Mobettabrown's T.B.A. w/ DJ Logic

I'm really excited for T.B.A.'s Manhattan debut!! T.B.A. is my newest project. We are on a mission is to create spontaneous improvisations over deeply soulful grooves. This means that every song we play is created on the spot!

Another cool thing about this group is that we are very unpredictable. T.B.A. weaves in and out of different genres seamlessly, playing rememberable melodies that you will go home singing. Dj Logic will be on the one's & two's adding his special ingredients into the mix. We will be rockin' the Metropolitan Room, Thursday September 16th at 7:00 -8:30pm. See y'all there!

Chicago Tribune -CD Review - The Cycle of Love

Maurice Brown's latest

Former Chicago trumpeter Maurice Brown makes a significant artistic leap forward in his sophomore CD, "The Cycle of Love" (Brown Records). Though Brown's liner notes offer a detailed description of the narrative arc behind the music, these 10 tunes ultimately require no back story. Many of the cuts, such as "Fly By Night" and "Merry Go Round," show Brown's gifts for crafting indelible melodic hooks. But others, such as "Misunderstood" and the title cut, bristle with extended passages of rigorous, sinewy improvisation. Even so, a pervasive lyricism drives most of Brown's work on trumpet, with comparably fervent playing from tenor saxophonist Derek Douget. Essentially, Brown and his quintet have found the place where jazz, soul and pop converge, shortchanging none of these languages but drawing eloquently from each of them.

hreich@tribune.com

JAZZTIMES - CD REVIEW - MAURICE BROWN The Cycle of Love (Brown)

Six years after the release of his promising debut CD, Hip to Bop, 29-year-old trumpeter Maurice Brown returns with a solid sophomore outing. A crossover disc in the best sense of the word, The Cycle of Love contains 10 simply stated, deeply soulful original tunes that touch back to ‘70s R&B while taking the pulse of today’s streets. The catchy pop-songs hooks and hip-hop-inflected beats seem to call out for lyrics, either written or freestyle, but left as instrumentals their subtleties are allowed to shine.

Brown’s quintet has a glorious ensemble sound. Drummer Joe Blaxx is always on the move: His complex, off-center rhythms have layers of cymbals and staccato beat dropping reminiscent of drum machines, while Solomon Dorsey’s casually bent bass tones soften the groove. They merge seamlessly with pianist Chris Rob, whose lush cascades and sparkling jumps provide elegance and dynamism to the rich, compelling atmospheres of the slow-jam title track, the hard-edged “Misunderstood” and the mechanized bounce of “Time Tick Tock”

Up front, Brown makes every note count. He’s not given to pyrotechnics, but his meaty tone packs a wallop once he gets heated up, jabbing repeatedly at a single note or phrase, then hopscotching forward. Saxophonist Derek Douget offers a pleasing contrast to Brown’s muscularity. His breathy, weaving lines trend to recede in the uptempo numbers, but sound oh-so-cool at slower tempos.

A disk that grows mmore dear with repeat listens, The Cycle of Love is one of the better releases in the current”back to soul” movement. Fans of recent releases by Nicholas Payton, Roy Hargrove, or Corey Wilkes will find an easy and rewarding connection to this highly appealing music.

-FORREST DYLAN BRYANT