Brian Bromberg

Brian Bromberg (born December 5, 1960) is an American jazz bassist and record producer who performs on electric and acoustic instruments.

Biography

Bromberg was born on December 5, 1960, in Tucson, Arizona. His father and brother both played drums, which influenced him to take up the instrument, and at the age of 13 he began seriously pursuing a career as a drummer. Around this time, the leader of his school orchestra steered him towards the upright bass. From then on, he committed himself to a strict practice regimen and "tested out of high school early" because of the rigorous schedule he set for himself.

Bromberg felt it was essential to gain experience playing live and he accepted virtually every gig he could get. He often played "five to seven nights a week with several different bands."
In 1979, Marc Johnson, the bassist working with jazz pianist Bill Evans, heard Bromberg's playing and recommended him to saxophonist Stan Getz, who needed a new bass player. Getz auditioned Bromberg and hired him, and at the age of 19, with only six years of experience on the bass, he found himself touring internationally. Bromberg later worked with other big names in the music business, and become a producer for artists in his genre.

In March 2011, Bromberg partnered with Carvin Guitars to produce a signature model electric bass. The B24 and B25 were based on his own design, which had previously been manufactured by Peavey and Dean. In 2014, Carvin rebranded to Kiesel for most new instruments, and the Brian Bromberg model followed suit in 2015.

Releases as a solo artist

Bromberg's early albums were in the smooth jazz genre and his first two, ''New Day'' 1986) and ''Basses Loaded'' (1988), caught the attention of smooth jazz radio. His third album, ''Magic Rain'' (1989) "became the most played album on smooth jazz radio during the first week of its release".Jazz Spotlight featuring Brian Bromberg - Wood II on Artistry Music @ jazzreview.com
Bromberg's fourth record, ''BASSically Speaking,'' consisted of his oldest material re-mastered with new additions, and reached the top 5 on the radio charts and No. 7 on the ''Billboard'' sales charts.

In 1991 he put out a straightforward jazz album, ''It's About Time, The Acoustic Project,'' which reached number four on the mainstream jazz charts. He also recorded in a trio with Freddie Hubbard and Ernie Watts. After ''It's About Time,'' he returned to smooth jazz and released ''Brian Bromberg'' in 1993. The label went out of business in the week it was released.

Bromberg took a break from recording to design basses for Peavey and tour as a clinician, In 1991 he signed with Zebra Records. In February 1998, he released a new album, ''You Know That Feeling'', recorded with Rick Braun, Joe Sample, Jeff Lorber, and Everette Harp. It became his most successful yet and was the first smooth jazz number one record of his career, producing three singles in a row that each went to number three on the charts. The album spent seventeen consecutive months on the charts, eight months in the top ten, and nearly six months in the top five. It was the fifth most-played smooth jazz album of the year. Songs from ''You Know That Feeling'' are still played on smooth jazz stations across America.

After ''You Know That Feeling'', Bromberg's albums moved on from his smooth jazz roots. ''Wood'' (2002), produced by a Japanese label, was recorded with pianist Randy Waldman and brother David Bromberg on drums. In addition to the solo pieces, ''Wood'' and ''Wood 2'' (with drummer Vinnie Colaiuta replacing David Bromberg) contain interpretations of music by Wayne Shorter and Woody Herman. In 2003, Bromberg made a record titled ''Jaco,'' in which he performed Jaco Pastorius songs. Two Years later ''(in 2005)'' he released ''Metal'' with drummer Joel Taylor.

Bromberg uses a piccolo bass on some of his recordings for melody lines instead of six-string guitars. This unusual instrumentation, tuned an octave higher than usual, is explained in the liner notes. "There are no guitar melodies or solos on this recording. All guitar-sounding parts are played on piccolo bass".

Bromberg has produced eight top-ten hits, seven top-five hits, and two number-one hits. He plays a 300-year-old double bass and also uses Dean, Bob Mick, Knooren Handcrafted Instruments, Mick Donner and Peavey basses with Epifani amplification. He owns a signature edition Carvin bass.

Releases with the JB Project

In 2003 Bromberg formed The JB Project with Jazz Fusion drummer Akira Jimbo. Their first release ''Brombo!'' was published in 2003, featuring Otmaro Ruíz on piano, and contained a mixture of classical music (Ode To Joy by Beethoven), Jazz standards ( Giant Steps by John Coltrane, So What by Miles Davis), Contemporary/Pop piecew ( Mambo No. 5 by Pérez Prado, And I Love Her by John Lennon & Paul McCartney), as well as their own material. A second release, ''Brombo II!!'', followed in 2004, and a third, ''Brombo III!!!'', in 2017. On this album, piano players Patrice Rushen and Jeff Lorber can be heard, in addition to Otmaro Ruíz, who played on all three JB Project albums.

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

External links

Official website
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bromberg, Brian
1960 births
Living people
American jazz bass guitarists
American male bass guitarists
Smooth jazz bass guitarists
Record producers from Arizona
20th-century American bass guitarists
20th-century American male musicians
American male jazz musicians
Mack Avenue Records artists