Norman Brown’s Soul of Jazz Experience
The way Grammy-winning guitarist Norman Brown plays it, jazz is an experience, a soulful and sensual expression through sound, vision and virtual platforms. In creating Normal Brown’s Soul of Jazz Experience, he’s making music a mind, body and spirit experience. Capitalizing on the very best and most distinctive elements of jazz, Brown’s vision for the event is improvisational yet structured, experimental and artistic. Like Norman himself, the Experience is unique and unpredictable.
Brown’s headline set masterfully combines rhythm, melody and grooves imaginatively craftedfrom a varied palette of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, gospel, blues, rock and pop hues and a multi-platinum songbook that includes his Billboard chart-topping hits.
Having collaborated with some of the biggest names in jazz, R&B and pop such as George Benson, Kirk Whalum, Peabo Bryson, Rick Braun, Gerald Albright, Paul Brown, Stevie Wonder, Michael McDonald, Miki Howard and Chante Moore, the guitarist will invite one of his high-profile musician friends to be a special guest performer during Norman Brown’s Soul of Jazz Experience. The revolving guests may include one of the aforementioned artists or the likes of Najee, Marion Meadows or Paul Taylor.
For years, Brown has been collaborating on multimedia projects with guitar virtuoso Ron Bosse, who will open the Experience. Last November, Bosse released the critically acclaimed “Burning Room Only,” a jazz fusion album produced by keyboard legend Jeff Lorber. A Grammy winner and seminal fusion pioneer, Lorber will be performing with Bosse during the Soul of Jazz Experience.
Brown and Bosse are deeply committed and passionate about music education – for both musicians and fans. With that shared goal, they are making a masterclass experience available during Norman Brown’s Soul of Jazz Experience for a limited number of concertgoers who will be able to purchase a ticket package that includes attending sound check and the masterclass session prior to attending the festival.
Norman Brown
“One of the greatest and most articulate guitarists out there.” George Benson
“A culmination of Jimi Hendrix and George Benson with some of Wes Montgomery thrown in.” JazzTimes Magazine
“One of the 50 greatest guitarists of all time.” uDiscover Music
“One of contemporary jazz’s brightest lights…a master player and improviser.” AllMusic
The joy that emanates from guitarist Norman Brown while he is playing is palpable. The guitar is simply an extension of him. The multi-platinum selling and chart-topping musician is an artist who is truly in service of the music with the goal to be a force for positivity. “I wish to be of service to my fellowmen as I journey through life,” he explains. “I look upon my work as an opportunity to be overcome with joy and to make the most of it. I want to inspire others to search inside themselves for the silver lining. We all have an opportunity to grow in gratitude for our lives and the blessings we have.” A dedicated meditation and Tai Chi practitioner, Brown confides that there are definite parallels between his practice of the aforementioned Ancient Art and his music. Brown reveals that it comes down to one thing – “balance.” With all of the accolades that Norman Brown has amassed the past three decades, including Grammy and Soul Train Music Awards, he has stayed the course for one reason. “Knowing that I’ve been commissioned by the Most High to channel a message of inspiration and motivation, brings me happiness,” he states. The Atlanta-based musician’s love affair with the guitar began at age eight. Watching his older brother play, Norman was drawn to the energy radiating from what he now calls his “Spirit Catcher,” the strings on the guitar. Waiting for his brother Roy Brown Jr., “Popsicle” to leave, Norman couldn’t wait to get his hands on his six string carefully stored in the closet. Luckily for us, Brown’s love affair with the guitar is still going strong. His technical wizardry, genre-bending facility, soulful finesse, and charisma, have made him one of the most sought-after internationally renowned musicians in Contemporary Jazz. Just ask his devoted and loyal fan base affectionately dubbed ‘Normantics.’ A musician’s musician, Brown has collaborated with everyone from George Benson, Brian McKnight, Kirk Whalum, and Miki Howard, to Jeff Lorber, Gerald Albright, Rick Braun, Peabo Bryson, and Chanté Moore, to name a few.
Ron Bosse
“Burning Room Only is one of those rare collections where every track is a gem worthy of rapt attention!” Jonathan Widran, Contributor to Jazziz & Downbeat
“Bosse is a master in the making!” Guitar Player Magazine“
“Ron Bosse is the definition of jazz guitar genius.” Lee Prosser, The Jazz Review
“I highly recommend Burning Room Only to anyone that loves world class musicianship.” – Luke Wolk, Radio Guitar One
Inherently jazz is about collaboration, the sum of the whole being greater than the parts due to the magic that results from improvisation when the chemistry amongst the musicians is right. That’s the approach jazz fusion guitarist Ron Bosse took to record “Burning Room Only.” The Boston-based fretman hooked up with Grammy-winning fusion icon, keyboardist Jeff Lorber, to write and record the eleven-song set produced by Lorber that dropped November 18, 2022 on the Deep Cat Records label.
Bosse hooked up with the keyboardist through Grammy winning smooth jazz guitarist Norman Brown, with whom Bosse had performed duets and created a series of instructional videos; Bosse had also produced a live stream of a concert of Brown’s launch for his 2019 album The Highest Act of Love. Brown heard a song Bosse wrote and suggested he send it to Lorber, who was collaborating with Brown on a new album. Lorber was immediately intrigued. “Norman felt my music had a deep funk/fusion feel,” Bosse says, “and suggested that I should work with someone like Jeff, who has an edgy sound and specializes in that style. When I first began the process of recording with Jeff, I immediately noticed that we shared similar values in that we feel that all aspects of the production require a high level of attention and detail. Not only is it about the songs, it’s about the orchestration, the musicians, the solos, the way it’s recorded, how it’s mixed and mastered, the album artwork, the name of the songs.I can honestly say the collaboration with Jeff has been one of the most rewarding and creative experiences I’ve had musically. By combining our creative minds, the outcome is far greater than it would have been had I just gone it alone.
