James Taylor & Paul Simon To Headline NYC Benefit

On January 20, 2015, Paul Simon, James Taylor and Bobby McFerrin are among the musicians that will perform at “The Nearness Of You” benefit concert in The Appel Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City. The concert has been put together to honor the memory of 15-time Grammy-winning saxophonist Michael Brecker.

Proceeds from the concert will support cancer research at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) and the work of Azra Raza, MD, and Siddhartha Mukherjee, MD, PhD. Dr. Raza is director of the Myelodisplastic Syndromes (MDS) Center at CUMC. Dr. Mukherjee is a physician and researcher at the MDS Center.

Brecker was diagnosed with MDS in 2004 and after he was unable to find a match for a bone marrow transplant, the saxophonist died in 2007 at age 57. While Brecker’s life was unable to be saved, the tens of thousands of people worldwide who registered in an effort to save his life led to the saving of 54 lives when new registrants were perfect matches for others in need.

“When I learned that a cure for MDS will likely provide the key to curing leukemia, I realized there was no better way to honor my husband’s legacy than by raising important funds for research through this benefit concert,” said Brecker’s widow, event producer Susan Brecker.

General tickets, starting at $200, may be purchased as of Monday, November 17, at The Jazz at Lincoln Center box office, located on the ground floor of the Time Warner Center (Broadway and 60th Street), by Center Charge phone at 212-721-6500, or online at Jazz.org/events/all.