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Brian Charette: Alphabet City
by Bruce Lindsay
Alphabet City is organist Brian Charette's ninth album, titled for the part of Manhattan where he lives (in the building which featured on the cover of Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti, apparently). He's alongside guitarist Will Bernard and drummer Rudy Royston, both familiar names on numerous other releases for Posi-tone Records: a standard, though high quality, organ trio, but the leader's compositions give it a far-from-standard repertoire.The 12 tunes, all originals, are all pretty short, pretty snappy and, in ...
Continue ReadingBrian Charette: Alphabet City
by Dan Bilawsky
Organist Brian Charette brings his A-game to Alphabet City. But who would expect anything else from this consummate artist? After delivering a covers-heavy program with two different trio lineups on Good Tipper (Posi-Tone, 2014), Charette returns here with an all-originals outing that finds him in the company of guitarist Will Bernard and drummer Rudy Royston. Alphabet City, in some respects, is an ode to Charette's New York city home, haunts and habits. But that minimizes the scope ...
Continue ReadingBrian Charette: Good Tipper
by Dan Bilawsky
Nine of the eleven tracks on organist Brian Charette's Square One (Posi-Tone, 2014) were originals, but that doesn't mean he's uninterested in tackling the music of others. In fact, judging by this album, it would seem that he really digs digging into covers. Everybody from film score icon John Barry to tunesmith Jimmy Webb to saxophonist Joe Henderson gets a nod during the fun-filled Good Tipper Charette has built a reputation as one of the most adventuresome ...
Continue ReadingBrian Charette: Square One
by Mark F. Turner
It is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery but that can be a double edged sword with respect to self-expression and individuality. Reverence to past influences such as the pioneering organists Larry Young and Jimmy Smith is commonly heard in many contemporary jazz organ players including New York based Brian Charette who breathes originality in 2014's The Question That Drives Us (SteepleChase) and particularly 2012's Music for Organ Sextette (SteepleChase). Both feature that iconic Hammond B3 sound ...
Continue ReadingBrian Charette: The Question That Drives Us and Square One
by Hrayr Attarian
Classically trained pianist turned organist Brian Charette is an accomplished master of the Hammond B3 with an elegant yet passionate touch. His signature style imbues the many recordings of his various ensembles with a light, crisp sound and an effervescent melodicism that is, unapologetically, mainstream without being pedestrian. In 2014 Charette cut two charmingly seductive albums that delight and gratify without experimenting with innovation or breaking any radically new ground. Brian Charette The Question That Drives Us ...
Continue ReadingFour From The Posi-Tone Pile
by Dan Bilawsky
Some labels release a few records a year; some put out a record every month or two; and then there are those, like the Los Angeles-based Posi-Tone Records, that prefer to push even more music through the pipeline. As 2014 came into being, Posi-Tone began an ambitious release schedule, putting out a new album every few weeks. Those who cover jazz and follow the scene intently can't seem to turn around these days without bumping into one ...
Continue ReadingBrian Charette: Music for Organ Sextette
by Dan Bilawsky
Finding an organ in a gathering of more than four in jazz seems to be taboo, yet no logic exists behind this unspoken truth. The organ is constantly making friends with guitars and drums, with the occasional singular horn dropping by to converse with them, but the possibility of a broader social circle always seems to elude this unwieldy instrument. Thankfully, organist Brian Charette is helping to rectify this issue.On Music For Organ Sextette, Charette weaves a unique ...
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