Rick Braun

Rick Braun

Rick Braun performing in 2005
Background information
Born (1955-07-06) July 6, 1955
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Genres Smooth jazz, jazz fusion
Occupation(s) Musician
Instruments Trumpet
Labels Artistry Music, Mack Avenue
Associated acts BWB, Philippe Saisse, Auracle , Richard Elliot
Website rickbraun.com

Rick Braun (born July 6, 1955, in Allentown, Pennsylvania) is a smooth jazz trumpet player, multi-instrumentalist and often producer[1]

Education and career

In a 1996 article, Braun mentioned his family was very musical with his mother being a self-taught pianist and banjo player and, while he also played drums in high school, he started playing the trumpet after his older brother started playing it. He had also thought of being a doctor or a musician but chose musician because he didn't excel at math and credits his high school music teacher with preparing him.[2] In the 1970s, Braun attended the Eastman School of Music, and while a student there became a member of a jazz-fusion band, Auracle which included pianist John Serry.[3] With that band, they won a competition and worked with Miles Davis producer Teo Macero for two albums. Before embarking on a solo career, Braun got his start by playing in several bands, working as a session musician, touring and recording with War, Sade, Glenn Frey, Tina Turner, Natalie Cole, Tom Petty, Crowded House and Rod Stewart.

In 1981, he also released an album as a vocalist in Japan for Teichiku Records and worked as a songwriter for Lorimar (now Warner/Chappell Music). As a songwriter, he worked on REO Speedwagon's song "Here With Me" and also TV and film work such as Midnight Caller[4] and Tuff Turf.[5] Some of the artists with whom he recorded include guitarist Jeff Golub's Avenue Blue, whom he met while touring with Rod Stewart.[6] As a musician, Braun has also faced several struggles including alcoholism from touring so much in the 1980s and had a dark tone in his albums into the 1990s.[7] His first major album was 1995's Beat Street which received so much attention that his manager called him and Braun chose to pursue his solo career.[8] He also collaborated with saxophonist Boney James on a remake of the Hugh Masekela's "Grazing in the Grass".

Braun also performs in the band BWB, with saxophonist Kirk Whalum and guitarist Norman Brown.[9] In 2005, he and saxophonist Richard Elliot co-founded ARTizen Music Group (now known as Artistry Music) and once had Rykodisc as a distributor.[10] One of his influences was Freddie Hubbard, and Braun composed a song, "Freddie Was Here" in 2008, which he recorded on his album, All it Takes, in tribute to Hubbard, who died that year.[11] He has also cited influence by Miles Davis, Lee Morgan, Chet Baker, Clark Terry, Dizzy Gillespie and Herb Alpert, with the last one inspiring his album All It Takes including a song called "Tijuana Dance" (a play on Alpert's band Tijuana Brass).[4] Allmusic's Scott Yanow listed him as "one of the first trumpeters to become in instrumental pop music" in the 1990s following Chuck Mangione in the 1980s and before Chris Botti started in the mid-1990s.[12] He also achieved several top chartings including Kisses in the Rain (as high as number 1),[13] R n R (as high as number 1),[1] All It Takes (as high as number 2),[14] and Can You Feel It (as high as number 1) along with charting at the Traditional Jazz Albums for the first time in 2011 with Sings with Strings (as high as number 9).[15] Braun also won Gavin Report's Artist of the Year twice.[16]

Discography

Albums

Titles Year Label
Intimate Secrets 1992 Mesa/Bluemoon
Night Walk 1994 Mesa/Bluemoon
Christmas Present: Music of Warmth & Celebration 1994 Atlantic/Wea
Beat Street 1995 Mesa/Bluemoon
Body and Soul 1997 Mesa/Bluemoon
Full Stride 1998 Mesa/Bluemoon
Shake It Up 2000 Warner Bros.
Kisses in the Rain 2001 Warner Bros.
Esperanto 2003 Warner Bros.
Yours Truly 2005 Artizen
Sessions: Volume 1 2006 Artizen
R n R (with Richard Elliot) 2007 Artizen
All It Takes 2009 Artistry/Mack Avenue
Sings with Strings 2011 Artistry/Mack Avenue
Swingin' in the Snow 2012 Brauntosoarus/CD Baby
Can You Feel It 2014 Artistry/Mack Avenue

BWB

Titles Year Label
Groovin' 2002 Warner Bros.
Human Nature 2013 Heads Up
BWB 2016 Mack Avenue

Compilation appearances

Songs co-written

References

  1. 1 2 Ankeny, Jason. "Rick Braun Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved March 20, 2010.
  2. ↑ "Braun - Math = Jazz". Reading Eagle. March 22, 1996. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Jazz Beat". 88 (50). Billboard. December 11, 1976: 46. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  4. 1 2 Walker, Chris (December 1998). "Rick Braun: Brass Action". JazzTimes. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Acknowledgements". Billboard. 97 (7): 16. February 16, 1985. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  6. ↑ Jazz: The Essential Album Guide. Music Sales Group. 1998. ISBN 0825672538. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Trumpeter Rick Braun let stardom happen". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. March 13, 1998. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  8. ↑ Yonke, David (February 13, 2004). "Jazzman Rick Braun took a chance on a solo career - and never looked back". Toledo Blade. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  9. ↑ Graybow, Steven (November 2, 2002). "Jazz Notes". 114 (44). Billboard: 46. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  10. ↑ Ouellette, Dan (May 14, 2005). "Jazz Notes: "Citizen Art"". 117 (20). Billboard: 45. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  11. ↑ Soergel, Brian (October 2009). "Rick Braun All It Takes". JazzTimes. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
  12. ↑ Yanow, Scott (2001). The Trumpet Kings: The Players who Shaped the Sound of Jazz Trumpet. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 70. ISBN 0879306408. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Charts". 113 (21). Billboard. April 14, 2001: 44. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Braun's Bow". 121 (32). Billboard. August 15, 2009: 37. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  15. ↑ "Format Change". 123 (23). Billboard. July 2011: 37. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Rick Braun". allaboutjazz.com. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
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