The Magic of Moonlight Brian Bromberg

• 1 The Magic of Moonlight 06:39
• 2 Nico’s Groove 06:57
• 3 A New Dawn 03:40
• 4 So, You Think You’re All That? 05:44
• 5 Just Another Beautiful Day 06:53
• 6 Last Day of Summer 06:02
• 7 The Third Child 05:39
• 8 The Orient Express 06:48
• 9 Bedtime Story 05:20
• 10 The Pink Moment 05:49
• 11 In the Hands of God 07:38
• Total Runtime 01:07:09

Info for The Magic of Moonlight

Guided by the music, Brian Bromberg crafts a spirited new set of contemporary jazz tunes that foreground vibe and soulfulness rather than aggressive virtuosity. The Magic of Moonlight is an apt title for this evocative piece of work which is deeply imbued with the shadow-cloaked mystery and twilight romance of an evening under the full moon.

The Magic of Moonlight is both an evocative and an apt title for this latest outing; as opposed to its predecessor, the freewheeling, open-road feel of A Little Driving Music, Bromberg’s latest album is deeply imbued with the shadow-cloaked mystery and twilight romance of an evening under the full moon. The feeling is also captured on the Magic Hour wonder of “The Pink Moment,” the nickname for the multi-hued sunset on the Topatopa Mountains near Bromberg’s home outside Ojai, California.

“There's a little bit of mystique in the moonlight,” Bromberg muses. “This album has some mysterious vibes and spirituality along with the feel-good, positive energy, so the name just seemed to fit.”

Originally from Tucson, Arizona, Bromberg started out on the drums before switching to the bass at the behest of his junior high school band director – though that driving, rhythmic foundation has remained a core component of Bromberg’s sound. With the help of bass great Marc Johnson, then touring as a member of the Bill Evans Trio, Bromberg landed a gig with the legendary saxophonist Stan Getz in late 1979, when he was just 19 years old.

Bromberg has hardly stopped for a moment’s breath since then. In the ensuing decades he’s performed, recorded or toured with a stunning roster of artists across a spectrum of genres. While it might be easier to list the names that he hasn’t played with, a partial list of collaborators will have to suffice: Joshua Redman, Roy Hargrove, Sarah Vaughan, Bob James, George Benson, Lionel Hampton, Chris Botti, Najee, Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera, Diana Krall, Dizzy Gillespie, Josh Groban, Mike Stern, Dave Koz, Sting, Michael Brecker, Stanley Clarke, Stanley Jordan – even Jerry Lewis. And that’s just scratching the surface.

1986’s A New Day launched Bromberg’s solo career, while his follow-up, Basses Loaded, cemented his place in the front ranks of bass innovators. In the years to follow he released a series of acoustic jazz projects alternating with more electric contemporary outings. He recorded tributes to Jaco Pastorius, Jimi Hendrix and Antonio Carlos Jobim and fronted a full orchestra. Throughout he’s captivated audiences and fellow musicians with his staggering agility on an array of basses: four- and five-string axes, hollowbody electric, acoustic, and the piccolo bass, on which his shredding solos rival the speed and versatility of any electric guitar wizard.

Brian Bromberg

Brian Bromberg
was born in Tucson Arizona. He grew up in a family of musicians and artists. His father and brother played the drums. With all that music around the house and drums all over the place, it was natural for Brian to start playing the drums as well. Brian was two and a half years old, beating up the furniture and banging on anything that didn't move.

After some years of playing and practicing, Brian began his professional career as a drummer at the age of thirteen. In elementary and Jr.high School, Brian also played the cello. That was one instrument that Brian did not feel very comfortable playing. One day in orchestra class at jr. high, the orchestra director came over to Brian and said, hey Brian, you see that big bass over there in the corner? You know that nobody is playing it. Don't you want to play that big cool bass over there? You see, the orchestra director had a plan. He thought that having one bad bass player was better than not having one at all. That was his way of getting Brian to stop trying to saw his cello in half!

That day was a blessing in disguise. Brian didn't realize that he had the gift for melody as well as rhythm. With his drumming background and all this new melody available to him from the bass, Brian knew that this was going to be his path.

From ages fourteen to eighteen, Brian locked himself up in a room and practiced day and night. While Brian was a junior in High School he was already taking many music classes at the University Of Arizona. At the U of A Brian played in the Lab Band, orchestra, and jazz combos. All that led him to test out of high school early and devote all his time to the music. For the next few years, Brian played every type of gig imaginable. Quite often Brian would play five to seven nights a week with several different bands.

Brian's first big break came in 1979 when Marc Johnson, the wonderful bassist with the great jazz pianist Bill Evans, heard Brian play while on the road in Tucson. Several months later while on tour, Marc ran into legendary jazz saxophonist Stan Getz. Stan was looking for a new bass player and asked Marc if he knew any new young players. Marc told Stan about Brian. Brian auditioned for Stan and joined the Stan Getz quintet in December of 1979. Brian had just turned 19 and spent nearly a year touring the world with Stan and his band.

This album contains no booklet.