Fusion guitarist extraordinaire talks about getting in the groove, a project with sax player Bill Evans and his love of Xotic pedals and guitars
Exclusive video interview with FBPO’s Jon Liebman
May 30, 2017
With a reputation for spirited rhythm guitar work and ecstatic solos, Dean Brown is definitely one of those guy who likes to dive deep into the heart and soul of his playing. He’s not one for sticking to closely to labels either, preferring to explore the ways he can bring together elements of rock, latin, jazz, funk, and fusion in his music.
A professional player since the age of 13, he’s performed and recorded with artists like Billy Cobham, Marcus Miller, The Brecker Brothers, David Sanborn, Bob James, Roberta Flack, Bill Evans, Victor Bailey and Joe Zawinul. Throughout his career he’s appeared on more than 200 albums, including four Grammy-winning recordings.
A member of a military family, he was born in France and lived in Korea for part high school, where he became a pop star playing in a band with other U.S. military service youth. Later he studied music at George Washington University and Berklee College of Music.
His compositions and arrangements have been included on albums by Les McCann, Dennis Chambers, Ricky Peterson, Steve Smith’s Vital Information and Billy Cobham. Brown has also released five solo albums, the latest of which RoLaJaFuFu came out in 2016. He also works as an educator, teaching master classes around the globe and courses at Musicians Institute in Hollywood, California.
FGPO’s Jon Liebman got a chance to speak with Dean at the Winter NAMM show in Anaheim, California.
Watch our interview with Dean!
