BRIAN CULBERTSON
Brian Culbertson’s ‘Dreams’ come true.
That’s not only the name of his latest 10
selection CD on Verve, it’s also, literally, how he lives his life.
At an early age Culbertson, now 40, dreamed
of becoming a musician, so he made it happen.
The result? Culbertson, who released his
first record, ‘Long Night Out,’ on Mesa/Blue Moon Records in 1994, is now one
of the most popular smooth jazz artists working today. His CDs are popular and his
tours are well received and attended. Culbertson, the son of jazz band
director Jim Culbertson, is a consistent chart-topper with a catalogue that
spans 13 solo albums along with hits that he wrote and produced for other
marquee artists.
A contemporary jazz/R&B/funk musician,
instrumentalist, producer and performer from Decatur, Illinois, Culbertson, who
has been married to his wife, Michelle, for 15 years, plays the keyboard,
piano, trombone, drums, bass, trumpet, euphonium and percussion.
And, now for the second year he is
producing and hosting the Napa Valley Jazz Getaway (June 5-9).
The Napa Valley Jazz Getaway (www.napavalleyjazzgetaway2013.com)
is an interactive lifestyle
experience at which fans can share their passion for wine and jazz with the
musicians while dining, during wine receptions and tastings, at autograph
sessions, at a golf tournament at Silverado Resort & Spa, and at casual
post-concert hangs at the Westin Verasa Napa. Prior to the June 8th
concert, a silent auction and wine reception will be held in support of music
education to benefit The GRAMMY Foundation at which many of the winery partners
will provide complimentary pourings.
More than 1,200 festival goers from all over the nation are
expected to flock to California wine country for concerts at the Napa Valley
Opera House and Lincoln Theater while more intimate shows will be held at
several wineries including Silver Oak and Chimney Rock. VIPs will be treated to
a solo piano performance by Culbertson staged in the wine cave at Miner Family
Winery, which was one of the most buzzed about shows at last year’s inaugural
event.
Culbertson is the founder and artistic director of the
lifestyle event, but he enlisted some of his friends to help him out. The lineup includes: Grammy winners
Take 6, Ray Parker Jr., Norman Brown and Kirk Whalum united with Rick Braun as
BWB, funksters Larry Graham & Graham Central Station, saxophonists Eric
Darius and Michael Lington, guitarist Nick Colionne, R&B vocalist Selina
Albright, keyboardist Cecil Ramirez, party band DW3 and special guest comedian
Sinbad.
I recently caught up with Culbertson to
talk about all the exciting things happening in his life.
After talking to him, it’s quite evident
he is cool with the hang.
DD: What’s your criteria for deciding
which jazz festivals you’ll play?
BC: It’s not always up to us. It’s up to
festival organizers. There are many factors. How much are they offering? Who
else is playing? You can’t do all of them in the same city. They have radius
clauses. You can do one main festival in Los Angeles. I’m doing Jazz Fest West in July.
DD: Lets talk about the Napa Valley Jazz
Getaway.
BC: I’m actually the organizer for that
show. I’m excited about this year. It’s my second year. We are building. Last
year was fantastic. People had a great time. We are four times bigger this year
than last year. The demand was so high that we sold out four months in advance.
We’re close to selling out this year. People are connecting with this idea.
It’s a vacation destination.
DD: Why did you want to produce this
show?
BC: I wanted to create one that was
unique and different and that’s what I did. A typical jazz fest goes something
like this - You show up, there are 10,000 people sitting outside, nine acts come
on, they play and then they leave. Mine is not like that whatsoever. Ours is an
intimate show in theaters each night. Everyday we have an outdoor party then go
to a winery and play in a wine cave. We hang out at night with artists and
fans. Friday we play golf. We also have a cigar event at a port winery. It’s
just all these different, interesting things. Everybody that comes gets an
access card – a two for one tasting.
Come and do some wine tasting. There’s food, wine and golf. We’re doing
it Napa lifestyle. It’s not a jazz festival, it’s a lifestyle event. It’s
completely unique. No one else is doing anything like it.
DD: Why did you
choose these particular artists to participate in the jazz festival or life event?
BC: I wanted to pick people I’ve worked with a lot who were
friends of mine. People who I knew would bring a great show. They are cool with
the hang. It’s not about going on stage and leaving. Some of them will be there for five days. Larry Graham – his
show is out of control. I had this idea to call Friday night, ‘Funk Night At
The Festival.’ Larry and I work together in bringing back the funk record. He’s the Jimi Hendrix of the bass. Sinbad is also in. I knew they were all
friends. I wanted to create these synergies.
BRIAN CULBERTSON
DD: Lets talk about your CD ‘Dreams’.
BC: What I like is it has a consistent vibe from top to
bottom. You are instantly in a mood and a groove. It will take you away. The
power of music is so cool. It transports you. I like conceptual albums.
DD: How do you work?
BC: I will sit down and know the concept. I will start messing
with a groove or some chords. I will improvise and put the song together with
no melody. I’ll put down some drums and strings and arrange the whole song. Then
I’ll pull up a piano and mess around over this music bed I’ve created. Then I put
my melodies over the top of the finished grooves.
DD: Who is your audience?
BC: The core jazz fans from all over the country and some
internationally. I’m expecting a great
mix of people. If you’re sophisticated, into jazz, wine and good food you will appreciate
these kinds of events.
DD: Describe your music.
BC: It’s a mix of jazz, R&B, pop, gospel, funk and its even
a twinge of New Age. It’s my music. I’ve carved out a unique sound. Hopefully,
when you hear a song of mine you know it’s me. On my instrumental songs you can
take the piano off, add a vocal and it’s an R&B song.
DD: Are the best musicians born or taught?
BC: It’s a combination. You’re born with some inherent
talents and a drive. I felt that from an early age. Still I needed to study. To
master an instrument you need lots and lots of practice.
DD: What’s in your CD player?
BC: I must admit I listen to a lot of classic jazz like Miles
[Davis] and Coletrane. I also listen to Herbie [Hancock] and that kind of
stuff. Then I’ll listen to a lot of contemporary pop/rock like Coldplay and
John Mayer. Then, I also like Erik Satie. I have to be in a certain mood. In my car I listen to XM
radio. I listen to the Heat. I like Rhianna, Beyonce, Tre Songz. I listen to
everything.
DD: Do you have other goals outside of music?
BC: I’m never going to stop making my records. I can’t. I
will always continue to do that. I
love it too much.
In a way I think expanding into producing like this Napa
live event is definitely a departure for me. That’s a different brain right
there. I did the website and the artwork. I’m 100% involved. I picked out the
t-shirt designs and the glasses that have our logo etched.
DD: Did you ever have a Plan B?
BC: No. Nothing. I knew I wanted to be a musician in high
school. Didn’t know I wanted to be a recording artist until my sophomore year
in college. I did want to be a producer and songwriter. At that point I was
like I’ll be a producer. I thought about doing film scores. I did jingles for
several years while in Chicago.
DD: Which jingles?
BC: I did United Airlines in the 90s. Remember the Rhapsody
in Blue? It was a new arrangement of that Gershwin piece. We did spots for
Gator Aid, Sears and McDonalds. I
was 21. I did it for five years.
DD: You’re on the road quite a bit. What are your feelings
about touring? Most of my touring is more in and out. The most I’ll do is a
month straight.
BRIAN CULBERTSON
Photo By Daniel Ray
DD: Well, that sounds sexy.
BC: It can be a sexy process if it’s flowing. If I’m in here
trying to do something and it’s not working, it can get frustrating. I’ll have
a block here and there. When I do, I’m going to lunch or have a drink. I don’t
want to belabor the point when it’s not working.
DD: How do you know when you’ve got it?
BC: That’s a good question. It has to be something that’s
catchy, something you can sing along with. I like melodies that are simple, but
not too simple. People can catch on especially the hook, the main part. I’ll
keep tweaking. At some point I say, ‘That’s it. Don’t touch. I don’t know, but I know.
DD: Do you kick it around with others?
BC: I write by myself. I put the track on loop so it plays
over and over and over. I’ll literally play piano over it. I’ll just improvise
over the top of it by myself, sometimes with the lights down low.
DD: What are your feelings about pure jazz vs. smooth jazz?
BC: It’s just a label. What is it to you? Some of it is
smooth sounding. Are you going to say my hard funk song is smooth jazz? It’s
not really jazz either. Some of it is and some of it isn’t. People always want
to label. I don’t know. It’s R&B, fun, instrumental music. It takes too
long to say.
DD: Sounds like you don’t let it bother you.
BC: I don’t really care. Some people think smooth jazz is
crappy elevator music. I don’t think they’ve heard all there is out there.
Yeah, there is crappy music in the genre. There is crappy music in all genres. Give smooth jazz a fair shot.
