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Anthem For Everyone
James Brown - Guitar
Label: New Guitar Productions
Released: 2025
Views: 159
Tracks
1. Anthem For Everyone 4:24 2. Broadview Blues 6:17 3. A Road Less Travelled 6:21 4. Mr Wonder 7:07 5. Ascending Grace 6:47 6. O Canada 4:14 7. First Bright 6:51 8. The Mirror 4:16
Personnel
Additional Personnel / Information
James Brown guitar/compositions Aline Homzy violin Hannah Barstow vocals(piano-track 8) Clark Johnston bass
Album Description
Recorded at RHC Music in Toronto on March 28/29/30 2025 Engineered by Ross Hayes Citrullo Produced by James Brown and Ross Hayes Citrullo Album art and design by Eugene Beck Financial Support by The Ontario Arts Council All music and lyrics composed by James Brown except track 6: arranged by James Brown, Melody by Calixa Lavallée with English lyrics by Robert Stanley Weir and French by Adolphe-Basile Routhier. JAMES BROWN Anthem For Everyone (NGP Records) Release date: July 1st, 2025 Guitarist-composer James Brown releases his fifth album of original music, Anthem for Everyone. This engaging and genre-blurring project features an eclectic lineup of Toronto- based musicians, including violinist Aline Homzy, bassist Clark Johnston, and vocalist/pianist Hannah Barstow. The album presents eight tracks, seven of which are original compositions that continue Brown’s exploration of the intersection between jazz and classical music. The eighth is a reimagined bilingual arrangement (in English and French) of Canada’s national anthem, “O Canada,” composed by Calixa Lavallée. A new and notable element of this release is the inclusion of two original songs with lyrics written by Brown himself: “A Road Less Travelled” and “The Mirror.” These tracks blend his signature melodic style with personal, poetic messages, showcasing his growth as a lyricist. The title track, “Anthem for Everyone,” highlights Brown’s classical guitar roots and reflects his recent master’s degree in Third Stream Music. Yet the album’s influences go well beyond a jazz-classical binary. The swinging “Broadview Blues” nods to one of Toronto’s well-known streets, while “Mr. Wonder”—inspired by the legendary Stevie Wonder— shows Brown’s affinity for groove-based compositions. The melodic “Ascending Grace” references Steve Swallow’s “Falling Grace,” a favorite piece of Brown’s often interpreted by Pat Metheny and Gary Burton. Several tracks feature Hannah Barstow performing vocalese (wordless singing), seamlessly blending with the instrumental trio of violin, guitar, and bass. The delicate and cinematic “First Bright” is a strong example of Brown’s lyrical, expansive compositional style. As Brown notes, “This new album has a more chamber jazz sound—the inclusion of voice and violin really sets it apart from my previous recordings.” Artist Background Born in 1967 in Oakville, Ontario, and raised in Burlington, James Brown began guitar lessons at age 13. He later pursued classical guitar at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto while also immersing himself in jazz through informal jam sessions. His debut jazz album, First Dance (1998), featured top-tier Toronto players Ernie Tollar (saxophones), Andrew Downing (bass), and John Obercian (drums). Brown went on to release The Home Fields (2002), Sevendaze (2009), and Song Within the Story (2022). Collaborators across his discography include Don Thompson, Mike Murley, Jim Vivian, Anthony Michelli, Mike Milligan, and Quinsin Nachoff.
Album uploaded by James Brown
