Rick Braun

A contemporary jazz star since the early 90s, trumpeter Rick Braun is known for his warm blend of lyrical, Miles Davis-style improvisation and hooky, R&B-infused grooves. Its a style that has found him working with a bevy of pop and jazz luminaries, including Sade, Dave Koz, and Tina Turner, to name a few. Braun brings all of his varied musical influences to bear on his romantic and finely rendered eponymous 2022 album. Primarily recorded at his home in Los Angeles, the album marks the 30th anniversary of Brauns solo career going back to 1992s Intimate Secrets. This is one of his most organic and stylistically balanced recordings, moving from Sketches of Spain-esque Latin balladry ("Amor de Mi Vida") to soulful club jams ("Da Funk") with a laid-back ease. He also evokes the loungey style of Herb Alpert on the catchy Spanish-infused track "Back to Mallorca" and wraps himself in sparkly orchestral accents on "The Color of Love." Adding flavor are Brauns bandmates here, including guitarist Tony Pulizzi and percussionist Lenny Castro, as well as keyboardists Chris Davis and Carnell Harrell. Throughout all of this, Braun displays his warm improvisational skills, dipping into blues runs and off-setting his lyrical melodies with a discreet, if still impressively eyebrow-raising amount of harmonic sophistication. ~ Matt Collar