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John Brown
About Me
John V. Brown, a native of Fayetteville, North Carolina, began studying the bass when he was nine years old and has been performing professionally since his teens. He began performing with the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra at thirteen, and was playing Principal Bass with that orchestra while still in high school. At the University of North Carolina at Greensboro he studied with Jack Budrow, and while still an undergraduate he performed with the Roanoke Symphony (VA), the Greensboro Symphony, and the Winston-Salem Symphony and interned with the North Carolina Symphony. In college, John also developed a great love for jazz, and began pursuing careers in both jazz and classical music. During that time, he co-founded a jazz quartet called “In the Black” with some fellow schoolmates. The group quickly began giving regular performances, most notably at the National Black Musician's Caucus, at Debbie Allen's wrap party for the filming of “Stompin' at the Savoy,” with vocalist Melva Houston, and opening for Stanley Jordan.
John has performed in the United States and abroad with artists like Wynton Marsalis, Ellis Marsalis, Delfeayo Marsalis, Elvin Jones, Diahann Carroll, Nell Carter, Rosemary Clooney, Lou Donaldson, Frank Foster, David “Fathead” Newman, Nicholas Payton, Cedar Walton, Fred Wesley and Mark Whitfield, and he boasts a Grammy Nomination for his performance and co-writing on Nnenna Freelon's 1995 Concord release, “Shaking Free.” His extensive experience includes performances at notable venues like Carnegie Hall, the Blue Note, the Kennedy Center, the Hollywood Bowl, and at major jazz festivals including the Playboy Jazz Festival, the JVC Jazz Festival, the Montreal Jazz Festival and Jazz e Vienne.
Equally gifted in other areas of performance, John has performed for major theatre productions including the Japan tour of “Blues in the Night” with Roz Ryan and Freda Payne, shows at the National Black Theater Festival, the Broadway Series South and off Broadway performances. John made his acting debut in 1991 when he co-starred in the role of Jimmy Powers (re-written for John as a bassist) in “Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill” at the Broach Theatre and performed in the same show (as the bassist) with Jackee Harry. John has also appeared in “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles,” “Stompin' at the Savoy,” “Radioland Murders,” and “Hellraiser III.” Among John's recording credits is the soundtrack for “Moon Over Miami” for ABC, done with Delfeayo Marsalis.
John currently serves as a Professor and Director of the Jazz Program at Duke University. He conducts the Duke Jazz Ensemble, coaches jazz combos and teaches academic courses and applied bass. He also serves on the faculties at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University where his responsibilities have included teaching applied double bass and electric bass, co-conducting the Jazz Band, conducting the Jazz Lab Band, coaching jazz combos and conducting orchestra sectionals. John is also a contributing writer for McGraw Hill Publishers. In addition to regular performances with the North Carolina Symphony, the Opera Company of North Carolina and the Carolina Ballet, John serves as the music director and conductor for the Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble; a group made up of high school students from different cities in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area. John is currently working on a new project called “Groove Shop” - a funk/R&B influenced band.
Most notably, John is very actively performing with his group, The John Brown Quintet featuring Ray Codrington (trumpet and vocals), Brian Miller (saxophones), Gabriel Evens (piano) and Adonis Rose (drums). The group will release its new recording “Terms of Art: A Tribute to Art Blakey”in the Fall of 2007.
John is also a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Law, where he was elected President of his first year class and was active in the Sports and Entertainment Law Society and the Trial Academy. He was featured in National Jurist Magazine and was selected for Who's Who Among American Law Students for two consecutive years. John plans to continue performing and teaching while working with his law partner and former bass student, Jason Brenner. John officially endorses Acoustic Image amplifiers, AMT microphones and Warwick basses, amplifiers and loudspeakers.
