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Norman Brown

GRAMMY® Award winner Norman Brown is on close intimate terms with his audience. For almost two decades, it has been an engaging, mutually rewarding relationship, with the multitalented guitarist, composer and singer offering tasty sonic tidbits of classic R&B and contemporary jazz and his fans melting into satisfied aural bliss with every succulent, jazz inflected note. It‟s a veritable “love fest” – and Brown keeps the good vibes going on his long- awaited new release, Sending My Love, arriving this June on Peak Records. “I‟m a loving guy — I hear that a lot. I started reading my emails and the fans were sending me so much love that I wanted to send them love back,” explains the artist, who wrote nine of the ten tunes on this offering. “The CD is about pure love, love in all its many aspects: a personal relationship and a general love for the planet and for people. We should be kind to each other,” he adds.

Brown intensifies the flavors in an already much-beloved recipe of sound, with ten tracks that flow easily from steamy R&B to guitar lashed flights of instrumental fantasy, all the while keeping things right in the pocket. From the first track – the easy breezy, horn-laden smooth jazz single “Come Go With Me” – to the sexy groove of the R&B single “I‟m Pouring My Heart Out” to the gentle acoustic guitar melody of “One Last Goodbye,” Brown shows off the stylistic diversity that has gained him a loyal following. He does so by utilizing some of the tried and true musicians, songwriters, and producers he‟s worked with in the past: longtime collaborator Herman Jackson, bassist Alex Al, drummer Teddy Campbell, rhythm guitarist Jubu, and percussionist Kevin Ricard. He also reached out to R&B production camp Tha Bizness and R&B songwriters Melvin Moore III (who happens to be his godson) and Floyd E. Bentley III from his Kansas City hometown for the hop vocal tunes “I‟m Pouring My Heart Out” and “One Last Goodbye.”

Even his daughter Rochella Brown, a student at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, and her songwriting partners arranged a new version of the Kenny Loggins classic “Celebrate Me Home” (which was co-written by Bob James). Rochella sings with Brown on the beloved gem, which also features a choral contributing from GRAMMY® winning ensemble Sounds Of Blackness. Brown adds that, with a daughter serving in Iraq, he dedicated the song to our troops. “I‟m dedicating that to my second oldest daughter, Kesha, a West Point graduate who is a first lieutenant, fighting in Iraq,” he said. “I think about all the families of these troops and the troops themselves, and „Celebrate Me Home‟ hits it on the head — we all want to see them come home safely.”

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10
Album Review

Norman Brown: Let's Get Away

Read "Let's Get Away" reviewed by La-Faithia White


Norman Brown is an American smooth jazz guitarist and singer. Brown's style is contemporary, with a soul-jazz rhythmic storytelling vibe. His interest in guitar began at age eight, after discovering his brother's acoustic six-string. Brown's own take on the perfect getaway involves “a joyful and peaceful mental state, surrounded by companionship in an atmosphere of inspiration and beauty that is illustrated by the colors of nature." Each song delivers the genius of Brown's playing while giving attention to the fusion ...

5
Live Review

The Los Cabos Jazz Experience 2018

Read "The Los Cabos Jazz Experience 2018" reviewed by Wendy Ross


Life Luxe Jazz -The Los Cabos Jazz Experience Norman Brown, Boney James, et al. Los Cabos, Baja California, Sur, Mexico November 1-4, 2018 Life Luxe Jazz -The Los Cabos, Jazz Experience took place at the Pueblo Bonita Pacifica Golf and Spa Resort November 1-4. The first annual Life Luxe Jazz Festival flourished under the beneficence of the Mexican sun, as it grooved into life. The cradle of limitless sand, and sea with the subtle ...

255
Album Review

Norman Brown: Sending My Love

Read "Sending My Love" reviewed by Woodrow Wilkins


Whether to military troops overseas, family members or fans, guitarist Norman Brown has plenty of love to give. And he shows it with Sending My Love. Brown is a Grammy Award winner who has played guitar since the age of 8. Drawing inspiration from Jimi Hendrix and Wes Montgomery, and often compared to George Benson, Brown has worked with a number of smooth jazz luminaries, including Paul Brown, Kirk Whalum, Rick Braun, Mitch Forman and Michael Manson.

254
Album Review

Norman Brown: Stay With Me

Read "Stay With Me" reviewed by Woodrow Wilkins


Often when Norman Brown, Kirk Whalum and Rick Braun appear on one anothers' albums, the collaboration makes for the best track on the release. That's mainly because three lead instruments are generally better than one. However, that isn't necessarily the case with Brown's Stay With Me. Brown, a guitarist and vocalist who sings as well as scats, is in that niche where smooth jazz meets R&B, old-school soul and a bit of pop. The Grammy-winning artist was ...

277
Album Review

Norman Brown: West Coast Coolin

Read "West Coast Coolin" reviewed by Chris M. Slawecki


Norman Brown plays rhythm & blues that's more rhythm than blues and more truthfully jazz-pop than anything else.

The guitarist's previous album, Just Chillin', was largely produced by James Poyser and Viktor Dupliax--hit-makers for Erykah Badu, D'Angelo, Jill Scott, and Macy Gray--and claimed the 2002 Grammy® for Best Pop Instrumental recording. The pair returns to helm Coolin'. But while Chillin' featured a stellar galaxy of guest vocalists (Miki Howard, Chante Moore, Michael McDonald), Brown jumps on the Coolin' ...

217
Album Review

Norman Brown: West Coast Coolin'

Read "West Coast Coolin'" reviewed by Woodrow Wilkins


Norman Brown knows how to chill. And he has a way of making you chill right along with him.The guitarist/vocalist is a master of the laid-back groove, successfully bringing together elements of smooth jazz and contemporary R&B. On West Coast Coolin' , Brown consolidates his reputation as a premier recording and performing artist with a collection of ten tracks--written and co-written by the leader--that push the idea of “chillin'" to new heights.While Brown's scatting has drawn ...

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2

Recording

Jessy J Inspires With Second Chances Featuring Jeff Lorber, Norman Brown, Jimmy Haslip & Johnny Britt

Jessy J Inspires With Second Chances Featuring Jeff Lorber, Norman Brown, Jimmy Haslip & Johnny Britt

Source: 1888 Media

Album Includes Renditions Of Classics by Roberta Flack & Sérgio Mendes Label Debut For Shanachie Entertainment Due Sept 10, 2013 Los Angeles, CA: Jessy J burst onto the contemporary jazz scene in 2008, blending her love for Latin rhythms and jazz on her chart-topping, award-winning debut album Tequila Moon. Jessy earned the Radio & Records' ‘Debut Artist of The Year' Award and Contemporary Jazz ‘Song of the Year' by both R&R and Billboard for the title track, which held the ...

135

Performance / Tour

Jazz This Week: Norman Brown and Richard Elliot, Denise Thimes, Monterey County All-Star Band, and More

Jazz This Week: Norman Brown and Richard Elliot, Denise Thimes, Monterey County All-Star Band, and More

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

It's jazz festival season in many parts of the US and Europe, so touring jazz groups are bit thin on the ground this time of year in non-festival cities like St. Louis. Still, with many local summer free concert series underway and local musicians at the usual venues, there's a pretty decent variety of live jazz happening around town over the next few days. Here's a look at some of the most noteworthy upcoming events: On Thursday, the Funky Butt ...

120

Performance / Tour

Norman Brown, Richard Elliot to Play Saturday, June 25 at the Pageant

Norman Brown, Richard Elliot to Play Saturday, June 25 at the Pageant

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

Guitarist Norman Brown (pictured) and saxophonist Richard Elliot are coming to St. Louis to perform at 8:00 p.m. Saturday, June 25 at The Pageant. Elliot was here most recently last July to perform at The Pageant on a bill with trumpeter Rick Braun. Brown hasn't been to St. Louis since 2006, when he played a holiday-themed show at the same venue with singer Will Downing and saxophonist Gerald Albright. Along with the Candy Dulfer show announced last week, their concert ...

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Recording

Norman Brown - "Stay with Me" Peak Records Debut out Now

Norman Brown - "Stay with Me" Peak Records Debut out Now

Source: On Target Media Group

Norman Brown - Stay With Me OUT NOW:

The Peak Records debut from Grammy award-winning jazz guitarist Norman Brown is available in stores and online now.

Released this week on Peak Records (Concord Music Group) after a string of releases for the Motown label and more recently Warner Bros, Norman Brown's new album Stay With Me is a collection of 10 urban-influenced contemporary jazz tunes that showcase Norman Brown's inventive talents as a guitarist and all-around musician. The album features ...

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Concerts

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Let's Get Away

Shanachie Entertainment
2022

buy

Besame Mucho

Kesha Janaan
2021

buy

Sending My Love

Peak Records
2010

buy

Stay With Me

Peak Records
2007

buy

West Coast Coolin'

Warner Bros.
2005

buy

West Coast Coolin

Warner Bros.
2005

buy

Besame Mucho

From: Besame Mucho
By Norman Brown

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