Jazz Articles about Brian Landrus

About Brian Landrus

Interview

Brian Landrus: The Low End Theory

by Daniel Lehner
November 14, 2013

Specialists don't usually have the luxury of controlling much of their destiny. For a low woodwind expert like Brian Landrus, it would be of little surprise to anyone to find that, though he'd have the freedom to experiment with sounds and timbres for his own records, he would be little more than a hired gun for his sideperson work. Fortunately, Landrus's conviction as an artist, as well as technical skill as a multi-reedist, has given him the leeway to put ...

Album Review

Brian Landrus Kaleidoscope: Mirage

Read "Mirage" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian

by Hrayr Attarian
September 29, 2013

Multi-instrumentalist and composer Brian Landrus' Mirage is his most accomplished, and thematically unified recording to date. The music shimmers like the phenomenon of the title as pastel colored harmonies of a string quartet bleed into the deep, earthy tones of low reeds and the fusion-like sounds of the band, Kaleidoscope.On “Don't Close Your Eyes" the evocative romanticism of the chordophones and soulful swagger of the rhythm section seamlessly blend enhancing its emotional reach. The crystalline ring of pianist ...

Album Review

Brian Landrus' Kaleidoscope: Mirage

by Dave Wayne
September 17, 2013

Thus far, every recording by low-end multi-reed artist Brian Landrus has been refreshingly different. The NEC grad burst on to the scene a few years back with Forward (Cadence Jazz Records, 2008) a richly textured free-leaning acoustic jazz album created with a large ensemble of seasoned jazz veterans such as pianist Michael Cain and drummer Bob Moses. His subsequent release, Everlasting (CIMP Records, 2009), a quartet date with Moses and bassist John Lockwood also had free-bop tendencies.Traverse (Blue ...

Album Review

The Landrus Kaleidoscope: Capsule

Read "Capsule" reviewed by AAJ Italy Staff

by AAJ Italy Staff
April 6, 2012

Forward del 2007 ci aveva fatto conoscere il talentuoso multistrumentista Brian Landrus in compagnia di musicisti affermati (suoi ex insegnanti) quali George Garzone, John Lockwood, Bob Moses. Forward era album ben suonato ma ancora troppo legato ad una concezione scolastica del pensiero musicale. Da allora il ragazzo è cresciuto, ha registrato altri CD (tra i quali Traverse a suo nome, partecipato a prestigiosi progetti, e fondato una propria etichetta che debutta con questo Capsule. Il quintetto denominato Kaleidoscope si è ...

Album Review

The Landrus Kaleidoscope: Capsule

Read "Capsule" reviewed by Raul d'Gama Rose

by Raul d'Gama Rose
March 15, 2012

Brian Landrus is a striking baritone saxophonist and appears to have become a full-time bass clarinetist as well. Landrus is unique and unlike anyone else in his tribe because he appears to have a genuine and very deep passion for the bass registers of the world. For all that is known he hears sounds that most people cannot--growls and grumbles and earth-shaking rumbles that most would require a Richter Scale to know even exist. Landrus hears all this with large ...

Album Review

The Landrus Kaleidoscope: Capsule

by Dave Wayne
December 3, 2011

After exploring post-bop and free-ish jazz with his first two CDs, multi-reed player Brian Landrus extends his stylistic range into the realm of electric jazz with Capsule. Despite listing Fender Rhodes and electric guitar among the CD credits, Capsule is not really a fusion record. Rather, it's a jazz recording with some electronic instrumentation, along the lines of what Dave Douglas and Donny McCaslin have been doing with their electric bands. Landrus' band is well-suited to explore this realm. Pianist ...

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Album Review

The Landrus Kaleidoscope: Capsule

Read "Capsule" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian

by Hrayr Attarian
November 25, 2011

On Capsule his second album on his own BlueLand label, baritone saxophonist and reed multi-instrumentalist, Brian Landrus pushes the boundaries of jazz and explores a more fusion-like style inspired by Motown and other related genres. Contributing to this electric sound is the addition of Nir Felder to the rhythm section whose Jimi Hendrix-like guitar on the Caribbean-flavored “Like The Wind" meanders away from the theme, giving the tune its jazzy edge, while Landrus--on the rarely heard bass ...