Trumpeter Rick Braun to Release Holiday Album “It’s Christmas”

“It’s Christmas”: Contemporary jazz trumpeter Rick Braun opens the holiday season on October 11

The spirited album’s first single, “Deck Those Halls,” goes to radio in November

LOS ANGELES, CA (3 SEPTEMBER 2024): In the cozy confines of his Southern California “backyard” concert venue, contemporary jazz trumpeter Rick Braun played an intimate four-night stand at Spaghettini last Thanksgiving weekend to launch into the Christmas spirit. The holiday cheer experienced at those sold-out shows, and the music he selected, arranged and performed at the concerts have spread from the boutiquey Seal Beach enclave to seed the global release of “It’s Christmas,” a ten-track collection produced by Braun releasing October 11 from Brauntosoarus Music.

Braun worked closely on the arrangements for the Spaghettini setlist with Grammy nominated composer, producer and keyboardist Philippe Saisse, who plays Rhodes and Hammond B3 organ on the album’s first single, “Deck Those Halls,” a bluesy funk frolic that sets the tone for the festivities ahead.

Braun crafted a clever arrangement for “The Coventry Torch Song,” seamlessly blending the English Elizabethan “The Coventry Carol” and the 17th century French “Bring a Torch, Jaenette, Isabella.” In the studio, he layered tracks of his trumpet, flugelhorn and valve trombone, adding John Dickson’s regal French horn to the mélange of culture and beauty.

“I had so much fun doing this arrangement that includes multiple modulations, full orchestration, and even a little piccolo trumpet playing from yours truly. If I had to play someone one track from the project, this would be it. I love the sound of a brass group and orchestra, and I had so much fun exploring the harmonic possibilities of these two well-loved songs. To me, the antiphonal brass ending of this piece is the quintessential sound of Christmas,” said Braun, who will return to Spaghettini for a five-night extended stand this Thanksgiving weekend (November 29-December 2) during which he will showcase special guest stars guitarist Peter White, saxophonist Richard Elliot and pianist Keiko Matsui on different nights.

Braun and Saisse’s sterling arrangement of the classic “The Christmas Song” is poignant and exquisitely decorated by a four-chair string section, David Finck’s supple upright bass, and Joe La Barbera’s gentle drumming. Saisse’s elegant grand piano illumines Braun’s flugelhorn lead.

“Do You Hear The Angels” is a medley of four Christmas chestnuts – “Do You Hear What I Hear?,” “Angels We Have Heard on High,” “Oh Come All Ye Faithful,” and “Deck the Halls” – imaginatively arranged by Braun. Accompanied by bassist Darryl Williams and drummer Gregg Bissonette, Braun forms his own brass section on the track that grew beyond his initial vision.

The mood shifts to steamy and sensual on a mashup of “We Three Kings” and “Good King Wenceslas.” Braun explains, “This track is a sultry, smooth, funky musical journey traveling across a moonlit desert following a beautiful star. All is cool and calm on the journey, thanks to Nate Phillips’ probing bass. This song pairs nicely with a glass of cabernet at the end of Christmas Day.”

During the pandemic, Braun began playing with a group of fellow brass men and wine lovers, calling themselves the Pinot Noir Brass. Together, they released a Christmas album last year, “Pinot Noir Brass Christmas.” The ensemble – Braun (trumpet), Jeff Bunnell (trumpet), Dickson (French horn), Doug Tornquist (tuba), and Nick Lane (trombone) – reunites on “God Rest Ye Merry Gents” deftly arranged by Lane.

For something completely different, Braun croons a finger-popping “White Christmas” in a doo-wop setting accented by a wawa trumpet to add even more character and flair to the track colorfully seasoned with dashes of New Orleans and Gypsy jazz, the latter courtesy of Craig Sharmat’s guitar. Braun derived inspiration from a number of legendary sources on this one.

The title track is the first of two new songs Braun wrote for the album. He sings in storyteller manner with a full and grateful heart recalling Christmases spent with his family. Braun paints the picture.

Whistling through the opening, “Santa Clause is Coming to Town” references the Tim Allen Christmas movie, “The Santa Clause.” While that may make you think it’s a whimsical tune, Braun’s version is a serious straight-ahead jazz number bopping like John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” with elastic acoustic bass work from Luca Allemano.

The “It’s Christmas” album concludes with a second Braun composition, “Christmas Eve Waltz,” on which he duets with himself on flugelhorn and piano while handling all the instrumentation, including the string arrangement.

Thirty years ago, Braun released his first holiday themed set, “Christmas Present.” A dozen years ago, he issued a second Christmas disc, the big band jazz vocal album “Swingin’ In The Snow.” He summarized “It’s Christmas” by saying that the project is “a high spirited, genre-transcendent holiday collection that explores an expansive range of styles.”

An Allentown, PA native who has long been based in the Los Angeles area, Braun spent many years touring and recording with pop-rock royalty, including Rod Stewart, Sade, Tina Turner, Natalie Cole, Tom Petty, Glenn Frey and War. He debuted as a solo artist with 1992’s “Intimate Secrets,” and quickly became a core contemporary jazz artist and a seminal smooth icon. To date, he’s amassed thirty Billboard No. 1 hits as an artist and a producer for other genre giants such as White, David Benoit, Marc Antoine, Jeff Golub and Elliot, the latter with whom Braun formed RnR, spawning a hit-filled album and a powerhouse touring combo. Braun teamed with superstar saxman Boney James for an album of duets, “Shake It Up,” propelled by the fan favorite “Grazin’ in the Grass.”

Braun’s “It’s Christmas” album contains the following songs:

“Deck Those Halls”
“The Coventry Torch Song”
“The Christmas Song”
“Do You Hear The Angels”
“The Good Kings”
“God Rest Ye Merry Gents” featuring the Pinot Noir Brass
“White Christmas”
“It’s Christmas”
“The Santa Clause”
“Christmas Eve Waltz”

For more information, visit https://www.rickbraun.com.

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