Ontario, Canada / Upstate New York (Top40 Charts/ Brownman
Music Inc.) - Over 5 Fridays in October multi-award winning trumpeter/composer BROWNMAN will lead 5 different 5-man all-star ensembles through 5 historic eras of jazz which Miles Davis catalyzed and immortalized.
5 Fridays... 5 Ensembles... 5 Eras of Miles Davis...
Week 1 - Fri. Oct 01, 2010 : "Young Miles" - The Bird Years
Week 2 - Fri. Oct 08, 2010 : "Birth Of The Cool" - Post-Bop Miles
Week 3 - Fri. Oct 15, 2010 : "Plugged Nickel" - The Shorter Years
Week 4 - Fri. Oct 22, 2010 : "Bitches Brew to Tutu" - Electric Miles
Week 5 - Fri. Oct 29, 2010 : "Doo-bop" - Had He Lived ...
Trinidadian born multi-award winning trumpeter Brownman, when asked about the tribute and the musicians behind the music, states, "For those who appreciate jazz as a true art form, FIVE WEEKS FOR MILES represents a rare opportunity to understand it's greatest legend's career, where he could have gone and a reminder of what he might have meant to us today. I'm truly honoured to be fronting this sequential tribute and performing with such a monstrous cross-section of players." Brownman has put together a spectacular all-star cast for his production featuring everyone from Canadian jazz legends Dave Restivo & Ted Quinlan, to luminaries in his own generation such as Adrean Farrugia & Marc Rogers to the best of the youngest new breed of jazz modernists like Tyler Emond & Colin KIngsmore. This year will also feature a few New Yorkers with acclaimed drummer Aaron Staebell and DJ to Jeru The Damaja - DJ Cutler making the border crossing. "Whatever age, whatever background, whatever colour - we're all going to be giving all of ourselves over to Miles' music... to try and do the man and his vision justice', Brownman concludes.
TRANE STUDIO
964 Bathurst Street W., Toronto, Canada 416-913-8197
www.TraneStudio.com (reserve early!)
Every Friday in October 2010
6:00pm - open for dinner | 8:00pm - show
$20 at the door | $15 advance list booking | $60 Full Fest Pass (new for 2010)
Email [email protected] to get on the advance list or arrange your Full Fest Pass.
(don't forget to include which week you want to come to)
or call 416-913-8197 to make a reservation
* Seating is reserved for dining customers or on a first come first serve basis.
Please arrive early to ensure seating.
Week 1 - Fri. Oct 1, 2010
"Young Miles" - The Bird Years
At 17 years of age Miles would travel across the river from his home in East St. Louis, Illinois to St. Louis, Missouri to hear well-known jazz musicians play in clubs. Mesmerized by their talent and style, he would listen to their all-night jam sessions until Charlie "Bird" Parker arrived in St. Louis with the Billy Eckstine Band in 1944. Charlie was the creative force behind a new form of jazz later dubbed "bebop"; the young Miles would become fascinated with it's complex melodic and harmonic structure leading Miles to follow Bird across the country until he was allowed to substitute for Parker's trumpet player at the time - Dizzy Gillespie. His tenure as Bird's sideman would most exemplify this hard-swinging period of his life.
Brownman - trumpet (National Jazz Award winner)
Bobby Brough - alto sax (acclaimed jazz artist)
Mark Keiswetter - piano (Shannon Butcher)
Ross MacIntyre - upright bass (Matt Dusk)
Ernesto Cervini - drums (just back from NYC!)
Week 2 - Fri. Oct 8, 2010
"Birth Of The Cool & Kind Of Blue" - Post-Bop Miles
The term "cool" came to particular prominence in the 1950s to describe a more cerebral, less impassioned way of playing jazz. It's generally supposed that these sessions were part of the inspiration for the 'cool school' of jazz which flourished, particularly on the West Coast, in the 50s. Miles would confound the public's expectations by departing the bop world of Charlie Parker and embracing this new order of jazz, examples of which are heard on "Birth Of The Cool" (Capitol Records, '50), a pillar of this era of Miles' jazz development.
Brownman - trumpet (National Jazz Award winner)
Jeff King - tenor sax (Juno nominee)
Adrean Farrugia - piano (National Jazz Award nominee)
Marc Rogers - upright bass (Holly Cole)
Jeff Halischuk - drums (Dal Dako)
Week 3 - Fri. Oct 15, 2010
"Plugged Nickel" - The Shorter Years
Two quintets in particular featuring 2 tenor saxophone giants dominated Miles' musical life almost exclusively from the mid 50's, right up until the 70's; one featuring John Coltrane and the other featuring Wayne Shorter; primarily demonstrated on "Kind Of Blue" (Columbia, '64) and "Live at the Plugged Nickel" (Columbia / Legacy, '65). This period would feature an assortment of quintets and sextets, all pushing the boundaries of improvisation within a simple modal framework; the two teamings that would leave the world breathless would be those with Coltrane and Shorter.
Brownman - trumpet (National Jazz Award winner)
Ryan Oliver - tenor sax (back from NYC!)
Dave Restivo - piano (National Jazz Award winner)
Mark Cashion - upright bass (Shuffle Demons)
Aaron Staebell - drums (up from NYC!)
Week 4 - Fri. Oct 22, 2010
"From Bitches Brew to Tutu" - Electric Miles
Legendary as a kind of 'line in the sand' challenging jazz fans during the ascendance of electric, psychedelic rock, "In a Silent Way" (Columbia Records, 1969) hinted at the repetitive polyrhythms Davis would employ throughout the early '70s. It also partook generously of electric piano and bass tonal colourings previously explored in acoustic settings, but "In a Silent Way" and the subsequent "Bitches Brew" and "Live Evil" recordings remains a clearly electric jazz record, part ambient colour exploration, part rock-inflected energy and vibe, and part outright maverick creativity. Long, breathy solos would be a feature of this era, glistening against his new groups' strange admixture of musical moods. Miles' funkified ventures would continue through the 70's until his fateful meeting with Marcus Miller, which would lead to a long collaboration in the 80's with Miller playing producer and musical director to Miles' haunting horn.
Brownman - electric trumpet (National Jazz Award winner)
Ted Quinlan - electric guitar (Juno nominee)
Robi Botos - rhodes & synths (National Jazz Award Winner)
Ben Miller - 6-string electric bass (God Made Me Funky)
Mark Kelso - drums (Chaka Khan)
with special guest: Marcus Ali - alto sax (Cruzao)
Week 5 - Fri. Oct 29, 2010
"Doo-bop" - Had He Lived...Miles
Towards the end of Miles' life he began an exploration of another sub-component of modern popular music - hip-hop. The "Doo-bop" recording (Warner, '92) would feature rappers and loops and would have marked the beginning of Miles' exploration or this artform. It is often harshly referred to by critics as his "worst" documented recording and as a "forgettable" era of his life, but it still stands strongly as a prime example of the Milesian ethic - his ability to recognize "what's next", to creatively move within and extend that artform. Brownman states, "I believe it is extremely probable that, had he lived, Miles would have worked closely with the likes of Tribe Called Quest, The Roots, Guru, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, junglists, DJs, rappers and beat-makers alike. Tonight will be a salute to what MIGHT have been."
Brownman - electric trumpet (National Jazz Award winner)
Enlight - rapper (Gruvasylum)
DJ Cutler - turntables (Jeru The Damaja)
Tyler Emond - 6-string electric bass (Brownman Electryc Trio)
Colin Kingsmore - drums (Brownman Electryc Trio)
* STUDENT SECOND SET:
For Week 5 - the last and final installment of Brownman Ali's FIVE WEEKS FOR MILES Tribute Series - all students will be admitted for 1/2 price with student I.D. ($10) for the second set.
About BROWNMAN
Born in Trinidad, schooled in New York City under Randy Brecker's watchful eye and now heralded as 'Canada's preeminent jazz trumpeter' by New York City's Village Voice magazine, the ever dynamic Brownman tirelessly leading no less than 7 highly respected ensembles of his own. He is best known for his work as the leader of Canada's premiere latin-jazz ensemble CRUZAO and the award-winning BROWNMAN ELECTRYC TRIO (2007 National Jazz Award winner for 'Electric Group of the Year'). Despite the demands of leading 7 groups he is still one of the most called upon trumpet players in the studio scene, his recording credits sitting at just under 300 records to date.
From 2006 to 2010, Brownman was the featured soloist with the legendary New York City jazz-hip-hop artist Guru (of Gangstarr fame) for his Jazzmatazz ensemble (replacing Donald Byrd in that group) and catalyzing his appearing on the cover of CODA magazine, Canada's most acclaimed jazz publication. In December 2009 Brownman launched his own independent record label Browntasauras Records, with Brownman Electryc Trio's debut recording of Juggernaut as its flagship release, along with re-issues of his entire back-catalog from other groups he leads.
Since returning to Canada from NYC, he has been on the cutting edge of modern music in the nation for the last decade, winning multiple awards nationally and achieving international recognition while touring the globe.
Please visit https://www.Brownman.com for more information.
AWARDS:
2010 Toronto Independent Music Award nominee for "Jazz Group of the Year"
2010 Artvoice Magazine's "Jazz Artists of the Year" nominee
2009 Named "favourite touring soloist" by London, UK's Jazz After Dark
2008 Toronto Independent Music Award nominee for "Jazz Group of the Year"
2008 National Jazz Award nominee for "Electric Jazz Group of the Year"
2007 NOW Magazine's "Toronto Jazz Trumpet Player of the Year"
2007 National Jazz Award winner for "Electric Jazz Group of the Year"
2007 A staggering 5 nominations at the National Jazz Awards
2006 National Jazz Award nominee for "Latin-jazz artist of the Year"
2005 NOW Magazine's "Toronto Jazz Artist of the Year".
2004 Brownman & CRUZAO - Independent Music Award nominee
2003 MARRON MATIZADO - "Best Toronto Salsa Band" (SalsaSPOT)
2002 National Jazz Award winner for "Jazz Composer of the Year"
2002 National Jazz Award nominee for "Jazz Trumpet Player of the Year"
2001 winner of the Montreal Jazz Fest's "Grand Prix Du Jazz Award".
2001 CRUZAO awarded the CBC Galaxie "Rising Star" Award
3 time nominee for "Jazz Trumpet Player of the Year" (NJA).
CRUZAO - 3 time nominee for "Electric Group of the Year" (NJA).
QUOTES:
"Canada's preeminent jazz trumpet player"
- NYC's Village Voice
"... the most versatile hornman in Canada"
- Chicago Tribune
"... virtuostic, energized and in the spirit of Miles Davis"
- Toronto's NOW Magazine.
"One of the next great voices in the new generation of jazz improvisers"
- Randy Brecker, multi-grammy winning legendary trumpeter
"Brownman... Remarkable writing and burning energy"
- John Scofield, jazz guitar giant
"... a truly gifted improviser with an original creative voice..."
- Gary Bartz, saxophonist with Miles Davis
"... uniquely creative and fearless - like a young Miles Davis"
- Guru, legendary hip-hop icon from Gangstarr/Jazzmatazz fame
"Brownman... deliciously quirky & invigorating... seethes with energy"
- Toronto Star
"Brownman Ali... a warm, personable soloist displaying an engaging mix of quirks and lyricism."
- Globe and Mail
"Brownman... Ali... Marr�n... this young trumpet player has as many names as he has skills"
- Canada Picante Xpress Latin Magazine
"Energy is never in short supply in Brownman Ali's world. This Toronto/Trinidadian trumpeter loves skipping from style to style almost as much as he digs mixing it up with the jazz elite"
- CBC Radio Canada
Official Brownman Website : https://www.Brownman.com
NEW Facebook: https://Facebook.com/pages/Brownman/11284584521
MySpace: https://MySpace.com/BrownmanMusic
Twitter: https://Twitter.com/BrownmanMusic
LinkedIn: https://LinkedIn.com/in/Brownman
Gig Schedule: https://gigs.Brownman.com
To buy CDs: https://Browntasauras.Brownman.com
