A pair of #1s for a pair of
soul-jazz stars
Rick Braun & Richard Elliot’s
R n R scores the #1 album and #1
single
The horn-powered heat wave of
funk and contemporary jazz generated by trumpeter Rick Braun and saxman Richard Elliot registered a blistering
hot #1 on Billboard’s contemporary jazz album
chart. R n
R, the highly-anticipated collaboration between the soul-jazz luminaries
that is certain to be the album event of the year in contemporary jazz, was
released last week (August 28) by the ARTizen Music Group. This week, the title track captured the
#1 position on Radio & Records’ smooth jazz
radio singles chart.
Braun and Elliot wrote and
produced R n R’s dozen original funk,
R&B, contemporary jazz and pop songs.
Grooves were gathered from sources such as Jeff Lorber, Rex Rideout and Philippe Saisse and a talented
collective consisting of Chris
Standring, Dwight Sills, Gregg Karukas, Lenny Castro, Ricky Lawson and Nate Phillips backed the horn men in
the studio. The music on the album
is marked by spontaneity and is brimful of the dynamic energy of a live
performance.
To further spark the album launch
at retail, Braun and Elliot were at jam-packed Borders stores in
Additional information is
available at www.artizenmusic.com, www.rickbraun.com and www.richardelliot.com.
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Time for R n R: soul-jazz stars Rick Braun &
Richard Elliot unite for funky, horn-powered duet
album
Album hits stores as the title
track is poised to go #1 on the radio chart
The mercury continues to rise
from coast to coast as the nation has been hit this summer by a sizzling wave of
funk and contemporary jazz courtesy of two of the hottest horn men in the game:
trumpeter Rick Braun and saxophonist
Richard Elliot. R n
R, the album of duets by the luminaries who combined have released 24
albums and are capable of fully stocking a jukebox with their chart-topping
hits, arrives in record stores today from the ARTizen Music Group record label with
the promise of keeping the party grooving through next summer. The first radio single, the indelible
title track that sounds both vintage and fresh, is top 3 and set to pounce on
the #1 spot. Braun and Elliot wrote
and produced the dozen original funk, R&B, contemporary jazz and pop songs
that comprise what is certain to standout as the album event of the year in the
genre.
The highly-anticipated
collaboration between Braun and
Elliot has been brewing for over a decade.
Over the years, they’ve toured together and have made appearances on each
other’s albums. Three years ago,
they partnered with a couple of music industry veterans to create the ARTizen
Music Group. It then became a
question of “when.” The stars
finally aligned earlier this year when the duo entered Braun’s studio to record
without any preconceived ideas.
They gathered grooves from a variety of sources, such as Jeff Lorber, Rex Rideout and Philippe Saisse, and wrote the melodies
as they recorded, which was a unique process for them. Braun and Elliot were backed by a
talented collective consisting of Chris
Standring, Dwight Sills, Gregg Karukas, Lenny Castro, Ricky Lawson and Nate Phillips. The result is an album rich with
spontaneity that exudes the raw, dynamic energy of a live performance.
To help launch the album at
retail, Braun and Elliot will be at Borders stores in
Although the album was just
unveiled, critics are already hailing R n
R. Soul
Tracks declared, “This
masterwork of comfortable grooves show(s) conclusively why these are among the
gurus of the smooth jazz genre.”
All Music
Guide
stated, “The music…flows from their collective
musical minds like a natural extension with the same elements of spontaneity,
soul, and sex appeal. Each tune is
based on a particular rhythmical feel or texture: shuffle, boogaloo, Latin,
funk, even 20th century cool and bebop colors… With great performances emanating
from both Braun and Elliot,
R n
R
is exciting and lively, yet warm, sexy, and mellow. It is in this experimental way that you
begin to grasp the depth of their combined signature sounds and the impact it
will have on their devoted and new fans alike. Highly recommended.” Smooth Jazz
Vibes wrote,
“R n R is a feisty collection of horn driven grooves that checks all the
right boxes and which is enhanced by a stellar line-up of guest
musicians…Succulent, zesty numbers abound and this is typified both by the title
track and with ‘Curve Ball’ where Elliot and Braun give each other the space in
which to individually shine while still coming together to generate what is in
every respect a veritable horn fest.”
Urban Network said, “The
gentlemen have teamed this year for a soulful duo project featuring the first
single/title track ‘R n R,’ which sounds like something the legendary Adderley
Brothers might have thrown down in 2007. The duo wax dark and mysterious on the
other highlights: ‘Sweet Somethin’,’ ‘The Stranger’ and ‘Down and Dirty.’ Also impressive is the tricky
appropriately titled ‘Curve Ball.’”
Jazz
Review opened by asking,
“Could one expect
anything less than perfection from two of the most colossal and prolific
names in all of smooth jazz?...this is one album that proves to be worthy of all
the accolades it will surely receive. It proves yet again that those at
the top of their game are there for a very, very good
reason.”
Additional information is
available at www.artizenmusic.com, www.rickbraun.com and www.richardelliot.com.
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It’s going to be a scorching hot
summer of R n
R
Soul-jazz stars Rick Braun &
Richard Elliot unite
for the album event of the
year
Summer is about spontaneous,
energetic fun and a bit of R n R with friends. Trumpeter Rick Braun and saxman Richard Elliot plan to make this summer
swelter. Circle August
28th on your calendar as that’s the date the hitmen will deliver a
cool-jazz treat in what bodes to be the album event of the year in the
contemporary instrumental genre.
The dynamic duo wrote and produced R n
R, a long-anticipated collection of original funk, R&B, jazz and pop
songs that will be released on the ARTizen Music Group record label for
which they partner. Kicking the
party off at radio is the groovy title track, an infectious horn-drenched romp
that seems both familiar and fresh, which goes for adds June
25th. However, a track
from the album that previously was exclusively available via the ARTizen
website, the breezy exotic romance of “
With 24 solo albums between them
and a massive catalogue of chart-topping radio hits, the thrilling collaboration
between Braun and Elliot has been in the making for over a decade. They’ve toured together for years and
have made guest appearances on each other’s records. When they launched ARTizen Music Group
with a couple of music industry veterans almost three years ago, it was only a
matter of time before the two heavyweights stepped into the ring together to
deliver a knockout album full of punchy beats & rhythms, potent melodies and
collaborative sparks that are natural and have roots way beyond the music. R
n R was conceptualized on the fly as they entered Braun’s studio to record
without any preconceived ideas.
Armed with grooves from a number of sources, including album
contributor’s Jeff Lorber, Rex Rideout and Philippe Saisse, Elliot and Braun wrote
the melodies while recording, which was a unique process for them, especially
for Braun who played a horn with one hand while controlling the soundboard with
the other. Helping to fill up the
tracks were some of their gifted friends such as Chris Standring, Dwight Sills, Gregg Karukas, Lenny Castro, Ricky Lawson and Nate Phillips. The result is an album that has all the
spontaneity and smoldering energy of a live performance.
“We’ve had so much fun playing
together live that it was time for us to get together musically,” declared
Elliot. “We have different
approaches yet they are complementary.
We called upon our roots (Elliot was a long-time member of Tower of Power and Braun played with War) and we constantly bounced ideas
off each other. As much as we let
the songs develop and evolve from our interaction, the record was probably more
honed and refined than other albums because we were constantly going over the
work and tweaking and changing things.”
“Overall, I think the album is
very energetic and percolates. We
didn’t want to overpower the melodies by just blasting a lot of horns in
people’s faces. In fact, we did the
opposite by using single trumpet, flugelhorn and tenor sax melodies much like
old recordings from the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60’s, which gave it an intimate and warm
sound. The horn section parts were
doubled to really give it that oomph and muscle. We treated the lead instruments as would
vocalists recording duets, which gave them each a personal voice,” explained
Braun.
Road warriors, Braun and Elliot
are already out touring with the perennially successful Jazz
Attack line-up that co-stars Peter White and Jonathan Butler. They’ll be introducing more and more
songs from the new album into their performances as the record release date
nears. Braun and Elliot expect to
be working the road through the end of the year to support the album.
Elliot began his recording career
young while playing on songs by Motown legends Smokey Robinson and The Temptations. He was still a teenager when he toured
with Melissa Manchester. That gig led to him spending five
formative years playing in the mighty
Braun is a trumpeter-flugelhorn
player-keyboardist who started his professional career by writing a Top 20 pop
hit for REO Speedwagon (“Here With
Me”). The
Braun and Elliot’s R n R contains the following
songs:
“R n R”
“Better Times”
“Sweet Somethin’”
“Down and Dirty”
“Curve Ball”
“Two Heart Tango”
“The Stranger”
“Q It Up”
“Da JR Funk”
“Sunday Night”
“Que Paso”
“
Catch Braun and Elliot performing
on the following Jazz Attack dates
(additional dates together and solo that run through the end of the year will be
added):
June 21
Frazee Pavilion
June 22
City of
June 23
Rodney Strong Vineyards
Healdsburg, CA
July 14
Radisson Hotel
July 20
The Pageant
July 21
Chicago Theatre
July 22
Hideaway Park
Winter Park, CO
August 11
Long Beach Jazz Festival
Long Beach, CO
August 18
Sleep Train Pavilion
Additional information is
available at www.artizenmusic.com, www.rickbraun.com and www.richardelliot.com.
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