Rob Brown

Rob Brown | Steve Swell | Joe Morris | Luther Gray | Rob Brown Quartet | Radiant Pools | RogueArt Jazz

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Rob Brown has a sound of his own one that you instantly identify, and it’s a wonder why his unique way of playing alto saxophone still hasn’t found the recognition it deserves. With “Radiant Pools”, not only does he confirm what a great musician he is, but he also shows how he can give life and soul to an orchestra… and what orchestra! Quite noteworthy is the way Rob Brown’s alto sax (hear his high notes) and flute, and Steve Swell’s trombone complement and enrich each other; respond to one another while Swell shows as much talent as a soloist than composer. The rhythm – and sometimes improvising – section is brilliantly composed of Joe Morris (who also wrote a wonderful piece) on the bass, although he gained a top-ranking reputation as a guitar player, and Luther Gray whose perfect knowledge of dynamics is a clear clue of how great a drummer he his. “Radiant Pools” also proves that written and free form improvised music can make a happy combination for the recipe of a consistent musical piece… as long as the service is first-rate! Continue reading →

William Parker Double Quartet | Alphaville Suite | RogueArt Jazz

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I first saw Jean Luc Godard’s Alphaville on American television in the early 1970’s. It didn’t take long for me to realize that Alphaville wasn’t just another science fiction spy thriller; it was really a wake up call to modern society to be vigilant… …It has always been my dream write to a piece of music inspired by this great film. The plan was to have a double quartet, one quartet made up of strings (Julia Kent, and Shiau-Shu Yu cello, Jessica Pavone viola, and Mazz Swift violin). The other quartet is the regular working band of Rob Brown, alto sax, Lewis Barnes, trumpet and Hamid Drake, drums. I read the films screenplay and bought the DVD of the film to refresh my memory. Then I began to write the music, ending up with 15 compositions each one capturing a different aspect of the movie. The concept was to create an alternative soundtrack that could possibly be used in the film. While at the same time have a life of it’s own as concert music. Due to time restraints we only could record about half the music. Eight musicians blending as one while at the same time not giving up their individuality. — William Parker, excerpt from the liner notes Continue reading →

Rob Brown | Joe Morris | Matthew Shipp | Whit Dickey | Right Hemisphere | RogueArt Jazz

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Right hemisphere the intuitive side of the brain – the god part of brain – the part that processes in wholes not in linear sequences – the part that is out of time and rooted in eternity… …These pieces are not collective improvisations but are a series of concepts and gestures put forth, discussed and then acted upon musically. — Matthew Shipp, excerpt from the liner notes Continue reading →

Craig Taborn | Rob Brown | Nasheet Waits | Rob Brown Trio | Unknown Skies | RogueArt Jazz

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…Every trio without a piano or without a drums, or as in this case without a double bass, gains in incline what it loses in “balance”. It only takes a little sometimes. Everyone plays at ease across. Everyone can split themselves. There are no more solos as solos but phases, circles of influence and predominance which do not last. The duos bind and unbind more clearly, the contrasts stand out better. The theme is no longer material to develop but, as in Unknown Skies, a lyrical and volatile substance which evaporates between the communicating vessels of two duos within the trio, from the sweet wanderings of Brown and Taborn to the moats where Taborn and Waits dance. Here and there. In the middle of Bounce Back, the theme is a branching, and only a branching, connecting the spiral discussion between the saxophonist and the drummer and the take off of the pianist. Here and there. On The Upshot, the theme does not unfold, it coils and rewinds more and more rapidly, up to the clearing. Bobbin-clearing. When it is still exposed in due form, and comes back at the end, as on A Final Line, the theme seems almost unable to bear the pressure of what will follow, of what has gone before. — Alexandre Pierrepont, excerpt from the liner notes Continue reading →

Rob Brown | Daniel Levin | Natural Disorder | Not Two Records

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Natural Disorder What a great name for an album of improvised music, especially one like this where the elements of apparent chance and seeming inevitability are in such perfect balance. It might also reflect my own dealings with Rob Brown and Daniel Levin: if I were a believer in any form of fate, then I could well feel that this is an association written in the stars. I first encountered them at a gig in New York, where I’d expected to hear Rob’s quartet with Steve Swell, Joe Morris and Luther Gray, but an unseasonal snowfall trapped Joe and Luther out of town, and Daniel – whose work I hadn’t previously heard – came in as a last minute replacement. Clearly this changed the dynamics of the group, yet the way in which Daniel immediately established a relationship of equality with the two horns made a huge impression on me. But, after an exchange of email addresses all round, I headed back to my home in the North of England, and we had no further contact for almost two years. — Paul Bream Newcastle-upon-Tyne 15th July 2010 Continue reading →

The Rob Brown Trio | Live at Firehouse 12 | Not Two Records

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Alto saxophonist and composer Rob Brown moved the New York City in the mid 1980’s and slowly began developing an impressive reputation in progressive jazz circles, playing with the likes of Cecil Taylor, Butch Morris and a long stretch in William Parker’s extraordinary quartet. Brown’s music is a very nice modernizing of the progressive alto saxophone tradition of Ornette Coleman, Eric Dolphy and Jackie McLean, building a deep, original and thoroughly modern view of jazz. On this album (I guess it’s recorded live, but I don’t hear any applause) he is joined by Daniel Levin on cello, Satoshi Takeishi on drums and percussion. Brown’s pinched and citrus saxophone tone and Levin’s sawing cello make for an alluring sound. “Quick Be Nimble” is a medium tempo opener, getting a wide open Ornette-ish feel with the musicians probing and exploring. “Walkabout” has a plucked cello opening around slow percussion with metallic gongs and when the alto enters, it makes for an interesting and mysterious sound. — tim, jazzandblues blogspot Continue reading →