Dates: Thursday 31st May
- Saturday 2nd June Ticket Prices: £25.00 - £45.00 Doors open time First House 18:00 Venue:Ronnie Scotts, Frith Street, London.
Lineup: Ronnie Laws, Tom Brown, Nick Cook, Jason Rebello, Troy Miller
Ronnie Laws name is virtually synonymous
with good music. True Laws fans know this gifted contemporary music
artist is by no means a new comer to the business. A native of Houston,
Texas, born October 3, 1950, the third in a famous line of four
musicians that include his classically trained Jazz flautist brother,
Hubert and his vocalist sisters, Eloise and Debra. Laws taught himself
to play alto saxophone at the age of eleven and after an eye injury
sidelined early dreams of a career in professional baseball, partially
to fulfill his mom’s dream of playing the horn, his instrument became
his all-consuming passion. He studied music in High School, at Stephen
F. Austin State and Texas Southern University, developing a progressive
mastery and technique.
In 1970 he move to Los Angeles, where he found work under the
tutelage of such legendary talents as The Jazz Crusaders and Hugh
Masakels. His formative training also included stints with Jazz pianist
Walter Bishop Jr. and organist Doug Cann. He was a member of the 70’s
much-revered soul group Earth Wind and Fire where he played tenor and
soprano sax for a two-year stint, before finally venturing out to pursue
a solo career.
Assisted by immortal Jazz great Donald Byrd, he soon signed his
first recording contract wit Blue Note Records, resulting in the
impressive debut album Pressure Sensitive (1975), produced by
family friend, Wayne Henderson, (a founding member of the contemporary
jazz pioneers The Crusaders), which rapidly emerged to become the
longest selling album, at that time, in the 42 year history of the
label. Pressure Sensitive, was followed up by his second album Fever (1876)
Controversy quickly erupted around him, with so called Jazz
“purists”, criticizing Laws’ inventive, non-traditional, “Jazz Fusion:
style. Laws promptly answered his critics by also scoring unprecedented
crossover success in R&B and Pop, in addition to Jazz and receiving
multiple awards in the process.
Laws is a proven natural at combining the exploratory heart of Jazz
with the broader reaching strains of Soul and Pop music. His first hit
“Always There” 9credied as Ronnie Laws and Pressure on the original
45rpm), was one of most popular, sax driven cross0over hits of the 70’s
Jazz-Funk Fusion era. He ushered in the sensual sound of the soprano sax
with Quiet Storm gems such as “Grace”, “Karmen” and “just Love”. Pressure Sensitive, Fever and Friends and Strangers (Blue Note 1978), the title track of his third album, all propelled to gold status.
When Laws met Ron Dunbar, The Executive Administrator in the office
of the president of the Holland Group, they discussed a record deal.
Dunbar, who had worked with the Laws’ sister Eloise in 1977, brought
Eddie Holland President of the Holland Group and Ronnie together. A deal
was agreed upon and Laws was offered a contract with HDH Records. His
soon to be released album, Dream A Little, boast of yet another sound in
the multi-talented artists’ already expansive repertoire and expertise
in pursuit of newer, broader and unexplored territory, Urban
Contemporary. The single “Old Days Old Ways”, is so tastefully done that
music fans will unanimously attest that this will add another exciting
chapter to Laws’ already successful career and graciously honor us with
another opportunity to give audience to his exceptional gift.
Tom Browne
Consider the songs in our hearts that inspire us toward uplifted
continence; melodies that ring out in a manner that is soulful … even
funky! Now think of an instrumental artist; an artist who George Benson
describes as “joy filled in expressiveness and believable in any musical
style," topping the jazz and adult contemporary/R & B charts with
his kickin' trumpet and rich jazz melodies. That artist … is trumpeter
Tom Browne.
Browne began to carve a path for his musical future early on,
studying classically via scholarship under Murray Karpilovsky (principal
trumpeter with the NBC Orchestra directed by Arturo Toscanini.) A
student at the co-joined High School of Music and Art /Performing Arts
in New York (renowned courtesy of the motion picture entitled “Fame”),
Browne became a regular on the New York jazz scene and had the fortune
of learning first hand from masters like Jimmy Nottingham, Richard
Williams, Woody Shaw. and Freddie Hubbard. Browne soon played his first
pro – level performances as sideman to jazz greats Weldon Irvine and
Sonny Fortune for which he earned domestic and international
recognition. It was no surprise that Downbeat Magazine would single out
his "warm trumpet" during the review of Fortunes'1976 "Infinity Is."
album.
Then in 1978, Browne led a traditional jazz quintet at the Breezin’
Lounge, an uptown New York nightclub indirectly affiliated with George
Benson. Through contacts made by Jimmy Boyd, Bensons’ former and
Browne’s subsequent manager, Browne was offered several solo recording
contracts and ultimately signed with Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen on the
newly formed GRP Record label. There he recorded six solo projects
including several hits. His debut release "Browne Sugar" (1979)
dominated the jazz charts for many weeks while "Love Approach" (1980)
and "Magic" (1981) each earned gold album status and spawned hits like
"Funkin for Jamaica", “Thighs High” and “Secret Fantasy.” Browne went on
to win prestigious Billboard honors of Best Instrumentalist, Best Jazz
Cross-over, Best Jazz Artist-Trumpet and Best Jazz Solo Album.
Arista Records (then the financial “purse strings” of the GRP
projects) dictated moving Browne further into the Rhythm and Blues
market, and Dave Grusin /Larry Rosen were replaced by producers hired
directly by the parent label. The later recordings of this period lacked
the heart of the GRP/Browne affiliation, and the public knew it!
Ultimately, Browne left Arista Records in 1986. He recorded only one
additional album (on Malaco records) throughout the remainder of the
eighties; an album, which reflected his inner spirit as a Christian.
That album was entitled “No Longer I.”
Although still performing on occasion, Brownes career path shifted
towards another love, commercial aviation. Browne flew for many years as
a charter and airline captain, most recently for a FedEx Feeder
company.
But although the business had left a repugnant aftertaste, the love
of music was still in Toms’ heart. Surprisingly to him, there were
numerous record executives who understood exactly what had taken place
and still believed in him. It was with this blessing that Browne
released his first in a series of recordings for the Hip Bop label in
1994 with several CDs following in yearly succession throughout the
nineties.
Tom Browne
Consider the songs in our hearts that inspire us toward uplifted
continence; melodies that ring out in a manner that is soulful … even
funky! Now think of an instrumental artist; an artist who George Benson
describes as “joy filled in expressiveness and believable in any musical
style," topping the jazz and adult contemporary/R & B charts with
his kickin' trumpet and rich jazz melodies. That artist … is trumpeter
Tom Browne.
Browne began to carve a path for his musical future early on,
studying classically via scholarship under Murray Karpilovsky (principal
trumpeter with the NBC Orchestra directed by Arturo Toscanini.) A
student at the co-joined High School of Music and Art /Performing Arts
in New York (renowned courtesy of the motion picture entitled “Fame”),
Browne became a regular on the New York jazz scene and had the fortune
of learning first hand from masters like Jimmy Nottingham, Richard
Williams, Woody Shaw. and Freddie Hubbard. Browne soon played his first
pro – level performances as sideman to jazz greats Weldon Irvine and
Sonny Fortune for which he earned domestic and international
recognition. It was no surprise that Downbeat Magazine would single out
his "warm trumpet" during the review of Fortunes'1976 "Infinity Is."
album.
Then in 1978, Browne led a traditional jazz quintet at the Breezin’
Lounge, an uptown New York nightclub indirectly affiliated with George
Benson. Through contacts made by Jimmy Boyd, Bensons’ former and
Browne’s subsequent manager, Browne was offered several solo recording
contracts and ultimately signed with Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen on the
newly formed GRP Record label. There he recorded six solo projects
including several hits. His debut release "Browne Sugar" (1979)
dominated the jazz charts for many weeks while "Love Approach" (1980)
and "Magic" (1981) each earned gold album status and spawned hits like
"Funkin for Jamaica", “Thighs High” and “Secret Fantasy.” Browne went on
to win prestigious Billboard honors of Best Instrumentalist, Best Jazz
Cross-over, Best Jazz Artist-Trumpet and Best Jazz Solo Album.
Arista Records (then the financial “purse strings” of the GRP
projects) dictated moving Browne further into the Rhythm and Blues
market, and Dave Grusin /Larry Rosen were replaced by producers hired
directly by the parent label. The later recordings of this period lacked
the heart of the GRP/Browne affiliation, and the public knew it!
Ultimately, Browne left Arista Records in 1986. He recorded only one
additional album (on Malaco records) throughout the remainder of the
eighties; an album, which reflected his inner spirit as a Christian.
That album was entitled “No Longer I.”
Although still performing on occasion, Brownes career path shifted
towards another love, commercial aviation. Browne flew for many years as
a charter and airline captain, most recently for a FedEx Feeder
company.
But although the business had left a repugnant aftertaste, the love
of music was still in Toms’ heart. Surprisingly to him, there were
numerous record executives who understood exactly what had taken place
and still believed in him. It was with this blessing that Browne
released his first in a series of recordings for the Hip Bop label in
1994 with several CDs following in yearly succession throughout the
nineties.
the apex is owned and managed by St Edmundsbury Borough Council.
the apex is owned and managed by St Edmundsbury Borough Council.
Omar’s sixth album, Sing (If You Want It)
is a bona fide soul classic and was all set to tip the UK soul
sensation into the pop-star realm, once and for all, on its release in
2005. However, a series of setbacks – not least the sudden collapse of
the record label involved, a week after release – severely dented its
chances of breakthrough success. Hardly a flop, it impressively still
sold over 50,000 copies, but as Tru Thoughts A&R and long-time Omar
fan Robert Luis says, “it was so heavily anticipated, and
with collabs from the likes of Stevie Wonder...well, everyone knew it
could have sold ten times that”.
