“Kool” jazz from George Brown discussed with Hanh Brown

In recent years, Goldmine has spoken with bassist Robert “Kool” Bell and drummer and keyboardist George Brown about the latest pair of Kool & the Gang albums. In November 2023, George Brown passed away, and last year, Goldmine spoke with his widow Hanh Brown about George’s first posthumous solo album, the smooth R&B Where I’m Coming From including the powerful single “What If.”

Now, a second posthumous album for George Brown has arrived, an eleven song jazz collection in time for Jazz Appreciaton Month, Jazz in Paris. Hanh Brown has returned to Goldmine to speak about a half dozen songs from the new album, George’s love of Miles Davis, and the new music publishing company Magnetic Music Works, which she has co-founded with Claude Ismael.

GEORGE BROWN

Jazz in Paris

Astana Music/Magnetic Music Works (vinyl, CD and digital)

The album’s title is dedicated to a city where Kool & the Gang has achieved much success. Hanh Brown shared with Goldmine, “George took me to Paris when our first son, Jordan, was eighteen months old. It was my first time. I flew over after he was already there. He said, ‘I am going to show you the Eiffel Tower.’ I was so excited. As a young kid I watched all these movies about going up the Eiffel Tower and now my dream was going to be fulfilled. We got there and I was looking forward to going up and overlooking the city. He said, ‘Here’s the Eiffel Tower, now let’s go to the Louvre.’ I asked, ‘We aren’t going to go up?’ He said, ‘The line is too long.’ George was never one to wait in lines, me either, but I was willing to do that for the Eiffel Tower, which is shown on the back of the new CD artwork. France is beautiful, as is so much of Europe.”

The album opens with “Lisa,” featuring Louis Taylor on sax and Andrea Lisa on guitar. Hanh revealed, “Lisa was the daughter of his dear friend, who was a music manager. Lisa has passed on and he wrote the song and dedicated it to her.”

“What I Love About You” features a wonderfully clear vocal from Jane Eugene. Hanh confessed, “George would probably say that this song is dedicated to me because he would always tell me, ‘That’s what I love about you, Hanh.’ George was a storyteller, painting his life and telling it to you through his music.”

Kool & the Gang’s musical director Curtis Williams provides a very nice string arrangement on the song “Juliette,” with a movie soundtrack essence. Hanh stated, “‘Juliette’ is dedicated to Miles Davis’ wife. My business partner, Claude Ismael, who was also George’s business partner, is working on a film about Miles.”

The dedication continues with “MDD,” a tribute to Miles Dewey Davis with a nice build and trumpet/sax blend. Hanh said, “George loved Miles Davis and played with Miles when George was in his teens.”

In late July 1975, while Kool & the Gang’s double-sided hit “Spirit of the Boogie” and “Summer Madness” spent its final week in the Top 100, Van McCoy’s disco hit “The Hustle” reached No. 1. The new album has “Addicted to The Hustle,” recalling ‘70s dance fun with Kool & the Gang-like brass. Hanh recalled, “George went back to his roots on this song and throughout the album, with jazz being played in his house when he was growing up, which he wrote about in his 2023 autobiography Too Hot. The title of the song is so fitting because George hustled throughout his career since he was in his teens.”

The flute of Curtis Williams, Kool & the Gang’s musical director, adds a nice touch to the catchy “West End Avenue.” Hanh expressed, “Curtis is a multi-instrumentalist and the way he plays is so soulful. Kool & the Gang members play from their hearts and souls to deliver their music to the audience. You can feel that amazing vibration.”

Live performances of songs from the new album are planned. Hanh concluded, “We are showcasing the George Brown Jazz Ensemble on April 24 at the Sun Rose on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, California. This will be the first live performance for the group. The ensemble for this show will be comprised of nine seasoned musicians including Curtis Williams, Louis Taylor, and Andrea Lisa. Our promise to George is to make his dream and vision come alive. The musicians play their hearts out. We are honored to have George’s music as part of Magnetic Music Works, a publishing company that Claude and I recently founded. George had Astana Music for album releases. I wanted to establish something else on our own, too. We started with four acts: George Brown, Curtis Williams, RX, and Aaron Brown, with more music coming out soon.”

Related Links:

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Goldmine 2023 George Brown interview

Goldmine 2024 Hanh Brown interview

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