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John V. Brown

John V. Brown, Jr., a native of Fayetteville, North Carolina, began studying the bass when he was nine years old and has been performing professionally since his teens. He began performing with the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra at thirteen, and was playing Principal Bass with that orchestra while still in high school. At the University of North Carolina at Greensboro he studied with Jack Budrow, and while still an undergraduate he performed with the Roanoke Symphony (VA), the Greensboro Symphony, and the Winston-Salem Symphony and interned with the North Carolina Symphony. In college, John also developed a great love for jazz, and began pursuing careers in both jazz and classical music. During that time, he co-founded a jazz quartet called "In the Black" with some fellow schoolmates. The group quickly began giving regular performances, most notably at the National Black Musician's Caucus, at Debbie Allen's wrap party for the filming of "Stompin' at the Savoy," with vocalist Melva Houston, and opening for Stanley Jordan.

John has performed in the United States and abroad with artists like Wynton Marsalis, Ellis Marsalis, Delfeayo Marsalis, Elvin Jones, Diahann Carroll, Nell Carter, Rosemary Clooney, Lou Donaldson, Frank Foster, David "Fathead" Newman, Nicholas Payton, Cedar Walton, Fred Wesley and Mark Whitfield, and he boasts a Grammy? Nomination for his performance and co-writing on Nnenna Freelon's 1995 Concord release, "Shaking Free." His extensive experience includes performances at notable venues like Carnegie Hall, the Blue Note, the Kennedy Center, the Hollywood Bowl, and at major jazz festivals including the Playboy Jazz Festival, the JVC Jazz Festival, the Montreal Jazz Festival and Jazz e Vienne.

Equally gifted in other areas of performance, John has performed for major theatre productions including the Japan tour of "Blues in the Night" with Roz Ryan and Freda Payne, shows at the National Black Theater Festival, the Broadway Series South and off Broadway performances. John made his acting debut in 1991 when he co-starred in the role of Jimmy Powers (re-written for John as a bassist) in "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill" at the Broach Theatre and performed in the same show (as the bassist) with Jackee Harry. John has also appeared in "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles," "Stompin' at the Savoy," "Radioland Murders," and "Hellraiser III." Among John's recording credits is the soundtrack for "Moon Over Miami" for ABC, done with Delfeayo Marsalis.

John currently serves as a Professor and Director of the Jazz Program at Duke University. He conducts the Duke Jazz Ensemble, coaches jazz combos and teaches academic courses and applied bass. He also serves on the faculties at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina Central University where his responsibilities have included teaching applied double bass and electric bass, co-conducting the Jazz Band, conducting the Jazz Lab Band, coaching jazz combos and conducting orchestra sectionals. John is also a contributing writer for McGraw Hill Publishers. In addition to regular performances with the North Carolina Symphony, the Opera Company of North Carolina and the Carolina Ballet, John is currently working on a new project called "JOBRO" - a funk/R&B influenced band including Fred Wesley (formerly with James Brown and the JB Horns) and Tom Browne.

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