Music Review: John Brown - 'Quiet Time'

By Jack Goodstein, BLOGCRITICS.ORG
Published 10:00 pm, Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Bassist John Brown's Quiet Time, recorded back in August of 2007, is scheduled for special release on Valentine's Day 2014-it was previously released in 2012. The 10-tune set is an hour and a quarter of jazz music filled with gorgeous sounds. There are familiar pieces; there are some less well-known numbers. Familiar or unfamiliar, each and every one is a lyrical gem, just right for a romantic evening in front of a fireplace for those into sentiment and cliché, and not bad listening for the more cynical among us.

Brown leads a tight quintet featuring Ray Codrington on trumpet and flugelhorn, Brian Miller on saxophones, Gabe Evens on piano, and Adonis Rose on drums. They open with an intense rendition of "Come Live with Me," a song associated with Ray Charles, and one that sets the tone for the entire album: introspective soulful solo work laid over a solid rhythmic foundation. Next is the title song, a John Brown original that puts me in mind of "My Funny Valentine," and it's more tender than soulful. The other original piece on the disc is Evens' "Lost," which features the pianist and Miller on alto.
Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/lifestyle/blogcritics/article/Music-Review-John-Brown-Quiet-Time-5189964.php

John Brown bass solo

John Brown: Music for Shakespeare

DURHAM, NC - Grammy-nominated bassist and Duke University ProfessorJohn Brown and his 15-piece big band will join forces with the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival (NCShakes) to present performances of Such Sweet Thunder in March and April.

Inspired by the masterful works of William Shakespeare, acclaimed jazz greats Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington and Billy Strayhorn created this suite of pieces bringing the worlds of literature and music together in this triumphant work.

The suite features compositions inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Julius Caesar, Henry V, Macbeth, Othello, The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Antony and Cleopatra. In this first-ever collaboration, the two companies will present a series of performances of Such Sweet Thunder, with each piece introduced by NCShakes actors.

Such Sweet Thunder will premier in High Point, N.C., on Friday, March 30, followed by performances in Charlotte on Saturday, March 31, and in Durham on Thursday, April 26. The High Point and Durham events will include ballroom table seating, with the ticket price including tabled hors d’oeuvres and beer and wine.

"I learned of these pieces when researching the suites of Duke Ellington some years ago," Brown said. "I have long been inspired by the music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, and I marvel at their mastery of bringing out the colors and sounds in the fabric of the jazz ensemble. Such Sweet Thunder is particularly demonstrative of this gift, and the message brought forth in this performance will change how people hear music and allow themselves to be moved by art." - http://today.duke.edu/2012/02/brownshakespeare