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Jaimeo Brown
Percussionist and composer, Jaimeo Brown, began his drum career at age 16, growing up in the San Francisco Bay area with a rich musical heritage on both sides of his family. He tagged along with his father, bassist Dartanyan Brown, and mother, pianist and woodwind specialist, Marcia Miget, as they performed all over the country with the National Endowment for the Arts as jazz artists.
He has since performed all over the world with a wide range of musicians including Stevie Wonder, Carlos Santana, Wynton Marsalis, Kaamal (aka Q-Tip), Carl Craig, Kenny Garrett, Geri Allen, Steve Turre, Pharoah Sanders and Bobby Hutcherson, with whom he established his national reputation at 19 years of age.
Greatly inspired by the Gees Bend spirituals of Alabama, he brings their music and artwork to light in the upcoming debut album of his band, “Transcendence.”
“I focused on the Black spiritual as the root of the material because of its raw unfeigned expression,” said Brown. “Hope is in abundance in these spirituals.”
The innovative album weaves a tapestry of African-American spirituals, along with East Indian concepts, electronic textures, acoustic jazz and blues.
“For this project, I dug into my experience of the blues,” said Brown. “The blues to me is a separate musical language that is infinitely deep.”
Transcendence is a project that expresses his experiences living in NY for the last 14 years. The songs express his worldview and his own spiritual awakening. Being inspired by the Gees Bend spirituals of Alabama, he wanted to bring light to their music and artwork. He focused on the black spiritual as the root of the material because of its raw unfeigned expression. One may have the best musical education in the world and not be able to express any emotion through music. He intentionally chose not to use a lot of chord changes and odd time signatures to make the point that powerful music comes from the heart not just the intellect. Hope is in abundance in these spirituals.
“Transcendence” also includes guitarist and Soundscape artist Chris Sholar and saxophone titan J.D. Allen. In addition, the album includes special guests Geri Allen, Falu, and Marisha Brown. His father, mother, sister, and daughter can also be heard on the album.
In addition to his own CD, he recently finished recording his fifth CD with tenor saxophonist Greg Tardy, produced music on Geri Allen’s last CD – “A Child is Born,” and recorded on Joe Locke’s newest CD.
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Jaimeo Brown Transcendence at the Blue Note in Milan
by Roberto Cifarelli
Photos from the May 20th Jaimeo Brown Transcendence concert at Blue Note Milan featuring Jaimeo Brown, Chris Sholar, and Jaleel Shaw. ...
read moreJaimeo Brown Transcendence: Work Songs
by Maurizio Comandini
Il bellissimo e colpevolmente trascurato Trascendence, uscito nel 2013, aveva creato in noi attese molto alte per il lavoro successivo di Jaimeo Brown, batterista e percussionista nato a Des Moines nel 1978 e poi cresciuto in una New York multi etnica e multi culturale, potendo contare sull'influenza benefica di due genitori entrambi musicisti. Con questo Work Songs il musicista americano conferma tutte le splendide potenzialità emerse nell'album di esordio e si avvia a diventare uno dei punti ...
read moreJaimeo Brown Transcendence: Work Songs
by Mark F. Turner
The inventiveness to cope with difficulty lies at the heart of Work Songs, the follow-up to drummer Jaimeo Brown's outstanding 2013 release Transcendence (Motema). The syncopation of hammers on nails forging railroad tracks and weary chants of laborers are mixed with progressive blues, rock, jazz, and hip hop influences to create a patchwork that's soulfully compelling. Brown and co-producer/guitarist Chris Sholar deftly integrate sampled field recordings with scintillating performances from jazz saxophonists JD Allen and Jaleel Shaw, blues singer Lester ...
read moreJaimeo Brown: Transcendence
by Angelo Leonardi
Al suo debutto discografico come leader Jaimeo Brown ha relizzato una delle opere più intense, originali e appassionanti del 2013. Un concept album che abbraccia il passato e il presente della cultura afro-americana, inglobando suggestioni geograficamente distanti (come quella indiana) in un percorso capace di coniugare feeling e controllo della forma. Il trentaquattrenne batterista non è certo un esordiente e il suo curriculum è denso di collaborazioni importanti entro un ampio spettro stilistico. Negli ultimi quindici anni ha lavorato ...
read moreJaimeo Brown: Transcendence
by Mark F. Turner
One of the more thought-provoking releases to come along this year, drummer Jaimeo Brown's Transcendence is an ethnomusicology patchwork with elements of the blues, gospel, rock, and modern jazz. Inspired by Gee's Bend, Alabama--an African American rural community formed in the early 1800's that is steeped in vibrant music and art--Brown's project conjures the voices of the past and imparts his own language to the town's deep history and relevant present. A drummer with explosiveness and touch, ...
read moreDrummer/Composer/Conceptualist Jaimeo Brown Transforms Pain and Deliverance into Art on Debut Album, Transcendence, Available April 9 Via Motema Music
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DL Media
Featuring J.D. Allen and Chris Sholar Project Fuses Gee’s Bend Quilters Southern Spirituals with Eastern Indian Music and Electronic Elements, Under the Umbrella of Acoustic Modern Jazz With Special Guests Geri Allen, Falu, and Kelvin Sholar, Among Others Transcendence marks the Motéma Music debut from Jaimeo Brown, a brilliant 34-year-old drummer, composer and conceptualist. With an intriguing amalgam of modern jazz, Southern black spiritual music, East Indian Carnatic music, blues, and hip-hop/electronica production tactics, Transcendence introduces Brown as a fearless ...
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Power of God
From: TranscendenceBy Jaimeo Brown