Dean Brown’s music defies boundaries to combine Rock, Latin, Jazz, Funk, and Fusion into a joyful, soulful, dynamic and intense groove. He is well known in the global jazz/fusion scene for his powerful virtuosic rhythm guitar work and his passionate melodic soloing. Those who have seen and heard Dean perform are immediately pulled in by the energy he puts into each and every note.
Dean has released his fifth celebrated album after four acclaimed previous solo CD’s worldwide. Brown’s guitar work can be heard on well over 200 recordings which include numerous GRAMMY® nominations and four GRAMMY® Award winners.
Since starting to play professionally with his own group at the age of 13, Dean has toured all over the world with his projects and performed and recorded alongside legendary artists such as: Marcus Miller, The Brecker Brothers, Billy Cobham, David Sanborn, Bob James, George Duke, Roberta Flack, Bill Evans, Randy Brecker, Victor Bailey, Joe Zawinul, Simon Phillips, Lenny White, Chris Minh Doky, Kirk Whalum, and Steve Smith’s Vital Information, just to name a few.
Over the years Brown has been interviewed in Guitar Player Magazine, Guitar World, Jazz Life, Gittare & Bass, Big Box, Muzikus, and Guitarist Magazine along with well known online publications. His performances have also included television appearances on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, The Arsenio Hall Show, After New Year’s Eve With David Sanborn, The Rosie O’Donell Show, BET, Bravo, and many top television and radio shows throughout the world.
He has performed at prestigious music festivals such as Montreux Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Playboy Jazz Festival, Tokyo Jazz Festival, Mt. Fuji Jazz, Java Jazz, Montreal Jazz Festival, Jazz a Vienne, Pori Jazz Festival, Juan le Pins, Malta Jazz Festival, Nice Jazz Festival, and countless others since 1982. Wolf Trap, The Blue Note, Cotton Club, Universal Amphitheater, The Greek Theater, Ravinia, Ronnie Scotts, New Morning, Avery Fisher Hall, Carnegie Hall, and Central Park Stage are just some of the world famous venues he has had the pleasure of playing.
As a writer, Brown has compositions and arrangements featured on albums for Les McCann, Dennis Chambers, Ricky Peterson, Steve Smith’s Vital Information, and Billy Cobham, among others. His performances also include Live DVD’s with Marcus Miller, Billy Cobham, Steve Smith, Louie Belson, Gil Evans, David Sanborn and Friends, and Bob James.
As an educator and clinician Dean Brown has conducted masterclasses at universities, schools and venues around the world. He regularly teaches several popular classes of his own curriculum at Musicians Institute in Hollywood, California since 2006. Dean has had instructional articles in Guitar Player Magazine (US), Guitar World (US), Gittare and Bass (G), Bass Player, Jazz Life (Jp), Big Box (I), Muzikus (Cz), Guitarist (Fr), and 20th Century Guitar (US) magazines. He has also released an instructional/live DVD with publishing giant Hal Leonard titled “Modern Techniques for the Electric Guitarist”(2008).
Dean, along with Runfly Studios, developed and released a fun iPhone/iPad app called ‘Pickup Tunes’. “The idea was to base a game on the ear training techniques that I use in teaching. We developed it to look and feel more like a game than an academic exercise.” says Brown.
In 2001 Brown signed with ESC Records and produced, composed, and played on his all-star debut album “HERE” featuring jazz greats Marcus Miller, David Sanborn, George Duke, Billy Cobham, Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, Christian McBride, Don Alias, Bill Evans, Bernard Wright and many others.
He produced his second studio record, “Groove Warrior” (2004), featuring an all-star lineup with Lalah Hathaway, Marcus Miller, Bernard Wright, JuJu House, Poogie Bell, Schuyler Deale, Booker King, and Patches Stewart.
For Dean’s third solo CD, “DBIII-Live at the Cotton Club Tokyo”(2009) He featured an
all-star power trio with musical greats Dennis Chambers and Will Lee recorded live in the world famous music venue in Tokyo, Japan.
His self produced fourth record “Unfinished Business” (2012) is yet another all-star cast of musicians with Marvin “Smitty” Smith, Kirk Whalum, Dennis Chambers, Jimmy Earl, Gerry Etkins and Hadrien Feraud among others.
And Dean’s fifth solo album, “ROLAJAFUFU”, was released in April of 2016 and he is currently touring in Europe, Japan, and the U.S. with his band in support of his newest recording
