Rob Brown (saxophonist)
Rob Brown | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Rob Brown |
| Born | February 27, 1962 |
| Origin | Hampton, Virginia, United States |
| Genres | Jazz free jazz avant-garde jazz free improvisation |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Alto sax |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Labels | Aum Fidelity, Clean Feed Records, No More, Not Two, Marge Records, RogueArt, Riti |
| Website | Official Website |
Rob Brown (born February 27, 1962)[1] is an American free jazz saxophonist and composer.
Life and career
Brown was born in Hampton, Virginia, United States.[1] He started playing saxophone at the age of 12.[2] His first gigs were with a local Virginia swing band. He eventually studied at Berklee College for two years,[1] and worked privately with both Joe Viola and John LaPorta.[3] After a year on the west coast, Brown relocated to Boston, Massachusetts, where he met pianist Matthew Shipp.[1] He moved to New York in 1985,[1] where he enrolled at New York University, earned a music degree, and studied with saxophone masters such as Lee Konitz, but the teacher who had more influence on Brown conceptually was Philadelphian Dennis Sandole.[1] Brown travelled to Philadelphia by rail once a week to study with him for a year and a half.[2]
His first issued recording was the duet with Shipp Sonic Explorations (1988),[1] and since then has been actively leading groups or working as a sideman with Shipp, William Parker,[1] Whit Dickey, Joe Morris and Steve Swell.
He is a 2001 CalArts/Alpert/Ucross Residency Prize winner and has received many Meet The Composer Fund grants. In 2006, Brown was awarded a Chamber Music America New Works grant.[4]
Discography
As leader/co-leader
| Release year | Title | Label | Personnel/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Sonic Explorations | Cadence Jazz | Duo with Matthew Shipp (piano) |
| 1990 | Breath Rhyme | Silkheart | Trio with William Parker (bass), Denis Charles (drums) |
| 1992 | Youniverse | Riti | Trio with Joe Morris (guitar), Whit Dickey (drums) |
| 1995 | Illuminate | Leo | Quartet co-led by Joe Morris (guitar), with William Parker (bass), Jackson Krall (drums) |
| 1996 | High Wire | Soul Note | Trio with William Parker (bass), Jackson Krall (drums) |
| 1997 | Blink of an Eye | No More | Duo with Matthew Shipp (piano) |
| 1997 | Orbit | Music & Arts | Collaborative trio with Guerino Mazzola (piano), Heinz Geisser (percussion) |
| 1998 | Scratching the Surface | CIMP | Quartet co-led by Lou Grassi (drums), with Assif Tsahar (tenor sax), Chris Lightcap (bass) |
| 2000 | Visage | Marge | Trio with Wilber Morris (bass), Lou Grassi (drums, percussion) |
| 2000 | Jumping Off the Page | No More | Quartet with Roy Campbell (trumpet), Chris Lightcap (bass), Jackson Krall (drums) |
| 2002 | Round the Bend | Bleu Regard | Trio with William Parker (bass), Warren Smith (drums) |
| 2003 | Likewise | Riti | As part of the band Stone House; trio with Luther Gray (drums), Joe Morris (bass) |
| 2004 | The Big Picture | Marge | Quartet with Roy Campbell (trumpet, flugelhorn), William Parker (bass), Hamid Drake (drums) |
| 2005 | Radiant Pools | RogueArt | Quartet with Steve Swell (trombone), Joe Morris (bass), Luther Gray (drums) |
| 2006 | We Are Not Obstinate Islands | Clean Feed | As part of the band The Diplomats; trio with Steve Swell (trombone), Harris Eisenstadt (drums) |
| 2007 | Sounds | Clean Feed | Trio with Daniel Levin (cello), Satoshi Takeishi (percussion) |
| 2008 | Right Hemisphere | RogueArt | As part of the band Right Hemisphere; quartet with Matthew Shipp (piano), Joe Morris (bass), Whit Dickey (drums) |
| 2008 | Live in Chicago | Ruby Red | Duo with Andrew Barker (drums, percussion) |
| 2008 | Crown Trunk Root Funk | AUM Fidelity | Quartet with Craig Taborn (piano, electronics), William Parker (bass), Gerald Cleaver (drums) |
| 2009 | Live at Firehouse 12 | Not Two | Trio with Daniel Levin (cello), Satoshi Takeishi (percussion) |
| 2010 | Natural Disorder | Not Two | Duo with Daniel Levin (cello) |
| 2011 | Unexplained Phenomena | Marge | Quartet with Matt Moran (vibraphone), Chris Lightcap (bass), Gerald Cleaver (drums) |
| 2011 | Unknown Skies | RogueArt | Trio with Craig Taborn (piano), Nasheet Waits (drums) |
| 2014 | Day in the Life of a City | Multikulti | Trio with Daniel Levin (cello), Jacek Mazurkiewicz (bass) |
| 2015 | Divergent Paths | Cipsela | Duo with Daniel Levin (cello) |
[5]
As sideman
| Release year | Leader | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Whit Dickey | Transonic | AUM Fidelity |
| 2000 | Whit Dickey | Big Top | Wobbly Rail |
| 2001 | Whit Dickey | Life Cycle | AUM Fidelity |
| 2001 | Alan Silva | Alan Silva & the Sound Visions Orchestra | Eremite |
| 2002 | Whit Dickey | Prophet Moon | Riti |
| 2004 | Whit Dickey | Coalescence | Clean Feed |
| 2005 | Whit Dickey | In a Heartbeat | Clean Feed |
| 2006 | Whit Dickey | Sacred Ground | Clean Feed |
| 1999 | Joe Morris | Many Rings | Knitting Factory |
| 1994 | William Parker | Flowers Grow in My Room | Centering |
| 1995 | William Parker | In Order to Survive | Black Saint |
| 1996 | William Parker | Compassion Seizes Bed-Stuy | Homestead |
| 1997 | William Parker | Sunrise in the Tone World | AUM Fidelity |
| 1998 | William Parker | The Peach Orchard | AUM Fidelity |
| 1999 | William Parker | Posium Pendasem | FMP |
| 2000 | William Parker | O'Neal's Porch | Centering |
| 2000 | William Parker | Mayor of Punkville | AUM Fidelity |
| 2002 | William Parker | Raincoat in the River | Eremite |
| 2002 | William Parker | Raining on the Moon | Thirsty Ear |
| 2002 | William Parker | Spontaneous | Splasc(h) |
| 2003 | William Parker | Mass for the Healing of the World | Black Saint |
| 2005 | William Parker | Sound Unity | AUM Fidelity |
| 2005 | William Parker | For Percy Heath | Victo |
| 2007 | William Parker | Corn Meal Dance | AUM Fidelity |
| 2007 | William Parker | Alphaville Suite | RogueArt |
| 2007 | William Parker | Double Sunrise Over Neptune | AUM Fidelity |
| 2008 | William Parker | Petit Oiseau | AUM Fidelity |
| 2012 | William Parker | Essence of Ellington | Centering |
| 2013 | William Parker | Wood Flute Songs | AUM Fidelity |
| 1992 | Matthew Shipp | Points | Silkheart |
| 1999 | Matthew Shipp | Magnetism | Bleu Regard |
| 2009 | Steve Swell | Planet Dream | Clean Feed |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 65. ISBN 0-85112-580-8.
- ^ a b "Silkheart Records presents the New American Jazz". Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
- ^ "Rob Brown | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
- ^ "Rob Brown @ All About Jazz". Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
- ^ "Rob Brown | Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
External links
- Official site
- Rob Brown: No More "Mr. Avant Garde" by John Sharpe at All About Jazz