Rob Brown (saxophonist)

Last updated
Rob Brown
Rob Brown at the Vision Festival 23 June 2010.jpg
Background information
Born
Rob Brown

(1962-02-27) February 27, 1962 (age 63)
Origin Hampton, Virginia, U.S.
Genres Jazz
free jazz
avant-garde jazz
free improvisation
OccupationMusician
InstrumentAlto sax
Years active1987–present
Labels Aum Fidelity, Clean Feed Records, No More, Not Two, Marge Records, RogueArt, Riti
Website Official Website
Rob Brown, Arts for Art - Vision Festival 2024. Foto by Marek Lazarski DSC 0738Rob Brown, Arts for Art - Vision Festival 2024. Foto by Marek Lazarski.jpg
Rob Brown, Arts for Art - Vision Festival 2024. Foto by Marek Lazarski

Rob Brown (born February 27, 1962) is an American free jazz saxophonist and composer.

Contents

Life and career

Brown was born in Hampton, Virginia on February 27, 1962. [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 yearTitleLabelPersonnel/Notes
1988 Sonic Explorations Cadence JazzDuo with Matthew Shipp (piano)
1990 Breath Rhyme SilkheartTrio with William Parker (bass), Denis Charles (drums)
1992 Youniverse RitiTrio with Joe Morris (guitar), Whit Dickey (drums)
1995 Illuminate LeoQuartet co-led by Joe Morris (guitar), with William Parker (bass), Jackson Krall (drums)
1996 High Wire Soul NoteTrio with William Parker (bass), Jackson Krall (drums)
1997 Blink of an Eye No MoreDuo with Matthew Shipp (piano)
1997 Orbit Music & ArtsCollaborative trio with Guerino Mazzola (piano), Heinz Geisser (percussion)
1998 Scratching the Surface CIMPQuartet co-led by Lou Grassi (drums), with Assif Tsahar (tenor sax), Chris Lightcap (bass)
2000 Visage MargeTrio with Wilber Morris (bass), Lou Grassi (drums, percussion)
2000 Jumping Off the Page No MoreQuartet with Roy Campbell (trumpet), Chris Lightcap (bass), Jackson Krall (drums)
2002 Round the Bend Bleu RegardTrio with William Parker (bass), Warren Smith (drums)
2003 Likewise RitiAs part of the band Stone House; trio with Luther Gray (drums), Joe Morris (bass)
2004 The Big Picture MargeQuartet 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 FeedAs part of the band The Diplomats; trio with Steve Swell (trombone), Harris Eisenstadt (drums)
2007 Sounds Clean FeedTrio with Daniel Levin (cello), Satoshi Takeishi (percussion)
2008 Right Hemisphere RogueArtAs part of the band Right Hemisphere; quartet with Matthew Shipp (piano), Joe Morris (bass), Whit Dickey (drums)
2008Live in ChicagoRuby RedDuo with Andrew Barker (drums, percussion)
2008 Crown Trunk Root Funk AUM FidelityQuartet with Craig Taborn (piano, electronics), William Parker (bass), Gerald Cleaver (drums)
2009 Live at Firehouse 12 Not TwoTrio with Daniel Levin (cello), Satoshi Takeishi (percussion)
2010Natural DisorderNot TwoDuo with Daniel Levin (cello)
2011 Unexplained Phenomena MargeQuartet with Matt Moran (vibraphone), Chris Lightcap (bass), Gerald Cleaver (drums)
2011 Unknown Skies RogueArtTrio with Craig Taborn (piano), Nasheet Waits (drums)
2014Day in the Life of a CityMultikultiTrio with Daniel Levin (cello), Jacek Mazurkiewicz (bass)
2015Divergent PathsCipselaDuo with Daniel Levin (cello)

[5]

As sideman

Release yearLeaderTitleLabel
1998 Whit Dickey Transonic AUM Fidelity
2000Whit Dickey Big Top Wobbly Rail
2001Whit Dickey Life Cycle AUM Fidelity
2001 Alan Silva Alan Silva & the Sound Visions Orchestra Eremite
2002Whit Dickey Prophet Moon Riti
2004Whit Dickey Coalescence Clean Feed
2005Whit Dickey In a Heartbeat Clean Feed
2006Whit Dickey Sacred Ground Clean Feed
1999 Joe Morris Many Rings Knitting Factory
1994 William Parker Flowers Grow in My RoomCentering
1995William Parker In Order to Survive Black Saint
1996William Parker Compassion Seizes Bed-Stuy Homestead
1997William Parker Sunrise in the Tone World AUM Fidelity
1998William Parker The Peach Orchard AUM Fidelity
1999William Parker Posium Pendasem FMP
2000William Parker O'Neal's Porch Centering
2000William Parker Mayor of Punkville AUM Fidelity
2002William Parker Raincoat in the River Eremite
2002William Parker Raining on the Moon Thirsty Ear
2002William Parker Spontaneous Splasc(h)
2003William Parker Mass for the Healing of the World Black Saint
2005William Parker Sound Unity AUM Fidelity
2005William Parker For Percy Heath Victo
2007William Parker Corn Meal Dance AUM Fidelity
2007William Parker Alphaville Suite RogueArt
2007William Parker Double Sunrise Over Neptune AUM Fidelity
2008William Parker Petit Oiseau AUM Fidelity
2012William Parker Essence of Ellington Centering
2013William Parker Wood Flute Songs AUM Fidelity
1992 Matthew Shipp Points Silkheart
1999Matthew Shipp Magnetism Bleu Regard
2009 Steve Swell Planet Dream Clean Feed

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 65. ISBN   0-85112-580-8.
  2. 1 2 "Silkheart Records presents the New American Jazz". Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
  3. ↑ "Rob Brown | Biography & History". AllMusic . Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Rob Brown @ All About Jazz". Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
  5. ↑ "Rob Brown | Album Discography". AllMusic . Retrieved July 25, 2021.
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