Brian Bromberg - 1993 "Brian Bromberg"

Brian Bromberg (born December 5, 1960) is an American jazz bassist and record producer who performs on both electric and acoustic instruments. Though he tends to gravitate towards the genre of smooth jazz, Bromberg has released some straight-ahead jazz records in which he performs with a trio, and has even ventured into more rock-oriented jazz fusion territory as of late. His innovative and technically demanding style of playing extends to both electric and upright bass. On his acoustic bass albums, Bromberg performs jazzy interpretations of various pop and rock staples from the 1960s and '70s completely solo. Regarding his work with electric bass, Bromberg, among other bassists, helped popularize the piccolo bass, or bass with each string tuned an octave up, by releasing several albums in which he plays both the bass line and melody. For instance, upon first listen many will be surprised to learn that, although soaring guitar can be heard throughout the album, Bromberg's 2005 release Metal contains only Bromberg on two overdubbed basses, one of which is heavily effects-laden to make it sound like an electric guitar.

A very versatile acoustic and electric bassist capable of playing straight-ahead jazz, funk, and fusion, Brian Bromberg is also one of the few bassists to master the tapping technique made famous by Stanley Jordan, sometimes sounding like three bassists at once during his often-thunderous solos. Although he was a drummer at the age of 13, the following year Bromberg started classical lessons on bass. He developed quickly and by the time he was 19, he was part of Stan Getz's group. Bromberg has been a valuable sidemen with many bands since including those led by Horace Silver, Monty Alexander, Dizzy Gillespie, Richie Cole, Lee Ritenour, Dave Grusin, and Freddie Hubbard.

He recorded his first album as a leader in 1986 (A New Day for the Black Hawk label) and has since led sessions for Intima and Nova. Into the next century, Brian Bromberg remained one of the most underrated bassists in jazz. That would change. Bromberg's initial albums as a leader were smooth jazz affairs, including 1986's A New Day, 1988's Basses Loaded, and 1989's Magic Rain, but he switched gears for 1991's It's About Time: The Acoustic Project, a more mainstream acoustic jazz record. The next release, though, 1993's self-titled Brian Bromberg, saw him return again to the smooth jazz feel of his earlier albums. Signing with Zebra Records, Bromberg released 1998's You Know That Feeling, which featured Rick Braun, Joe Sample, Jeff Lorber, Everette Harp, and other notables from the smooth jazz genre.
WoodBromberg next went back to straight jazz for 2002's Wood, followed by a tribute to bassist Jaco Pastorius -- simply titled Jaco -- a short time later in 2003. A sequel to Wood, Wood II, appeared in 2005, and Bromberg had clearly moved out of the box of his smooth jazz phase, particularly with the rapid-fire, amazing bass solos that made up Metal, which appeared later in 2005. He also became a highly sought after record producer, with several charting projects in his résumé.
It Is What It Is Continually stretching himself on bass, Bromberg moved farther outside of the box with 2009's It Is What It Is. The following year, he paid tribute to guitar legend Jimi Hendrix with Bromberg Plays Hendrix. He then gathered an all-star cast of musicians, including Alex Acuña, Randy Brecker, George Duke, Béla Fleck for 2012's Compared to That.
Full Circle Taking time out from his solo work, Bromberg appeared on albums by Till Brönner, Andrea Bocelli, Andreas Varady, and others. In 2016, he returned with Full Circle, which included guest appearances from Arturo Sandoval, Kirk Whalum, and others.

On his self-titled album for Nova, bassist Brian Bromberg employs a who's who of smooth jazz and fusion talent for a varied outing that runs the gamut. Kenny Rankin appears on the vocal version of the hit "Her Eyes, Her Heart," -- its instrumental is also included -- while guitarist Lee Ritenour, keyboard and programming whiz Jeff Lorber, and Kirk Whalum trade places with the likes of jazz harmonica boss Toots Thielemans and saxophone master Ernie Watts, who get in the groove too. Ivan Lins lends his vocal talents to a few numbers as well. In some ways, this is a very schizophrenic recording, though it works well. There are groovers like the opener "Summer Afternoon," which walks the jazz-funk tightrope, smooth cuts like the aforementioned, "My Brother," and "Intimadagé," and knotty fusion workouts such as "Tunnel Vision," and "Sedona," and even big groovers like "Yo!," with Thielemans, and Bob Boykin's "Bern City." What makes the album hold together so beautifully is sequencing. It's a big, glossy production handled by Bromberg's brother David (no relation to the American roots music master), but gives listeners a bit of everything.

Track listing:

01 Summer Afternoon 4:50
02 Bass Face 5:12
03 Her Eyes, Her Heart 4:59
04 My Brother 4:56
05 Tunnel Vision (For Miles) 4:59
06 I'll Be Around This Time 4:58
07 Intimadagé 4:50
08 Yo! 4:03
09 Bern City 4:03
10 Sedona 6:51
11 The Blessing 5:55
12 Her Eyes, Her Heart (Vocal Version) 4:59
13 My Bass 3:42

Personnel:

Brian Bromberg - Bass [Nylon String Piccolo Bass, 4-String Contra Bass, Stereo Panning String Bass, 4-String Bass, Tenor Bass, Nylon String Fretless Bass, Piccolo Bass, Fretless Bass, Stereo Panning String Piccolo Bass, Signature Peavey 4-String Bass]
Lee Ritenour - Acoustic Guitar
Jeff Lorber - Keyboards, Drum Programming
Joel Taylor - Drums
Paul Jackson Jr. - Rhythm Guitar
Toots Theilemans - Harmonica
Kirk Whalum - Tenor Saxophone
Everette Harp - Tenor Saxophone
Doug Webb - Tenor Saxophone
Michael Shapiro - Percussion
Marc Hugenberger - Piano, Programmed By [Keyboard Programming]
Bob Boykin - Rhythm Guitar
Mitchel Forman, Tom Zink - Keyboards
Bill Cantos,  Ivan Lins, Kenny Rankin - Voice
Tony Guerrero, Gary Grant - Trumpet
Ernie Watts - Saxophone
Bill Reichenbach  - Trombone

Brian Bromberg - 1990 "BASSically Speaking"

Brian Bromberg (born December 5, 1960, in Tucson, Arizona) is an American jazz bassist and record producer who performs on both electric and acoustic instruments. Though he tends to gravitate towards the genre of smooth jazz, Bromberg has released some straight-ahead jazz records in which he performs with a trio, and has even ventured into more rock-oriented jazz fusion territory as of late. His innovative and technically demanding style of playing extends to both electric and upright bass. On his acoustic bass albums, Bromberg performs jazzy interpretations of various pop and rock staples from the 1960s and '70s completely solo. Regarding his work with electric bass, Bromberg, among other bassists, helped popularize the piccolo bass, or bass with each string tuned an octave up, by releasing several albums in which he plays both the bass line and melody. For instance, upon first listen many will be surprised to learn that, although soaring guitar can be heard throughout the album, Bromberg's 2005 release Metal contains only Bromberg on two overdubbed basses, one of which is heavily effects-laden to make it sound like an electric guitar.

Nova Records in the early '90s had the great distinction of having two of the world's most stunning young bass players on their roster: Byron Miller and Brian Bromberg. Bromberg, whose virtuosic mix of funk and mainstream influences have earned him comparisons to Stanley Clarke, has found a magical way to ease his brilliant chops on nine different basses into a very commercial setting. His latest, BASSically Speaking, shows him all aces not only as a consummate player, but as a producer, arranger, and composer as well. Mellow fare like "Take a Walk in the Park With Me" offsets the more up-tempo numbers, and you've never heard "My Funny Valentine" played with this much vigor. Complemented by the likes of Freddie Hubbard and the late flutist Joe Farrell, Bromberg has arrived as the first bassman of contemporary jazz's future.

Brian Bromberg "Bassically Speaking" This cd is Brian's first record "A New Day" in CD form. Some new tracks were added and some original tracks have some new additions. This disc features the likes of: Alex Acuna, Joe Farrell, Freddie Hubbard, Ernie Watts and Brian's first top 5 single "You and I" This cd has the original recording of the quasi cult classic bass solo "Bassically Speaking".

This compilation was from an album called A New Day which I have on Cassette. As far as I know this was Brian's very first album. Highly Recommend!!!

Brian Bromberg's seminal album is a classic and defies merely being a "bassist" in a jazz band; his riffs seem effortless, the beats catchy and he shows WHY he is the premier bassist of any band..

Tracklist:

1     You And I     4:59
2     Summertime     4:38
3     A New Day     5:08
4     My Funny Valentine     4:44
5     Oriental Ho-Down     6:23
6     BASSically Speaking     2:41
7     Mushy Tushy     6:02
8     Take A Walk In The Park With Me     5:34
9     Puerto Mañana     4:54
10     Sunrise     6:24

Personnel:

Brian Bromberg (bass);
Doug Webb, Greg Armstrong, Ernie Watts (saxophone);
Freddie Hubbard (flugelhorn);
Joe Farrell (flute);
Kei Akagi, Mark Hugenberger, Arthur Statman, Guy Moon (keyboards);
Carl Cherry, Joel Taylor (drums);
Alex Acuna, Steve Reid (percussion).

Brian Bromberg - 1989 "Magic Rain"

This CD is an example of high-quality fusion. Not only are the electronics state-of-the-art for 1989 and the musicianship impeccable but several of the original melodies are memorable, there are lots of funky grooves and the solos are fiery. Bromberg, a virtuoso player on both electric and acoustic basses (including the piccolo bass) often sounds a bit like a guitarist; few can match his technique as he shows on his two unaccompanied solos "Just The Bass" and "Interlude." Keyboardist Jeff Lorber sounds more creative during his three guest spots here than he does on his own dates and there are also some worthwhile solos from tenor-saxophonist Ernie Watts. This CD from the defunct Intima label will be hard to find but fans of electric jazz will consider it worth the search.

http://jazz-rock-fusion-guitar.blogspot.com/search?q=Brian+Bromberg

Track listing:

1 Magic Rain
2 Isn't It Beautiful
3 10 West
4 Rio d'
5 Just the Bass
6 Little Steven
7 Blues for Fabian
8 L.A., Land of the Barking Car
9 Interlude
10 Melrose Avenue

Personnel:

Brian Bromberg - (fretted bass, piccolo bass, panning string fretted bass, panning string piccolo bass, piccolo bass synthesizer);
Bill Cantos - (vocals);
Brandon Fields - (alto saxophone);
Ernie Watts, Doug Webb - (tenor saxophone);
Rob Mullins - (piano);
Marc Hugenberger - (keyboards, percussion, programming, keyboard programming);
Jeff Lorber - (keyboards, programming);
Joel Taylor - (drums);
Steve Reid - (percussion)

Toots Thielemans - 1992 "The Brasil Project" Vol. 1

Toots Thielemans virtually introduced the chromatic harmonica as a jazz instrument. In fact, beginning in the mid-'50s, he never had a close competitor. Thielemans simply played the harmonica with the dexterity of a saxophonist and even successfully traded off with the likes of Oscar Peterson.

Thielemans' first instrument was the accordion, which he started when he was three. Although he started playing the harmonica when he was 17, Thielemans' original reputation was made as a guitarist who was influenced by Django Reinhardt. Very much open to bop, Thielemans played in American GI clubs in Europe, visited the U.S. for the first time in 1947, and shared the bandstand with Charlie Parker at the Paris Jazz Festival of 1949. He toured Europe as a guitarist with the Benny Goodman Sextet in 1950, and the following year moved to the U.S. During 1953-1959, Toots was a member of the George Shearing Quintet (mostly as a guitarist) and freelanced for the remainder of his lengthy career in music.

He first recorded his big hit, "Bluesette" (which featured his expert whistling and guitar) in 1961, and was subsequently in great demand (particularly for his harmonica and his whistling) on pop records (including many dates with Quincy Jones) and as a jazz soloist. Toots' two-volume Brasil Project was popular in the 1990s and found him smoothly interacting on harmonica with top Brazilian musicians. Heard on numerous movie soundtracks (including Breakfast at Tiffany's and Midnight Cowboy) and also on the opening theme of television's Sesame Street, Thielemans received Jazz Master honors from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2009. He died in Belgium in August 2016 at the age of 94.

This popular set matches the brilliant harmonica player Toots Thielemans with such top Brazilian performers as Ivan Lins, Djavan, Oscar Castro-Neves, Dori Caymmi, Ricardo Silveira, João Bosco, Gilberto Gil, Milton Nascimento, Caetano Veloso, Luiz Bonfá, Edu Lobo and Eliane Elias, in addition to bassist Brian Bromberg, keyboardist Michael Lang, trumpeter Mark Isham and Dave Grusin. Thielemans is often in a supportive role behind the many soothing Brazilian singers and performers. The atmospheric date surprisingly does not have any Antonio Carlos Jobim songs, instead emphasizing lesser-known tunes (other than Toots' greatest hit "Bluesette"). Easily recommended to fans of Brazilian pop and jazz, this CD was soon followed by a second (and equally rewarding) set featuring many of the same performers.

Think of it, getting one of the greatest harmonica player/whistler and the music of Ivan Lins. The mix of the two blends into a sound that is fresh, lifting, and delightful to listen. All the cuts are flawless perfection of talent. My personal favorite was "Casa Forte". If you are a fan of Bossa Nova you will love "The Brazil Project". A great addition to any collection. Absolutely fabulous cd. The Brasilain sound is magnificent and wonderful to listen to while relaxing.

If you like Toots Thielemans this a CD you won't tire of. Toots has long been the master on the harp. He truly elevates this instrument from one of a novelty type to one of serious distinction. It is an exemplary recording of Brazilian Jazz, laid back easy listening at it's best. A must for every serious collector.

Track listing:

01 Começar De Novo 3:54
02 Obi 4:22
03 Felicia And Bianca 2:59
04 O Cantador 4:09
05 Joana Francesa 2:56
06 Coisa Feita 4:25
07 Preciso Aprender A Só Ser 3:17
08 Fruta Boa 5:41
09 Coração Vagabundo 4:27
10 Manhã De Carnaval 3:27
11 Casa Forte 3:37
12 Moments 2:35
13 Bluesette 9:39

Personnel:

Toots Thielmans - Harmonica
Dave Grusin - Piano
Lee Ritenour - Guitar
Brian Bromberg - Bass
Marc Johnson - Bass
Mark Isham - Trumpet
Ricardo Silveira - Guitar
Ivan Lins - Keyboards, vocals
Djavan - Guitars, vocals
Gilson Peranzzette - Keyboards
Jamil Joanes - Bass
Teo Lima - Drums
Cassio Duarte - Percussion
Mike Lang - Keyboards
Oscar Castro-Neves - Rhythm guitar
Chico Buarque - Vocals
Joao Bosco - Guitar, vocals
Nico Assumpcao - Bass
Milton Nascimento - Vocals
Caetano Veloso - Guitar, vocals
Luis Bonfa - Guitar
Edu Lobo - Guitar, vocals
Eliana Elias - Piano

Toots Thielemans - 1993 "The Brasil Project" Vol. 2

Guitarist, harmonica player, and whistler Toots Thielemans' followup to the critically acclaimed Brasil Project doesn't stray far from its predecessor's path. There are 13 nice Afro-Latin selections with Thielemans backing such top Brazilian vocalists as Milton Nascimento, Gilberto Gil, Ivan Lins, Caetano Veloso, and Dori Caymmi, among others, and guitarists Oscar Castro-Nieves and Lee Ritenour assisting Thielemans with delicate shadings and accompaniment.

This cd set, this being the first of 2, is considered by many the high point of Toot's capabilities. Great CD.

Talk about Toots Thielmans is talk of a music legend. Excellent performer of the harmonica and talented guitarist (whisteling and touching at the same time at the last theme ... cool!!! ), gives us his musical experience in the wonderful world of brazilian music along with an excellent musical luminaries as Eliane Elias, Gilberto Gil, Ivan Lins, Milton Nascimento, Caetano Veloso, Luis Bonfa, Oscar Castro-Neves , Dory Caymi, Djavan, i.e. the best of the current Brazilian music. Enjoy this beautiful cd.

Both CD's are magnificent ! I've worn them both out and have to purchase
another set. My best friends saw Toots in NYC at his 80th birthday. The show was unbelieveable ! So sorry I wasn't there ! I love Toots and have since I was a teenager.

All the songs are perfect for a relax moment after a long day at work. Travessia is my favorite one and it is like a promise of a deep journey into some green eyes of a loved one. This album is different from Brasil Project Vol 1. This one is deeper and really smooth.

This albun, differently from all other Toot's, it's just great! The songs "Papel Marche" and "Travessia" take you to a journey. they lift up your spirit. Try listening the albun in a quiet dark environment(or in your car), sweping a Sambuca and smoking a Cuban cigar. Well, my friend... why would you need to be a millionare? This is it! Pure good times.

Track listing:

01 Cê 5:27
02 Chôro Bandido 3:33
03 Retrato Em Branco E Preto 3:15
04 Obsession 3:30
05 Travessia 3:06
06 Flora 4:21
07 Unconditional Love 5:16
08 Papel Maché 2:58
09 O Futebol 3:32
10 Linda (Você É Linda) 3:47
11 Samba De Uma Nota Só 3:19
12 Oceano 5:16
13 Samba De Orfeu 3:38

Personnel:

Harmonica – Toots Thielemans
Bass – Brian Bromberg (tracks: 1, 4, 7, 13), Jamil Joanes (tracks: 5, 6), Marc Johnson (2) (tracks: 2, 3, 11), Nico Assumpção (tracks: 8)
Cello – Eugene Friesen (tracks: 2)
Drums – Steve Schaeffer (tracks: 3, 4, 9, 11), Teo Lima (tracks: 5, 6)
Electric Guitar – Ricardo Silveira (tracks: 9)
French Horn – John Clark (2) (tracks: 11)
Guitar – Caetano Veloso (tracks: 10), Djavan (tracks: 12), Dori Caymmi (2) (tracks: 4), Gilberto Gil (tracks: 6), João Bosco (tracks: 8), Oscar Castro-Neves (tracks: 1 to 5, 8, 9, 11, 13)
Guitar [Solo Guitar] – Lee Ritenour (tracks: 7), Luiz Bonfá (tracks: 13)
Horn [Hornette] – John Clark (2) (tracks: 3)
Keyboards – Gilson Peranzzetta (tracks: 5, 6, 13), Ivan Lins (tracks: 1), Mike Lang (tracks: 2, 4, 13)
Percussion – Bira Hawal* (tracks: 13), Cassio Duarte (tracks: 6 to 9, 13), Paulinho Da Costa (tracks: 4), Zero (José Roberto) (tracks: 13)
Piano – Dave Grusin (tracks: 12), Eliane Elias (tracks: 3, 11)
Rhythm Guitar – Oscar Castro-Neves (tracks: 7)
Trumpet – Mark Isham (tracks: 7)
Vocals – Caetano Veloso (tracks: 10), Chico Buarque (tracks: 9), Djavan (tracks: 12), Dori Caymmi (2) (tracks: 4), Edu Lobo (tracks: 2), Gilberto Gil (tracks: 6), Ivan Lins (tracks: 1), João Bosco (tracks: 8), Milton Nascimento (tracks: 5)