Posts Tagged ‘ Brian Culbertson ’

Brian Culbertson – Winter Stories

Pianist and composer Brian Culbertson has put himself in a tight spot with the announcement that his new album Winter Stories is the first in a series of four albums related to the four seasons of the year. This announcement comes as a bit of a surprise as he has just pledged his album XX for the next year.

According to the liner notes is Winter Stories not a Christmas album, however is the album blessed by the holiday spirit. Brian performs on the new album piano, Wurlitzer, Fender Rhodes, Hammond B3 Organ, percussion and Celeste. He is accompanied by Steve Rodby (acoustic bass), Khan Parker (drums) and Lenny Castro (percussion on two songs). All songs are written, arranged and produced by Brian.

Brian introduces the listener to his album on Sitting By The Fire with cautious long reverberating keystrokes. The title already conveys the coziness of the music. Endless plains, snow-capped mountains and torrential rivers are the main features of the state of Montana, to which Brian Culbertson dedicates his song Montana Skies.

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2019
12/24
CATEGORY
CD Reviews
Smooth Jazz
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Brian Culbertson – XX

As chart-topping multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer Brian Culbertson crafts his 20th album, the aptly titled “XX” – Roman numerals representing twenty – he revealed plans for the extensive US concert tour that will support the record release. Beginning April 1 in Louisville, Kentucky, Culbertson will take an elaborately designed concert production, The XX Tour, on the road for three consecutive months, playing more than 70 shows, an extremely rare feat for a contemporary jazz artist.

Culbertson’s catalogue includes recordings of jazz – contemporary and straight ahead – as well as R&B, funk, instrumental pop and New Age. “XX,” which drops April 10, reflects his remarkable diversity.

“It’s a mix of things that I’ve done throughout my twenty records. There’s a lot of funky instrumentals, some pop-sounding tracks, a couple slow jams, straight-ahead jazz, gospel, some vocals, lots of horns and some straight-up FUNK! The album is very much a mixture of some modern sounding programming along with live instruments, too. Real drums on almost everything mixed with programming. Definitely a cool sound,” said Culbertson, who invites fans to get involved with the making of “XX” via an Indiegogo campaign that launched this week (https://igg.me/at/BCXX).

Recreating that cool sound live for The XX Tour is Culbertson’s favorite part. Like his massive Colors of Love Tour that played 77 shows in three months and was captured for “Brian Culbertson’s Colors of Love Tour: Live in Las Vegas” Blu-ray disc and two-disc CD that dropped last Valentine’s Day, Culbertson is creating the sound and look for The XX Tour as a sensory experience. The exuberant performer spends months in preproduction meticulously conceiving stunning visuals – staging, lighting, wardrobe and effects – in order to put on a mesmerizing show each time he takes the stage. In addition to spotlighting the new album, the setlist will include cuts from Culbertson’s hit-filled songbook that has amassed 32 Billboard No. 1 singles. There will also be a segment showcasing songs from “Winter Stories,” an album released last month that placed him in an acoustic jazz trio setting for the first time.
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2019
11/08
CATEGORY
Contemporary Jazz
Funk
New Age
Smooth Jazz
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Brian Culbertson – Winter Stories

Inspiration strikes artists even when on holiday break. As pianist Brian Culbertson strolled the frigid streets of Chicago last winter, he felt compelled to write music. Feeling the cold air, seeing his breath and hearing the crunch of snow under his feet spurred the creation of “Winter Stories,” a contemplative collection of melodic musical “stories” recorded in a jazz trio setting. The first “story” that will preface the BCM Entertainment release dropping October 4 is “Morning Walk,” which went for playlist adds on Monday.

When Culbertson returned from that inspired walk, he started composing the first piece for the album that, over time, will become a four-album series: separate stories for each season. He wrote and demoed one song per day for ten consecutive days. After each day’s session, he’d head back into the cold, taking the demo out for a walk. Upon his return, he’d make adjustments to the composition until “it was just right.”

Best known for crafting a catalog of R&B, jazz and funk hits, Culbertson felt that this pensive and introspective album would best be presented by a jazz trio. Knowing that drummer Khari Parker has a deft touch with brushes to craft the gentle rhythms, Culbertson had only one acoustic bassist in mind: Steve Rodby (Pat Metheny Group). They knew each other from the Chicago jingle scene at the beginning of Culbertson’s professional career and Rodby played on a track on the keyboardist’s second album, “Modern Life” (1995). Continue reading →

2019
09/23
CATEGORY
Smooth Jazz
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Brian Culbertson – Colors Of Love – Live In Las Vegas

Fans have been asking multi-instrumentalist hitmaker Brian Culbertson for years, “When are you going to put out a concert video?” As the dynamic performer rolled out his elaborate Colors of Love Tour on a 77-show, 14-week journey last year, he knew he had to capture the magic. Filmed during his stop in the neon city, “Colors of Love Tour – Live in Las Vegas” was released by BCM Entertainment on Valentine’s Day as a Blu-ray disc and two-disc CD through Culbertson’s site (www.BrianCulbertson.com). Amazon also has the CD set available now and will soon list the Blu-ray. Digital fans can obtain the audio version now from all major digital retail outlets.

“I’ve been aspiring to finally film a concert and for this tour, I knew we had an impressive-looking show and a great-sounding band. It’s the most visual show I’ve ever created in terms of the lighting, video elements and wardrobe. It’s stunning. Once the tour started, I knew we had to film it somehow,” said Culbertson about his first live concert video.

The 2018 spring/summer trek was mounted in support of the “Colors of Love” album, a romantic release that dropped last Valentine’s Day and was inspired by Culbertson’s 20th wedding anniversary. In addition to showcasing the bouquet of love songs from the intimate collection, Culbertson constructed a generous three-act set list comprised of more than two hours of music culled from his extensive catalogue of Billboard No. 1 hits and fan favorites. With the first and third acts centered on the amorous material from “Colors of Love” along with similarly-themed library cuts, the second act is a high-energy, get-down-tonight funk set. Culbertson holds down the keyboards, grand piano, trombone and vocals, sharing the stage and spotlight with his five-piece band – Marqueal Jordan (saxophone, vocals and percussion), Eddie Miller (keyboards, organ and vocals), Tyrone Chase (guitar), Joewaun Scott (bass) and Chris Miskel (drums). They are joined by special guest vocalist Noel Gourdin along with comedic bits from Sinbad that separate each act. Continue reading →

2019
02/16
CATEGORY
Smooth Jazz
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Brian Culbertson – Colors Of Love

There have been many changes in the music industry. In earlier time music productions were elaborate and teeming with many musicians. Nowadays many musicians do not finance their projects with labels but with crowdfunding.

Jazz keyboardist Brian Culbertson is no exception. His new album Colors Of Love (2018) was funded by an Indiegogo campaign and that with great success. Brian has written all songs and performs all instruments except for rhythm guitar (Isaiah Sharkey) and accordion (Peter White).

Already in his earlier projects, Brian has involved his fans in the recordings. Legendary are his numerous video recordings, with which he aroused the interest of his fans in the new projects. This time he went further and let his fans decide on the content of the album.

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2018
03/04
CATEGORY
CD Reviews
Smooth Jazz
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Brian Culbertson – Colors of Love

Brian Culbertson to celebrate love with a colorful bouquet of romantic music on Valentine’s Day. The jazz-R&B keyboardist will release the intimate Colors of Love single and album that will be supported by an extensive spring concert tour. They met for the first time when they were music majors at DePaul University. Flash forward, Michelle and Brian Culbertson celebrated their twentieth wedding anniversary last month. With love, romance and his wife serving as his motivation, the soulful contemporary jazz hit-maker started writing material earlier this year inspired by the occasion, crafting thirteen new songs that will be released as Colors of Love, his eighteenth album, on Valentine’s Day on the BCM Entertainment label. The seduction begins early next month when the amorous title track, a sensual R&B groove illuminated by Culbertson’s lyrical acoustic piano melodies typical of the collection’s contents, ships to radio. A nearly three-month-long U.S. concert tour will bring “Colors of Love” to life in a vivid theatrical production with the itinerary being revealed December 1.

Culbertson is thriving creatively on this, his third independent album funded by an Indiegogo campaign (http://bit.ly/2wr3kt9), which closes this Thursday and offers unique opportunities and exclusive perks including a bonus track. Having spent the majority of his career on a major label, the freedom to follow his creative muse is readily apparent on “Colors of Love,” a complete contrast to last year’s “Funk!” set, which was a lively, full-band funk/R&B workout that features a number of vocal cuts. He describes “Colors of Love” as “purposely electronic, using very modern sounds and production” with his acoustic piano serving as the singular lead voice throughout the intimate date. The quiet and contemplative tracks are textured atmospherics and gentle R&B grooves – soothing beds for Culbertson’s melodic piano expressions of ardor.

Sharing the recording process via Facebook live, Culbertson polled his audience and they voted that “Colors of Love” be instrumental only. He took it a step further and for the first time in his career that to date has racked up 30 No. 1 Billboard singles as an artist, producer and/or songwriter, he refrained from using saxophone or guitar as lead instruments – only his poetic piano. Continue reading →

2017
11/09
CATEGORY
Smooth Jazz
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Brian Culbertson – Funk!

Jazz/R&B musician Brian Culbertson is significantly successful in the area of smooth jazz. But he unfolds his primordial power when he pushes into the fields of Funk. With Bringing Back The Funk, released in 2008 on GRP Records, he reached number one on the Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums Chart.

Why not double the success and transfer the atmosphere from stage to CD? Finally, the idea was translated into action. With Funk! follows his second album of this genre on his own label. The album is dedicated to Maurice White, the executive producer of his first Funk album and Prince, two legends who died too soon.

“It was really important for me to pay tribute to those guys who were huge influences on me,” says Culbertson. “Not only as a kid growing up but their impact on me while working with the both of them. Funk! is dedicated to their incomparable legacies.”

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2016
11/22
CATEGORY
CD Reviews
Funk
Smooth Jazz
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