Contact: Mike Jones @ Shorefire Media / mjones@shorefire.com
Players: Lous Von Louis Van Taylor - MD, sax; Curtis Williams - MD, keys, sax; Stu Pearlman – keys; Andrea Lisa – guitar; Ian Martin – bass; Mike Condone – trumpet; Katja Koren – vocals; Mykail McDade – trombone; Lyndon Rochelle - drums
Presented by Jazz Is Not Dead, the George Brown Jazz Ensemble gathered to celebrate and perform Kool & The Gang co-founder George Brown’s post-humous jazz release, Jazz In Paris at West Hollywood’s Sun Rose.
Opening with a three-song set, Brown’s son, Aaron, kicked things off and warmed up the room with some soothing R&B sounds. With laidback vibes and a cool swagger, he set the with a gentle vocal and rhythmic breakdown and crowd interaction, moving into a rap flow, before showcasing his tremendous falsetto-rimshot grooves.
In a room of supporters and aficionados (including Kool & the Gang member Robert Earl “Kool” Bell and songwriter-producer Johnny Britt), the feature band didn’t hold back, starting with fabulous drum fills (courtesy of Lyndon Rochelle), beautiful Harmon-muted soli sections from Mykail McDade (on trombone), and Louis Von Taylor (on tenor sax). From shuffle rhythms to driving swing, the band was tight, polished, and clearly enjoying themselves with the bittersweet musical tribute to Brown.
“Daddy Jazz Bo”—a song written in tribute to Miles Davis—featured great vocal stylings and growls from Katja Koren and more beautiful sax work from Van Taylor. “The Kat” (written by Van Taylor) delivered a lovely Bossa feel with great percussive sound, tight horn shots, smooth guitar work from Andrea Lisa, lovely swaying bass lines (Ian Martin), and fabulous key work from Curtis Williams.
“Juliette” brought a soft piano and percussion intro with Von Taylor on the flute, building with a syncopated feel, before fabulous tom fills returned over a bassline intro and added soprano sax. Rochelle pivoted brilliantly between feels and was great at transitioning the band. With the band peppering in snippets of Miles Davis’ “So What,” Ian Martin delivered gorgeous walking bass lines. “Addicted to the Hustle” shared a tight horn intro, more muted sound, and brilliant soli section with alto and tenor saxes, trumpet, and trombone, for a beautiful full sound.
Raised on jazz sounds from an early age, Brown’s second post-humous project was inspired by the clubs of New York and Paris, and the sound of Miles Davis, and celebrates the culmination of his sixty-plus years of music. It also serves as a love letter to one of his favorite cities. Live In Paris was recorded at Alley Kat Studios in Los Angeles and produced by Brown, Kool & The Gang Musical Director Curtis F. Williams and the late Wolfgang Amadeus Aichholz, with Claude Ismael serving as Executive Director. Features include Williams, Louis Van Taylor and Turkish Sufi musician Omar Faruk Tekbilek, with Vinnie Colaiuta finalizing drum touches on several tracks.
Photos by Andrea Beenham
