Brian Culbertson DRIVE. ARTISTRY. VISION.

By Ken Capobianco

Smooth jazz and R&B star Brian Culbertson isn’t one to sit still. The multi-instrumentalist/composer/ producer has been wildly prolific and ambitious over the course of his three-decade-plus career.

In 2021, he released a trilogy of albums, Red, Blue and White, which explore the spectrum of human emotions. They make up the foundation for his upcoming extended tour that runs through next spring.

Over the past decade, the Chicago-area native and resident has grown beyond his recording and touring endeavors. Culbertson became a promoter and created his popular Jazz Getaways, which originated in Napa Valley, California, and branched out to Chicago and New Orleans.

Culbertson the communicator. Understanding the immense power of social media, he wisely continues his thrice-weekly livestream, “The Hang,” which was born during the pandemic to entertain fans and provide a peek behind the curtain of his creative process.

If all of this wasn’t enough, Culbertson has become a painter of abstract music-oriented art, which he sells on his website. And now, he has started a wine club for his fans.

The great keyboardist is obviously extremely determined to maximize his potential while working hard to widen the scope of his career. He feels his nonstop motor and drive to excel are in his DNA.

“There’s an internal drive that keeps me going and motivated,” the 50-year-old musician said recently via phone from his vacation home in Wisconsin. “I always wanted to do the best possible at what I am doing. To do all the things I want to do, there are always two barriers—time and money—so my philosophy is always do the best.

“So, if I can push to do the best within those parameters, I will. I’m never settling, and if I can spend one more day or a few more dollars in order to get better, I will without hesitation. I’m just striving to do my best in whatever thing I undertake and not be afraid to try new things. I guess it’s just part of who I am.”

Of course, the main reason Culbertson has such a large and passionate fan base is his vibrant music blending jazz, R&B and funk. Since his first album, Long Night Out, in 1994, he has expanded his musical reach and explored different aspects of his artistry.

Culbertson the composer. This has never been truer than in his three-color trilogy, which subtly evokes the many different moods of love and life. Red explores passion, Blue casts a melancholy spell, and White offers hope. Though very different than the luminous “Three Colours” film trilogy of the late PolishFrench director Krzysztof Kieslowski, Culbertson’s opus is just as ambitious and emotionally honest.

The musician didn’t intend to release three albums in one year— unheard of these days—but the projects evolved organically, and he found himself with numerous songs that adhered to coherent themes.

“I had no idea I was making three records,” he said. “It just started with writing new songs while I was streaming live on ‘The Hang.’ which celebrated its 10th anniversary in June. The Chicago offspring is set for Sept. 14-17, and the New Orleans iteration will take place in March 2024.

“I was doing an odd little tutorial on how I write songs—pull back the curtain—and show people how I write and make records, and, all of a sudden, I realized I had almost 30 songs.

The yearly events are something Culbertson is proud of and works very hard at planning and executing. Reaching a 10-year anniversary

“I, and everyone watching each week, noticed that they all fell into these different vibes. Sonically, they may have sounded similar, but emotionally they were different—if that makes sense.

“Each song went in a direction. ‘Feel the Love’ and ‘Eyes Closed’ were clearly red, and ‘A Love Lost’ was obviously blue, and on and on. So, it was easy to figure out what went where. The more songs I wrote, I knew I wasn’t writing one record but three.”

Putting out so much music in such a short span of time was common back in the heydays of Stevie Wonder and Elton John, but in 2023, the concept is frowned upon by music insiders afraid to saturate the market.

Culbertson scoffed at such a notion. “These days hardcore fans always want more. It’s like, ‘What do you have now? What’s new this week?’ It’s a different model than waiting 10 years between records like Sade. She’s obviously in her own echelon, but for artists like myself, the more the merrier, so you keep doing it while maintaining the quality.”

Culbertson the showman. Once the esteemed entertainer completes his Chicago Jazz Getaway in September, he will be on the road for the rest of this year and into spring of 2024 with The Trilogy Tour, which he intends to turn into a film. He promises that it will be a spectacle mixing his patented thrilling funky jazz and the moodier new music with emotional gravitas.

“The show will feature half the color trilogy and half will be favorites, which fans always want to hear,” he said. “There will be no saxophone on the tour because there’s no sax on the color trilogy.

“All the new music has a look and a feel and a vibe that’s stunning. I spent two weeks with our lighting director to program different looks and feels for each song. We want to take people on a journey with each song, so every one transports people visually and musically to a new place. It really is special.”

Culbertson the promoter. One of Culbertson’s biggest and most time-consuming projects is his Napa Valley Jazz Getaway, continued on page 22 continued from page 21 or it would be mayhem. It’s an adult, luxury festival, if you want to call it something, and will remain that.”

The Chicago event reflects the urban environment and musical vibe of the Windy City. “I’m very hands-on with Chicago, where I’m from—both my wife and I,” he said. “This September will be our fifth year. It’s a completely different vibe. People stay right downtown off Michigan Avenue, so it’s great fun.”

He added that he created the New Orleans event out of necessity and a desire to play in the cradle of jazz.

“To be honest, I kept trying to get a gig in New Orleans. I wanted to play the jazz fest or a theater gig, and nothing was doing.

“I realized no one else in our genre was playing there either, so I knew that maybe there’s a hole for this kind of music in New Orleans. There’s plenty of straightahead and heritage jazz, which you would expect, but this kind of contemporary smooth jazz, or whatever you want to call it, is not being represented.”

He paused momentarily, seemingly contemplating the idea of playing New Orleans. “I love New Orleans so much and thought let’s bring our music there. The response has been incredible. We’re almost sold out, and it’s nearly a year away. It’s crazy.”

Culbertson the painter. The pandemic helped many people find new ways to channel their creativity, and Culbertson found himself picking up a paintbrush and channeling his inner Basquiat. He started painting bold, expressive works based on musical ideas (he has a gallery of works on his website brianculbertson.com).

“I always wanted to be a painter,” he reflected. “I have a painting app on my iPad and was playing around with ideas and came up with this concept of doing musical artwork that was more, say, graffitiesque looking, but everything is in musical notations.

“To me, all the musical artwork out there is just a little cheesy. That might just be my impression, but that’s how I feel. It’s pretty and nice but nothing more. I wanted to throw in bold colors and use slash marks—slash marks are notations for keeping time and moving forward. Or I use chord changes. In the beginning, I did a lot. I did 50 paintings quickly, but I’ve slowed down since I started touring.”