Brownman reads an enormous amount, consuming on average 3 books a week and believes firmly in the transformative power of literature. A byproduct of a 2016 obsession with Roman Emperors was "Madness Of Nero", a tune Brown wrote specially for this quartet's debut recording "Rites Of Ascension", which would win several awards and be a finalist in the American Song Writing Competition. That tune depicted Nero's descent into madness, so for this record Brown has written a follow-up with a second installment to what we hope will be a series of tunes about Roman Emperors, this time with Nero's antithesis -- the wise Marcus Aurelius, one of the greatest emperors and philosophers Rome has ever known. This composition incorporates the joyful flavours of Salsa and Cuban-jazz, but takes its time getting there, first starting in a camouflaged waltz (but isn't), before gradually working its way to an exuberant and intricate Latin jazz space as an apt representation of the brilliance of Aurelius. This tune, like "Madness of Nero" is a true odyssey and will take the listener on a rich journey as melodies and counter-point themes are developed in fresh and interesting ways through the course of its epic 8-min run-time. Maclean's months of work preparing this tune have paid off, as he delivers piano montunos with a reverence for its origins. Wutzke's own Latin fire on drums is akin to Dafnis Prieto's, with Duff being the foundational rock this music requires. Brownman soars over it all, his experience as a Latin-jazz artist blazing a fiery path through this tune. Featured on this track is Luisito Orbegoso -- the conga player from CRUZAO and widely regarded as one of Canada's greatest living Latin percussionists. His presence on congas and a variety of Latin percussion elevates the track to true Latin-jazz standards, and ends this album in so raucous a manner it will be hard to sit still to.
from
Convergence,
released October 27, 2023
composed by Brownman Ali
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Nick Maclean -- piano
Brownman Ali -- trumpet, producer
Ben Duff -- bass
Jacob Wutzke -- drums
Luisito Orbegoso -- congas and bells (special guest)
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Revolution Recording -- recording studio (Kim Cooke, booker)
Stephen Koszler -- head tracking engineer
Luke Schindler -- assistant tracking engineer
Wayne Ferguson -- piano tuner
Josh Bowman -- mix engineer
Justin Gray -- mastering engineer
Dean Shu -- cover art
Daryl Angier -- liner notes
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Thomas Varey -- director of photography
Brittany Farhat -- camera crew
Matthew Fong -- camera crew
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Canada Council for the Arts -- funding
Ontario Arts Council -- funding
Toronto Arts Council -- funding
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Browntasauras Records -- record label
Steve Danic (Browntasauras Records) -- publicist