Knoxville, TN based drummer, educator, composer, he wrote six of the tunes here, and band leader Kenneth Brown, son of jazz visionary pianist Donald Brown is set to release his debut CD 3 Down on Space Time Records.
Born into a musical family Kenneth's household was filled with music led by his father and later his brother Keith also a pianist. It was also during this same time period that Kenneth starting to gain exposure to all kinds of music which has always paid big dividends!
By the age of four Kenneth was already playing drums and within a couple more years was studying piano “to gain a harmonic foundation in the music." With lots of practice and informal playing by the age of 14 Kenneth had established himself as a working musician and has since maintained a steady career within the genres of jazz, R&B, blues, funk, and rock with performances with David "Fathead" Newman, Curtis Fuller, Steve Nelson, Warren Wolf and Greg Tardy to name a few!
His performance background in those varied musical settings along with his musical influences of Prince, Elvin Jones, Stevie Wonder and Tony Williams to name a few has prepared Kenneth Brown and readied him to record 3 Down!
Prior to recording his debut CD Kenneth has appeared on recordings with Ravi Coltrane, Wallace Roney, Kenny Garrett and Donald and Keith Brown to name a few!
While 3 Down Kenneth has been able to infuse elements of some of his other musical influence's and has created a sound that's musically interesting with diversity while being cohesive and prov-active!
Listen Now
A great example of the “infusing" of elements is the R&B song Weak the hit by 90's group, SWV. Led by Ashlee Varner's very jazzy but tender lead vocals, brother Keith Brown adds a very appropriate talk box solo that works wonderfully in this context! That's proceeded by a very lyrical and inventive Will Boyd soprano solo and then Jamel Mitchell adds a soul filled tenor solo. Kenneth Brown could have laid back and played pocket but instead he's extremely adventurous and progressive here and its in-creditable!
On “Better Late Than Never" a tune composed by Kenneth that captures the best of Art Blakey's Jazz Messenger's with a ferocious tempo, hot crisp breaks and burning solo's by Greg Tardy sax, trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and a dazzling piano solo from brother Keith. While bassist Daryl Hall adds a full and round sound. Kenneth has everything locked down and swings it madly!
Continuing with his sound shifting Kenneth leads the team to the title track 3 Down sort of a poly-rhythmic tune as Kenneth moves and shifts patterns and riffs, while keyboardist Keith Brown and bassist Darryl Hall lay low with a haunting groove. Jeremy Pelt begins with the trumpet but plays with the depth of the flugelhorn and quickly lifts, soars, and then segue's to Keith Brown's soloing, here with the dexterity of Chick and Herbie but with his own idea's and imagination! Greg Tardy continues to amaze!
Grovin is a tune Kenneth says “I wrote it for Roy Hargrove so it's a play on his name". Another example of exceptional writing by Kenneth and interesting as well is Greg Tardy playing clarinet seemingly as it 's a soprano, it makes for some very fun listening. As much as “Grovin'" is heavy on the groove via the pulsating Daryl Hall on bass is as much as it swings. Jeremy Pelt returns with another strolling solo and Kenneth shifts gears as easily as the varying tempo's dictate.
I'm gonna venture to say that you may have never heard an arrangement, here Keith Brown, of Duke's “In A Sentimental Mood" performed with such energy and emotion, I'm sure the great composer would appreciate this modern version.
3 Down is simply loaded with great tunes and perhaps none better than bassist Daryl Halls “Back Then." With its break neck tempo, such magnificent soloing and bullet proof drumming from the thunderous Kenneth Brown. That's followed by “It's Cool," a slower tempo but just as dynamic!
Be on the look for “It Could Have Been The Blues" with its Charles Mingus mood! On “Encounters Behind The Gate" the double saxophone front line of Jamel Mitchell and Will Boyd break through the gate and deliver extremely compelling solo's as Kenneth's roaring drum's seals it off!
Kenneth Brown's debut CD 3 Down is loaded with in-creditable musician's and in-creditable music! It seems all the musician's got the memo to bring your A game to the recording session, ripped it up and came with their A+ game!
3 Down it feels like you're hearing Elvin, Max and the aforementioned Art Blakey when in fact you've heard composer, arranger and drummer Kenneth Brown!
Born into a musical family Kenneth's household was filled with music led by his father and later his brother Keith also a pianist. It was also during this same time period that Kenneth starting to gain exposure to all kinds of music which has always paid big dividends!
By the age of four Kenneth was already playing drums and within a couple more years was studying piano “to gain a harmonic foundation in the music." With lots of practice and informal playing by the age of 14 Kenneth had established himself as a working musician and has since maintained a steady career within the genres of jazz, R&B, blues, funk, and rock with performances with David "Fathead" Newman, Curtis Fuller, Steve Nelson, Warren Wolf and Greg Tardy to name a few!
His performance background in those varied musical settings along with his musical influences of Prince, Elvin Jones, Stevie Wonder and Tony Williams to name a few has prepared Kenneth Brown and readied him to record 3 Down!
Prior to recording his debut CD Kenneth has appeared on recordings with Ravi Coltrane, Wallace Roney, Kenny Garrett and Donald and Keith Brown to name a few!
While 3 Down Kenneth has been able to infuse elements of some of his other musical influence's and has created a sound that's musically interesting with diversity while being cohesive and prov-active!
Listen Now
A great example of the “infusing" of elements is the R&B song Weak the hit by 90's group, SWV. Led by Ashlee Varner's very jazzy but tender lead vocals, brother Keith Brown adds a very appropriate talk box solo that works wonderfully in this context! That's proceeded by a very lyrical and inventive Will Boyd soprano solo and then Jamel Mitchell adds a soul filled tenor solo. Kenneth Brown could have laid back and played pocket but instead he's extremely adventurous and progressive here and its in-creditable!
On “Better Late Than Never" a tune composed by Kenneth that captures the best of Art Blakey's Jazz Messenger's with a ferocious tempo, hot crisp breaks and burning solo's by Greg Tardy sax, trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and a dazzling piano solo from brother Keith. While bassist Daryl Hall adds a full and round sound. Kenneth has everything locked down and swings it madly!
Continuing with his sound shifting Kenneth leads the team to the title track 3 Down sort of a poly-rhythmic tune as Kenneth moves and shifts patterns and riffs, while keyboardist Keith Brown and bassist Darryl Hall lay low with a haunting groove. Jeremy Pelt begins with the trumpet but plays with the depth of the flugelhorn and quickly lifts, soars, and then segue's to Keith Brown's soloing, here with the dexterity of Chick and Herbie but with his own idea's and imagination! Greg Tardy continues to amaze!
Grovin is a tune Kenneth says “I wrote it for Roy Hargrove so it's a play on his name". Another example of exceptional writing by Kenneth and interesting as well is Greg Tardy playing clarinet seemingly as it 's a soprano, it makes for some very fun listening. As much as “Grovin'" is heavy on the groove via the pulsating Daryl Hall on bass is as much as it swings. Jeremy Pelt returns with another strolling solo and Kenneth shifts gears as easily as the varying tempo's dictate.
I'm gonna venture to say that you may have never heard an arrangement, here Keith Brown, of Duke's “In A Sentimental Mood" performed with such energy and emotion, I'm sure the great composer would appreciate this modern version.
3 Down is simply loaded with great tunes and perhaps none better than bassist Daryl Halls “Back Then." With its break neck tempo, such magnificent soloing and bullet proof drumming from the thunderous Kenneth Brown. That's followed by “It's Cool," a slower tempo but just as dynamic!
Be on the look for “It Could Have Been The Blues" with its Charles Mingus mood! On “Encounters Behind The Gate" the double saxophone front line of Jamel Mitchell and Will Boyd break through the gate and deliver extremely compelling solo's as Kenneth's roaring drum's seals it off!
Kenneth Brown's debut CD 3 Down is loaded with in-creditable musician's and in-creditable music! It seems all the musician's got the memo to bring your A game to the recording session, ripped it up and came with their A+ game!
3 Down it feels like you're hearing Elvin, Max and the aforementioned Art Blakey when in fact you've heard composer, arranger and drummer Kenneth Brown!
