Home » Jazz Articles » Brian Charette
Jazz Articles about Brian Charette
Brian 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 ...
Continue ReadingBrian Charette: Music for Organ Sextette
by Mark F. Turner
While there've been a few exceptions, many jazz organ-based recordings deliver the same old grind of not deviating too far from the Jimmy Smith or Charles Earland grease and grits format. But not in the case of Brian Charette's Music for Organ Sextette , a release that balances harmonically complex ideas with catchy melodies. The Grammy nominated artist has worked with names from Chaka Khan to Joni Mitchell, is active in New York and has released a ...
Continue ReadingBrian Charette: Missing Floor
by Woodrow Wilkins
The typical jazz trio consists of bass, drums and a lead instrument--usually a guitar, saxophone, organ or piano. Brian Charette sidesteps this ideal with something as interesting as it is off the proverbial beaten path. Organist Charette also plays the piano and uses a laptop computer in creating the sounds for Missing Floor. For accompaniment, he does have a drummer in Jochen Rueckert. Leon Gruenbaum completes the ensemble, playing piano and Samchillian, which is a computer keyboard ...
Continue Reading
