Charles Brown Project Ft. Nicolas Bearde
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A stellar ensemble led by vocalist Nicolas Bearde celebrates the music of singer and pianist Charles Brown, whose forties and fifties hits “Driftin’ Blues” and “Merry Christmas Baby” earned him places in the Blues and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame and influenced Ray Charles and Sam Cooke.
Brown’s soft-toned, jazz-inflected style dominated the West Coast club scene in the postwar years, spawning a sound that would help give birth to rhythm and blues. Between 1949 and 1952 he placed seven songs in the Top Ten on the Billboard R&B chart. Though his profile faded during the rock and roll era, Brown staged a celebrated comeback in the nineties under the musical direction of guitarist Danny Caron, who assembled an outstanding band that brought the music to a new generation of listeners.
That spirit carries forward here, with Caron leading the ensemble alongside original Brown band member and bassist Ruth Davies and drummer Deszon Claiborne. Bearde, described by JazzTimes as “a richly impressive amalgam of Bill Withers and Billy Eckstine,” brings soulful warmth and elegant phrasing to the repertoire. His supple delivery and tender storytelling breathe new life into these beloved classics. Pianist John R. Burr and saxophonist and local hero Kristen Strom round out an ensemble that honors a titan of American music with deep feeling and reverence.
Brown’s soft-toned, jazz-inflected style dominated the West Coast club scene in the postwar years, spawning a sound that would help give birth to rhythm and blues. Between 1949 and 1952 he placed seven songs in the Top Ten on the Billboard R&B chart. Though his profile faded during the rock and roll era, Brown staged a celebrated comeback in the nineties under the musical direction of guitarist Danny Caron, who assembled an outstanding band that brought the music to a new generation of listeners.
That spirit carries forward here, with Caron leading the ensemble alongside original Brown band member and bassist Ruth Davies and drummer Deszon Claiborne. Bearde, described by JazzTimes as “a richly impressive amalgam of Bill Withers and Billy Eckstine,” brings soulful warmth and elegant phrasing to the repertoire. His supple delivery and tender storytelling breathe new life into these beloved classics. Pianist John R. Burr and saxophonist and local hero Kristen Strom round out an ensemble that honors a titan of American music with deep feeling and reverence.
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Where is it happening?
310 S. First Street, San Jose, CA, United States, California 95113
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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Host or PublisherSan Jose Jazz
