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Summer Jam
feat. Norman Brown and Richard Elliot
Saturday August 13th 7:30pm
In the Grove at the Radisson Sacramento
"Sacramento has always been a great place for me. I hope that they have enjoyed my music as much as I've enjoyed their response. Can't wait to get there and enjoy The Grove under the stars on a beautiful August night"
- Norman Brown
Guitarist Norman Brown splashed into the soul-jazz scene in 1992 as a recording artist for MoJazz and quickly went on to win substantial acclaim, beginning with his award-winning second album, After the Storm. Both Gavin and Soul Train named it Jazz Album of the Year, and After the Storm remained on the charts for over two years. Suddenly critics drew comparisons to other astonishing jazz guitarists from the past such as George Benson and Wes Montgomery, and Brown became the toast of the soul-jazz crowd. Following the remarkable success of After the Storm, Brown continued to wow jazz listeners. His highly awaited follow-up, Better Days Ahead, didn't quite measure up to the brilliance of After the Storm, but it nonetheless won the 1997 American Jazz Award for contemporary guitar and the album's title track became the most-added single in NAC history until that point. Following his flurry of successes at MoJazz, Brown moved to Warner Bros. in 1999, where he began focusing on the evolution of his still-evolving career.
Born in Kansas City, Brown first became interested in the guitar at age eight, when he grew fond of his brother's acoustic six-string. He initially took much influence from such guitar-based acts as Jimi Hendrix and the Isley Brothers, but once he discovered one of his father's favorite guitarists, Wes Montgomery, everything changed. Rather than play, for instance, material by Earth, Wind & Fire in local bands, Brown began playing contemporary jazz tunes and standards. His increasing interest in jazz guitar led him to Los Angeles in the mid-'80s, where he studied formally at the Musician's Institute in Hollywood. Following his graduation, he taught briefly and signed to Motown's MoJazz label, where he recorded his first three albums, including the much-championed After the Storm album.
"I've been lucky enough to play this concert series with many of my friends for years at the Radisson Hotel. This is special for me! Between the great setting and incredible audiences, Sacramento is always one of the highlights of my year! Playing with Norman in Sacramento...it doesn't get any better"
- Richard Elliot
The Scottish-born Elliot was raised in Los Angeles, where he quickly became a fan of West Coast classic R&B. Elliot landed his first job while still a teenager with Natalie Cole and the Pointer Sisters. A few years later, he was tapped to record with some of his idols from Motown Records, which had relocated from Detroit to Los Angeles. In the 1970s, he had the chance to record with Smokey Robinson, the Four Tops, and the Temptations. Elliot was later tapped to record with the Yellowjackets on their second album. After touring with Melissa Manchester for a time, he was asked to become a full-fledged member of the Tower of Power horns in 1982. He stayed with the group until 1987 and looks back fondly on those years for they shaped the style he has today. When he's not playing his over 100 dates a year, Elliot pilots a small aircraft and is partner in PacifNet, an Internet multimedia company that develops website for the music and entertainment industries.
Although he's called a "smooth jazz artist," saxophonist Richard Elliot is equally at home with most rock & roll and the kind of classic R&B performed by the group Tower of Power. For five years in the 1980s, he was a big part of the classic R&B band's horn-based sound.
Elliot's nine albums under his own name include his self-produced Cityspeak (1996); After Dark (1994); On the Town, (1991); Power of Suggestion (1991); Take to the Skies (1991); Trolltown (1991); What's Inside (1991); Initial Approach (1984); and Soul Embrace (1993) all for Blue Note/Capitol Records. Two albums he had recorded for the now-defunct Enigma were re-released on Capitol. His 1993 album Soul Embrace rocketed to the top of the Billboard contemporary jazz charts, and though Elliot has a smooth jazz sound that could be compared with Kenny G.'s, albums like 1999's Chill Factor prove his take on contemporary jazz is more firmly rooted in tradition.
Tickets available for this show now! ►►► here.
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