Rick Braun

RICK around-the-world experiences BRAUN By Ken Capobianco Rick Braun has been among the most accomplished and popular smooth jazz artists for nearly three decades, garnering numerous No. 1 radio hits and international stardom thanks to his 19 solo records, production work and vibrant live performances. With his latest album, simply titled Rick Braun, the trumpeter has hit the reset button on his creative career— it’s his initial independent release and first solo album of all original material. In the liner notes to the record, he calls this a new chapter in his musical life.

Photo: Raj Naik

The Los Angeles resident said recently via phone that the pandemic gave him an opportunity to reflect on his work and he decided to turn the page. “I kind of worked on this in a vacuum, and I felt this was more of my project or my baby, so to speak, than any project I’ve done in recent history. It’s the first smooth jazz record that’s out on my own label [Brauntosaurus Records], and I did a lion’s share of the writing on this project, so it felt like a natural progression to self-title it—something special and a new start.” He paused and laughed, “Or maybe I’m going through a midlife crisis— a musical one. It’s cheaper to do this than get a divorce and buy a Porsche,” Braun, who is happily married to his wife of 25 years, Christiane, joked. Interestingly, Braun’s last album in 2019 was titled Crossroads, perhaps a bit of foreshadowing, but the musicianproducer, who started his career as a go-to sideman for some of the biggest names in pop, said the lockdown allowed him time to ponder things beyond making music. “Everyone has had time to reflect on our lives, and I certainly did. There’s a lot of gratitude still that I get to do this for a living. Not a lot of people are able to continue to do this at this level. I look back to the days when I was touring with Rod Stewart, and I was a sideman for so many people—Joe Cocker, Glenn Frey, Sade—and somehow life saw fit to reward me with the opportunity to make my own music and have that freedom. It was important for me to recognize that.” The new record, which has no appearances from Braun’s many popular smooth jazz peers, is an intimate affair recorded at his home studio with a core group of musicians, including keyboardist Greg Phillinganes, guitarist Tony Pulizzi, and percussionist Sergio Gonzalez, among others. It draws heavily on different musical influences from around the world, ranging from Latin fusion and balladry to Middle-Eastern and Mediterranean sources (“Back to Mallorca,” “Amor Di Vida [Love of My Life],” “Turkish,” “First Feet”). He claimed he is often inspired by the sounds of different countries and cultures he’s visited around the world on private travels or on cruises and at festivals.

Photo: Raj Naik “We’re all a product of our life experiences, and I’ve had the opportunity to travel to so many spots in the world—South America, Spain, Mexico, Turkey and beyond—so they are bound to influence you. I’ve also always loved Latin and Mediterranean music. That exotic, romantic vibe has always drawn me in. Sometimes I just can’t help it. I start out thinking I’m going to make a certain record, and then I’m inspired by Latin or Mediterranean or R&B, and the music goes in another direction.” The album has a very lush feel thanks to Braun’s incorporation of a 10-piece live string section (arranged and conducted by Nick Lane) on five songs. “When I was in my COVID cocoon and in pre-production, I’d be thinking a lot about strings and what would help bump the songs up to the next level,” said Braun. “To be honest, real strings add an emotionality you just can’t get with synthesizers. They just take the music to places you can’t re-create. I was amazed at the string section Kathleen Robertson put together for me—they were some of Los Angeles’ top studio musicians, and I was so happy with how the songs turned out.” Over the past few years, Braun has branched out to more entrepreneurial endeavors with Rick Braun Signature Events that include hosting a New Year’s Eve Getaway and European River Cruise Getaways. These types of interactive travel ventures have become a staple on the smooth jazz circuit––most prominently hosted by Dave Koz and Brian Culbertson. Braun said he finds these ventures to be extremely rewarding, and he does everything to maximize the patrons’ experiences. “All of these events came about because of my partnership with Sandy Riser, my partner in Rick Braun Signature Events—I love doing them. “It’s wonderful to see how much it cheers people up, and how we are creating memories people are going to carry with them their whole lives. To get to go out on the Rhine River or the Rhone River in France, as we are doing this summer, is terrific. The memories I have from all those trips are things I get to relive over and over again. I’m sure people who travel with us feel the same.” He added that this past New Year’s Eve Getaway in Tucson, Arizona, was especially poignant, coming just before the larger omicron surge that threatened numerous concerts and events. “This past year we were going to get it done, and we did. It was masks and vaccines required, and thank God, we got through it

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continued from page 21 without anyone getting sick—we had 800 people there. It was so emotional for everyone to see each other again.” The pandemic downtime also allowed Braun, who is on the road for a good portion of each year, to dedicate more time to his and Christiane’s children, Kyle, 20, and Emma, 22. Kyle is now a freshman at Marshall University in West Virginia, where he plays basketball with the hopes of making the NBA or playing internationally and making basketball his career (he majors in international business).

“I really got time to spend with my son, who had a particularly bad time because he was a senior in high school during the shutdown,” Braun said. “Fortunately, he got to finish his season as a basketball player. He was all-state and all-city in Division 3 level. Had he had a normal year, I wouldn’t have been able to have that kind of time—he would have been out partying and hanging out, but he was home.” Braun explained that his son was an integral contributor to the popular pandemic-era musical livestreams from their home, Rick’s Café Live. The performances became a lifeline for many smooth jazz fans who were craving a semblance of live music. “Kyle did all the camera shots, all the camera editing for those—he has such a wonderful musical instinct. He didn’t miss a shot moving from piano solo to guitar solo. A lot of nonmusical people wouldn’t get that. He also did all of the graphic art and advertisements. I was so proud of him.”

Braun also spent more time with Emma, who is autistic. “That was very important, and she was happy to be involved in Rick’s Café Live, which really was a family affair,” he said. “Emma was making passes for each show—she’d hand-draw them and dance each time. She loved it. I was able to spend a lot of quality time with her. The pandemic definitely helped bring the family together, and Rick’s Café Live was a big part of that because it was all-handson-deck with everyone supporting each other.” Braun said that the kind of life lessons he imparts to his children often overlap with the advice he would give young musicians trying to make music a career. “I always refer back to a songwriting class I took with Buddy Kaye, who wrote a bunch of songs for Elvis and others when I first moved to LA. He got up in front of the class and wrote, ‘The world is full of unfulfilled genius. There’s no substitute for hard work.’ “I’ve carried that with me throughout my life. I’ve always considered myself as a blue-collar musician. I used to practice my horn until I couldn’t play anymore. Just work as hard as you can, and good things will happen.” Despite his sustained success, Braun, like every musician, has had his share of trying times, but he believes there are a few constants that helped him persevere and follow his dreams. “The simple joy of making music and getting better often gets me through. The process of creating and playing my horn was the energy that helped me go on. “And I have to say, I have a wonderful wife, who has been supportive and allowed me the opportunity to do what I do. She’s at the top of my list, but my kids, of course, and all the musicians I work with have helped me through the highs and lows in life and the industry. They are so important. You have to be surrounded by good people. They are the support system you need, and things will work out.” For more information on Braun and his Signature Events, visit www.rickbraun.com.

Aboard Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas Amsterdam & The British Isles www.davekozcruise.com

Central Florida Fairgrounds Orlando, Florida https://orlandomusicfestival.org/

Aboard AmaWaterways AmaCello Sailing between Lyon and Arles, France www.rickbraun.com/river-cruises-2022

Vince J. Whibbs Sr. Community Maritime Park Pensacola, Florida www.gulfcoastsummerfestjazzedition.com

AmaWaterways AmaCello

Thornton Winery Temecula, California www.thorntonwine.com