voices.
He used it extensively on his own albums, on sessions with artists including Paul Simon, and in live performances where its distinctive sound became an expected part of his concerts.
Today, electronic wind instruments are widely accepted across jazz, film scoring, pop and contemporary classical music.
That acceptance owes a great deal to Michael Brecker.
The instrument didn’t become respected because someone explained its potential.
It became respected because one of the greatest improvisers in jazz history showed what it could do.
Want to explore more?
If you enjoyed this performance, it’s also worth listening to Michael Brecker’s work with Steps Ahead, his landmark solo albums such as Michael Brecker (1987) and Tales from the Hudson (1996), and his countless guest appearances throughout the 1980s and 1990s, where he continually expanded the vocabulary of both the tenor saxophone and the EWI.
