Cootie Brown (band)
Encyclopedia
Cootie Brown is an American
fusion
band from State College, Pennsylvania
. Their music spans many genres such as jazz
, funk
, reggae
, rock
, and world music
. They have three studio releases to date.
, didjeridoo, percussion
, and vocals
Ryan Alford - guitar
Jacob Haqq-Misra - percussion
and vocals
Jim DeVoss - drums
Matt Fern - guitar
and vocals
Michael Fortunato - saxophone
, flute
, clarinet
, whistle
and vocals
Jordan Thompson - keyboards
and piano
(2007) Breeze Records
Strikes Back!!! (2007) Breeze Records
Out of the Bleu
(2007) Breeze Records
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
fusion
Fusion (music)
A fusion genre is music that combines two or more styles. For example, rock and roll originally developed as a fusion of blues, gospel and country music. The main characteristics of fusion genres are variations in tempo, rhythm, i a sometimes the use of long musical "journeys" that can be divided...
band from State College, Pennsylvania
State College, Pennsylvania
State College is the largest borough in Centre County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Centre County. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 42,034, and roughly double...
. Their music spans many genres such as jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, and world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
. They have three studio releases to date.
History
Originally formed by Brian Eckert (guitar) in 2003, along with Phil Gardner (drums) and Brian Stumpf (bass), the trio wrote a dozen songs and performed locally. The trio disbanded in early 2004 and remained inactive until Eckert moved to bass guitar and reformed the band with all new members. The only tie between the original trio and the new members, other than Eckert, was a song called "Dakota" that Stumpf & Eckert wrote together in 2003. In November 2005, Ryan Alford (guitar) joined Eckert and the two began writing new songs. Jacob Haqq-Misra (percussion) joined in January 2006, Jim DeVoss (drums) in April. The four played locally and kept writing original material throughout the summer of 2006. In August of that year, Matt Fern (guitar) and Michael Fortunato (woodwinds) joined the group. In October, Jordan Thomspon (keys) responded to an ad placed in a local music store, and the group then completed its current lineup.Band members
Brian Eckert - bassBass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, didjeridoo, percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, and vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
Ryan Alford - guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
Jacob Haqq-Misra - percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
and vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
Jim DeVoss - drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Matt Fern - guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
Michael Fortunato - saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
, whistle
Whistle
A whistle or call is a simple aerophone, an instrument which produces sound from a stream of forced air. It may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means...
and vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
Jordan Thompson - keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
and piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
Discography
MeltdownMeltdown (Cootie Brown album)
Meltdown is the debut studio recording, by American fusion band Cootie Brown, released in 2007 on Breeze Records.- Track listing :# Focus # Cootiechasm # Universe # Brutus, Part II # Gravy Groove # Modulator...
(2007) Breeze Records
Strikes Back!!! (2007) Breeze Records
Out of the Bleu
Out of the Bleu (Cootie Brown album)
Out of the Bleu is the third studio recording, by American fusion band Cootie Brown , released in 2007 on Breeze Records.- Track listing :# Soundcheck # Coffey Break # Brutus, Part I # Grind # Dirty Duds...
(2007) Breeze Records