Years ago, a young ambitious
musician-songwriter-producer emerged from Chicago who went on to architect 27 No.
1 Billboard singles along with a half-dozen albums that debuted at No.1 that
changed the status quo with a creative and fresh alchemy of astutely performed
contemporary jazz, soulful R&B and horn-powered funk. Decades later, his
ability to achieve and balance commercial success and the respect of his peers
is perhaps as admirable as his hit-making consistency and the meticulous
approach he uses to craft infectious melodies and compelling rhythms. The above
description could easily apply to the works of his role models, Maurice White
and Quincy Jones, but here we refer to Brian Culbertson.
From
the 1994 debut of “Long Night Out,” released while the keyboardist-trombonist
was a DePaul University music major recording demos in the bedroom of his crowded
apartment that landed him a six-album record deal, right up through his 14th
album, 2014’s “Another Long Night Out,” Culbertson has injected a much needed
jolt of lyrical harmony and deft musicianship along with a flair for lively
showmanship that meshes to form an aesthetic that raises the bar on a musical
genre. To commemorate his 20th anniversary as a recording artist, Culbertson
marched his well-drilled band out on a coast-to-coast concert mission last year
that was preserved for posterity on his first live album recorded during a
sold-out, eight-show stand at the famed Yoshi’s nightclub in Oakland,
California last September. The resulting
double CD set, “Live - 20th Anniversary Tour,” was released Monday - Culbertson’s
42nd birthday - on his own BCM Entertainment label.
Featuring
a crack eight-piece band, many of whom are musicians out of Chicago and have
been playing with Culbertson for years, “Live” is a spirited and at times
sweaty celebration of jazz, fusion, R&B, romantic piano pop and deep funk
grooves that barely let up for air bolstered by crisp horn section arrangements
reminiscent of the mighty Earth, Wind & Fire and Tower of Power.
One
could say that “Live” is a statement album. Forget what you thought you knew
about so called “smooth jazz.” Seldom does a contemporary jazz artist dare to
release a live record these days making it even more of a treat that Culbertson
& Company was able to bottle the magic, charismatic energy and excitement
of their live show on this recording. The 21-song session - 22 songs if you
include the CD exclusive bonus track, “Forever” - rifles through Culbertson’s
chart-topping original compositions and introduces a vibrant new number, “Think
Free,” the album’s initial radio single written by Culbertson and Sheldon
Reynolds especially for the occasion. Culbertson’s set list also pays tribute
to his influences – White’s Earth, Wind & Fire (“Serpentine Fire”) and
Jones (“Secret Garden”) – along with the rump-shaking party starter “Hollywood
Swingin’,” a Kool & The Gang classic.
“I
just wanted to capture the raw dynamic energy of our live show. My band members
are each incredible talents in their own right and I’m happy to be able to
showcase them, which in turn makes the entire project more exciting and
daring,” said Culbertson, who is also a lifestyle curator who founded and
serves as artistic director of the starry Napa Valley Jazz Getaway, the fourth
annual wine and music festival presented by Lexus in the heart of California’s
stunning wine country slated for June 10-14, 2015.
Culbertson’s
touring band consists of Marqueal Jordan (vocals, tenor sax & percussion),
Eddie Miller (keyboards, Hammond B3 organ & vocals), Michael Stever
(trumpet & keyboards), Adam Hawley (guitar & background vocals), Rodney
Jones Jr. (bass) and Chris Miskel (drums). For the “Live” recording, they were
supplemented by the firepower of Doug Beavers (trombone & additional
percussion) and Doug Rowan (Bari sax).
“Live”
contains the following songs:
Disc
1
“City
Lights Intro”
“Always
Remember”
“Hollywood
Swingin’”
“Do
You Really Love Me”
“Come
To Me”
“All
About You”
“Let’s
Get Started”
“Fullerton
Ave.”
“Beautiful
Liar”
“Get
It On”
“Skies
Wide Open”
“Another
Love”
“Horizon”
Disc
2
“Think
Free”
“Dreams”
“On
My Mind”
“Secret
Garden”
“Serpentine
Fire”
“Funkin’
Like My Father”
“City
Lights Outro”
“Our
Love”
“Forever”
(CD bonus track only)
