Rob Brown (saxophonist)
Quick Facts
Biography
Rob Brown (born February 27, 1962) is an American free jazz saxophonist and composer.
Life and career
Rob was born in Hampton, VA. He started playing saxophone at the age of 12 or 13. His first gigs were with a local Virginia and swing band. He eventually studied at Berklee College for two years and worked privately with both Joe Viola and John LaPorta. After a year on the west coast, Brown bounced back to Boston, where he met pianist Matthew Shipp. He moved to NY in 1984 where he enrolled at New York University, earned a music degree, and studied with saxophone masters such as Lee Konitz, but the teacher who had more influence on Rob conceptually was Philadelphian Dennis Sandole. Rob took the train to Philly once a week to study with him for a year and a half.
His first issued recording was the duet with Shipp Sonic Explorations and since then has been actively leading groups or working as a sideman with Shipp, William Parker, Whit Dickey, Joe Morris and Steve Swell.
He is a 2001 CalArts/Alpert/Ucross Residency Prize winner and has received many Meet The Composer Fund grants. In 2006 Rob was awarded a Chamber Music America New Works grant.
Discography
As leader/co-leader
Release year | Title | Label | Personnel/Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1988 | Sonic Explorations | Cadence Jazz | Duo with Matthew Shipp (piano) |
1990 | Breath Rhyme | Silkheart | Trio with William Parker (bass), Denis Charles (drums) |
1992 | Youniverse | Riti | Trio with Joe Morris (guitar), Whit Dickey (drums) |
1995 | Illuminate | Leo | Quartet co-led by Joe Morris (guitar), with William Parker (bass), Jackson Krall (drums) |
1996 | High Wire | Soul Note | Trio with William Parker (bass), Jackson Krall (drums) |
1997 | Blink of an Eye | No More | Duo with Matthew Shipp (piano) |
1997 | Orbit | Music & Arts | Collaborative trio with Guerino Mazzola (piano), Heinz Geisser (percussion) |
1998 | Scratching the Surface | CIMP | Quartet co-led by Lou Grassi (drums), with Assif Tsahar (tenor sax), Chris Lightcap (bass) |
2000 | Visage | Marge | Trio with Wilber Morris (bass), Lou Grassi (drums, percussion) |
2000 | Jumping Off the Page | No More | Quartet with Roy Campbell (trumpet), Chris Lightcap (bass), Jackson Krall (drums) |
2002 | Round the Bend | Bleu Regard | Trio with William Parker (bass), Warren Smith (drums) |
2003 | Likewise | Riti | As part of the band Stone House; trio with Luther Gray (drums), Joe Morris (bass) |
2004 | The Big Picture | Marge | Quartet with Roy Campbell (trumpet, flugelhorn), William Parker (bass), Hamid Drake (drums) |
2005 | Radiant Pools | RogueArt | Quartet with Steve Swell (trombone), Joe Morris (bass), Luther Gray (drums) |
2006 | We Are Not Obstinate Islands | Clean Feed | As part of the band The Diplomats; trio with Steve Swell (trombone), Harris Eisenstadt (drums) |
2007 | Sounds | Clean Feed | Trio with Daniel Levin (cello), Satoshi Takeishi (percussion) |
2008 | Right Hemisphere | RogueArt | As part of the band Right Hemisphere; quartet with Matthew Shipp (piano), Joe Morris (bass), Whit Dickey (drums) |
2008 | Live in Chicago | Ruby Red | Duo with Andrew Barker (drums, percussion) |
2008 | Crown Trunk Root Funk | AUM Fidelity | Quartet with Craig Taborn (piano, electronics), William Parker (bass), Gerald Cleaver (drums) |
2009 | Live at Firehouse 12 | Not Two | Trio with Daniel Levin (cello), Satoshi Takeishi (percussion) |
2010 | Natural Disorder | Not Two | Duo with Daniel Levin (cello) |
2011 | Unexplained Phenomena | Marge | Quartet with Matt Moran (vibraphone), Chris Lightcap (bass), Gerald Cleaver (drums) |
2011 | Unknown Skies | RogueArt | Trio with Craig Taborn (piano), Nasheet Waits (drums) |
2014 | Day in the Life of a City | Multikulti | Trio with Daniel Levin (cello), Jacek Mazurkiewicz (bass) |
2015 | Divergent Paths | Cipsela | Duo with Daniel Levin (cello) |
As sideman
Release year | Leader | Title | Label |
---|---|---|---|
1998 | Dickey, WhitWhit Dickey | Transonic | AUM Fidelity |
2000 | Dickey, WhitWhit Dickey | Big Top | Wobbly Rail |
2001 | Dickey, WhitWhit Dickey | Life Cycle | AUM Fidelity |
2002 | Dickey, WhitWhit Dickey | Prophet Moon | Riti |
2004 | Dickey, WhitWhit Dickey | Coalescence | Clean Feed |
2005 | Dickey, WhitWhit Dickey | In a Heartbeat | Clean Feed |
2006 | Dickey, WhitWhit Dickey | Sacred Ground | Clean Feed |
1999 | Morris, JoeJoe Morris | Many Rings | Knitting Factory |
1994 | Parker, WilliamWilliam Parker | Flowers Grow in My Room | Centering |
1995 | Parker, WilliamWilliam Parker | In Order to Survive | Black Saint |
1996 | Parker, WilliamWilliam Parker | Compassion Seizes Bed-Stuy | Homestead |
1997 | Parker, WilliamWilliam Parker | Sunrise in the Tone World | AUM Fidelity |
1998 | Parker, WilliamWilliam Parker | The Peach Orchard | AUM Fidelity |
1999 | Parker, WilliamWilliam Parker | Posium Pendasem | FMP |
2000 | Parker, WilliamWilliam Parker | O'Neal's Porch | Centering |
2000 | Parker, WilliamWilliam Parker | Mayor of Punkville | AUM Fidelity |
2002 | Parker, WilliamWilliam Parker | Raincoat in the River | Eremite |
2002 | Parker, WilliamWilliam Parker | Raining on the Moon | Thirsty Ear |
2002 | Parker, WilliamWilliam Parker | Spontaneous | Splasc(h) |
2003 | Parker, WilliamWilliam Parker | Mass for the Healing of the World | Black Saint |
2005 | Parker, WilliamWilliam Parker | Sound Unity | AUM Fidelity |
2005 | Parker, WilliamWilliam Parker | For Percy Heath | Victo |
2007 | Parker, WilliamWilliam Parker | Corn Meal Dance | AUM Fidelity |
2007 | Parker, WilliamWilliam Parker | Alphaville Suite | RogueArt |
2007 | Parker, WilliamWilliam Parker | Double Sunrise Over Neptune | AUM Fidelity |
2008 | Parker, WilliamWilliam Parker | Petit Oiseau | AUM Fidelity |
2012 | Parker, WilliamWilliam Parker | Essence of Ellington | Centering |
2013 | Parker, WilliamWilliam Parker | Wood Flute Songs | AUM Fidelity |
1992 | Shipp, MatthewMatthew Shipp | Points | Silkheart |
1999 | Shipp, MatthewMatthew Shipp | Magnetism | Bleu Regard |
2009 | Swell, SteveSteve Swell | Planet Dream | Clean Feed |