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Brian Charette

New York City organist/pianist, Brian Charette, has established himself as a leading voice in modern Jazz. Charette is a Grammy-nominated, Hammond-endorsed artist who was the winner of the 2014 Downbeat Critics’ Poll "Rising Star: Organ" award and has climbed to 4th place in The 2016 Critic's Poll main Organ category. This year Brian also won The Hot House Magazine Fan's Decision Jazz Award for Best Organist in New York. His brand new recording, Once and Future, is currently #17 on the Jazz Week chart and is also on the Itunes new music Top 20. Charette was born in Meriden, Connecticut in 1972, and was introduced to music by his mother, Catherine. By the age of 17, he was playing with jazz luminaries Lou Donaldson and Houston Person. Since graduating on the Dean's List from UConn in 1994 with a BA in Music, Charette has been performing extensively in Europe and the USA with his home base being the East Village, NYC. Brian is a staple of the downtown scene working with virtually everyone who plays with an organist. Besides being a critically acclaimed composer and bandleader, Brian has performed with notable artists such as Joni Mitchell, Chaka Khan, Paul Simon, Cyndi Lauper, and many more. Just this month, Brian will start working with Miles Davis alumnus, George Coleman. Charette is also an active author and educator, writing for Keyboard magazine, New York City Jazz Record, DownBeat, and the Czech magazine Muzikus. Brian teaches masterclasses all over the world and is on the faculty of the Czech Summer Jazz Workshop at Jesek Conservatory in Prague. His first book, 101 Hammond B3 Tips, released through publisher Hal Leonard, has become very popular, as well as his video on the website, mymusicmasterclass.com. Outside of music, Charette is passionate about chess and White Crane kung fu, in which he holds a black sash.

Awards

Grammy Nominated, 2012 & 2013 runner up Downbeat Critic's Poll "Rising Star:Organ"


Tags

1
Album Review

Jim Josselyn: Shape Shifter

Read "Shape Shifter" reviewed by Kyle Simpler


Keith Richards once said if “you don't know the blues, there's no point in picking up the guitar." This is certainly true about rock, but it could just as easily apply to jazz. Many of the great jazz guitarists have roots in the blues, and Jim Josselyn is no exception. His album Shape Shifter offers a tasty serving of jazz seasoned with the blues. Josselyn started playing guitar when he was young, but he took his ...

5
Album Review

Eric Zolan: Calder's Universe

Read "Calder's Universe" reviewed by Kyle Simpler


Musicians spend years practicing to become proficient. Technical ability is an important aspect of playing an instrument, but in order to really communicate a message, a musician needs to love the music as well. Guitarist Eric Zolan is obviously someone who has not only spent a great deal of time practicing but listening to music as well. This comes across clearly in his debut album Calder's Universe. Zolan, a native of Connecticut, developed his chops playing jazz ...

3
Album Review

Brian Charette: Jackpot

Read "Jackpot" reviewed by Pierre Giroux


In the tradition of some great Hammond organ players of the past, such as Jack McDuff, Melvin Rhyne, Don Patterson, Larry Young and Jimmy Smith, one leading practitioner on this instrument, Brian Charette, wanted to write some swinging and soulful bebop tunes which would honor the memory of these past greats. The musicians Charette chose to travel on this journey were steeped in this genre, tenor saxophonist Cory Weeds, funky guitarist Ed Cherry and the swinging drummer Bill Stewart. To ...

6
Album Review

Doug Webb: The Message

Read "The Message" reviewed by David A. Orthmann


The trappings of The Message, tenor saxophonist Doug Webb's eleventh release for Posi-Tone Records, are perhaps recognizable to anyone with an interest in jazz conventions. All hands, except for drummer Charles Ruggiero, contribute at least one composition. While some are more adventurous (tenor saxophonist Bob Reynolds' “Where Did You Come From?," and alto saxophonist Greg Osby's “Nekide") than others (Webb's “Caught In The Webb" and organist Brian Charette's “Bonnie Lass"), there is nothing here that pushes the envelope or prompts ...

6
Album Review

Brian Charette: Like the Sun

Read "Like the Sun" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky


With time on his hands, neurons firing fast and a serious hankering for tinkering, organist and keyboard whiz Brian Charette created what can best be described as an integrated groove orchestrion with catholic tastes. Using samplers, drum machines and arpeggiators programmed to react to and accompany his playing, Charette birthed a man-meets-machine outfit bent on exploring the outer limits, welding atmospherics to grooves, and forwarding catchy and playful lines that seem tailor-made for their territory, though the reverse is actually ...

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Album Review

Doug Webb: Apples & Oranges

Read "Apples & Oranges" reviewed by David A. Orthmann


The ingenuity of veterans operating within the recognizable parameters of the jazz mainstream never ceases to impress. A case in point is Apples & Oranges, tenor and soprano saxophonist Doug Webb's tenth release for the Posi-Tone imprint. A program comprised of the warhorses “In A Sentimental Mood," “Spring Is Here," and “Estate," the 1960s pop song “How Can I Be Sure," plus a blues, a waltz and a couple of bebop lines composed by the leader may seem passé in ...

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Take Five With...

Take Five With Brian Charette

Read "Take Five With Brian Charette" reviewed by Brian Charette


Meet Brian Charette: Grammy-nominated organist/pianist, Brian Charette, has established himself as a leading voice in modern jazz. Besides being a critically acclaimed composer and bandleader, he has worked with many notable artists such as Joni Mitchell, Chaka Khan, Lou Donaldson and countless others. Charette is a Hammond endorsed, SteepleChase and Posi-Tone recording artist. In 2019, Charette released Beyond Borderline (Steeplechase), his sixth as a leader and was rated with 3 ½ stars in Downbeat. His recordings have been ...

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1

Interview

Interview: Brian Charette on 'Jackpot'

Interview: Brian Charette on 'Jackpot'

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

Brian Charette knows his way around an organ. He began playing a Hammond M3 in high school but didn't graduate to the B3 until he moved to New York at age 20. While gigging in the city, he was schooled by Brother Jack McDuff in Harlem at Showman's Jazz Club. Brian also knows how to write soul-jazz. His new album, Jackpot, is terrific. It features Brian on organ backed by Cory Weeds on tenor saxophone, Ed Cherry on guitar and ...

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Video / DVD

John, Gary and Eartha

John, Gary and Eartha

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

In the Wall Street Journal last week, I interviewed John Fogerty on Bad Moon Rising for my “Anatomy of a Song" column. John wrote the song for Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1969 and was inspired by a 1941 movie, Elvis and San Francisco hippie astrology. I last interviewed John on the writing and recording of Proud Mary in 2013. As you might imagine, John is a great guy and a wonderful interview. Recently, he released Fogerty's Factory, an album of ...

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Recording

Brian Charette Releases New Solo Hammond Electronica Album, 'Like The Sun'

Brian Charette Releases New Solo Hammond Electronica Album, 'Like The Sun'

Source: Brian Charette

New York City organist/pianist, Brian Charette describes his latest recording Like the Sun as “Kraftwerk meets Harlem juke joint." It's Hammond with electronics and drum machines that he has programmed to react to him in provocative ways. Everything is tracked live. Here is Charette recording Track 2, “Time Piece" (view video). Like the Sun was recorded in the first months of lock down. The release date is December 1, 2020. The music is original catchy instrumental tunes with hip beats, ...

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Performance / Tour

Grammy-Nominated US Jazz Organist Brian Charette In UK With His Organ Sextette For One Night Only As Part Of Major European Tour

Grammy-Nominated US Jazz Organist Brian Charette In UK With His Organ Sextette For One Night Only As Part Of Major European Tour

Source: Rebecca Ladbury

Grammy-nominated US jazz organist Brian Charette in UK with his organ Sextette for one night only as part of major European tour “a master of space and time” —LA Weekly The Brian Charette Organ Sextette is in the UK for one night only as part of a major European tour. Brian Charette is a New York-based Grammy-nominated, Hammond endorsed, SteepleChase and Posi-Tone recording artist who has been playing to sold out shows across Europe. He will be performing on Wednesday ...

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Recording

Brian Charette - Upside (Steeplechase)

Brian Charette - Upside (Steeplechase)

Source: Master of a Small House

The hoary Hammond organ is an instrument oddly resistant to revolutionary application. A survey of its history in jazz yields only a comparative handful of players who have taken it to truly new places. Brian Charette isn't among that select few, but he does have something valuable to say as evidenced by the pleasures and strengths indicative to this debut. It's no coincidence that he counts Steeplechase label mate Gary Versace as a colleague. Both men take the lineage of ...

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Performance / Tour

Brian Charette Trio at Smalls on June 29th, 2009

Brian Charette Trio at Smalls on June 29th, 2009

Source: Two for the Show Media

Organist Brian Charette will be performing with his Trio at Smalls in New York City on Monday, June 29th, 2009 Set times are 7:30 PM & 9:00 PM Hammond Organ Ace Brian Charette’s latest release Missing Floor uses the disciplines of Chess and Kung Fu to influence his inspired Jazz composition. The group uses a standard organ trio model, but replaces the guitar with electronic treatments. Join them on this evening to hear some of the most exciting new trio ...

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Performance / Tour

The Ed Cherry-Brian Charette-Sylvia Cuenca Trio @"Jules Bistro" tonight!

The Ed Cherry-Brian Charette-Sylvia Cuenca Trio @"Jules Bistro" tonight!

Source: All About Jazz

The Ed Cherry Trio will be performing tonigt @ Jules Bistro(65 st.marks place,bet.1st and 2nd.ave.) 8-11pm w/Brian Charette-organ and Sylvia Cuenca-drums

As a kid,Ed Cherry was initially attracted to rock and r&b.Only later did he get involved in jazz,partly as a result of the influence of his dad,a fan of the music.Ed recalls “confiscating his record collection." Guitarist Ed Cherry has brought his superb artisry to the groups of such diverse heavyweights as Sam Rivers,Big John ...

"The Hammond B-3 organist Brian Charette weighs the ageless objective of soul-jazz with a trace of restless modernity." —Nate Chinen, NY Times

"Both B-3 stylist and student, serious jazz scholar and glitzy entertainer, Charette is a burning soloist who understands the tradition of the Hammond B-3 as well its future—just as cerainly as he understands his place in that lineage." —Ken Micallef, Downbeat Magazine

"A Master of Space and Time." —Josh Jackson, WBGO NYC

"Reliably Burning." —Bill Milkowski, Jazz Times

"Just the right proportions of refinement and rambunctiousness." —Chris Barton, LA Times

Primary Instrument

Organ, Hammond B3

Location

New York City

Willing to teach

Advanced only

Credentials/Background

Lessons 100$ for 1 1/2 hr lesson extensive private and classroom teaching experience regular contributor to Keyboard Magazine master class section

Clinic/Workshop Information

I teach clinics on harmony especially unusual systems like that of Olivier Messiaen and it's use for jazz, writing for a larger ensemble using music from my chamber group, "Music for Organ Sextette". I also teach body awareness/stillness drawing from my experience with Internal Kung Fu systems

Photos

Concerts

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Innner Light

Self Produced
2023

buy

Calder's Universe

Self Produced
2023

buy

Shape Shifter

Self Produced
2023

buy

The Message

Posi-Tone Records
2022

buy

Jackpot

Cellar Live
2022

buy

Beyond Borderline

SteepleChase Records
2020

buy

Shape Shifter

From: Shape Shifter
By Brian Charette

Time Piece

From: Like the Sun
By Brian Charette

I Came So Far To See U

From: The Question That Drives Us
By Brian Charette

Fugue For Kathleen Anne/ Ex-girlfriend Variations

From: Music for Organ Sextette
By Brian Charette

Videos

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