George Braith
George Braith, a legend in the field of modern progressive jazz, commands an uncanny and absolutely phenomenal knowledge and use of harmonics, rarely evidenced in modern jazz music today. As described by Chris Kelsey, in Jazz Times, his Braithophone chops are developed, and his lines are long, and graceful. His tenor work is lithe, melodic and unpredictable in the best sense. Braith's playing is a study in wisdom and authenticity.
George Braith is an inventor who has created the Braithophone, an instrument that blends two saxophones (soprano and alto) and Boptronics which is the conjunction of improvisational jazz and the use of electronic virtual instruments.
George Braith is a Blue Note artist and when you hear his Blue Note releases you will be struck by the originality of his approach. New York born and bred, he made three albums for Blue Note from 1963 - 1964. He also recorded as a sideman with organist Big John Patton and led dates for Prestigue later in the decade. Currently, George Braith has released a series of CD's through his label, Excellence Records, many of which are available through cdbaby.com.
George Braith, son of a Pentecostal minister who played piano and organ and a mother who sang in church, is the youngest of nine siblings who are all musically inclined. As a child he played baritone sax and the flutophone in his father's church and in school and had his own calypso group. He was introduced to jazz in the late 40's when he heard Tiny Noles, a trumpet player, playing through the back window of the his family's apartment in the Bronx. In Junior High School Braith took up the clarinet and alto sax. While in Music and Art High School, Braith began summer gigging with a band in the Catskills with Pete Sims (LaRoca). While in high school he began playing bassoon and flute. After graduating he toured Europe with his group, The American Jazz Quintett. The following fall, he was enrolled in the Manhattan School of Music where he studied theory and arranging by day and gigged at night.
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My Blue Note Obsession
Big Jazz Nerd
Album Review
- The Complete Blue Note Sessions by David Adler
Albums
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