ASCAP Playback Magazine
Radar Report
By Jon Bahr

In Order to Be Hip, You Must Bop

At just 23 years old, Maurice Brown has quickly made a name for himself in Chicago, New Orleans and beyond. Growing up in Chicago, Brown began playing the trumpet and started to take music seriously when Wynton Marsalis singled him out at an eighth grade workshop. Wynton told him he had 'it' and he should "never stop playing." Brown, in turn, started practicing as much as possible - up to 16 hours a day! In his teenage years, he won NARAS' all state high school talent competition, which resulted in a performance with the National Grammy Band. Brown later went on to Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA to study with clarinetist Alvin Batiste.

A move to New Orleans allowed Brown to progress to the next level. In addition to gigs as a sideman working with Ramsey Lewis, Ellis Marsalis and Jeff "Tain" Watts, Brown leads a quintet, which recently released an inspired danceable modern jazz album called Hip to Bop. He also heads a hip-hop/funk band called Soul'd U Out. Every Tuesday, Brown's quintet plays at New Orleans premiere jazz club Snug Harbor, which is no small feat considering that the only names that appear weekly at the club are Marsalis and Neville. Last year, Brown received an ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composer Award and was selected to perform his winning piece at the ASCAP Jazz Wall of Fame reception ceremony.

Maurice Brown recently spoke with Playback about bop, the Big Easy and writing music.

Tell me a little bit about your songwriting process.

I try to stay true to the melody in everything that I do. When I hear something, I'll stop and write it down. If I'm not in a position where I can write it down, I'll call my voicemail and leave the melody there. I don't sit down and try to compose tunes. I just let them come to me from inspiration. A lot of the tunes on the record, I wrote for the players that are in my quintet - to showcase their strong points and to cover up their weaknesses.

How much has New Orleans rubbed off on you in comparison to Chicago?

About even in my head because they both have qualities that rub off on me in both culture and environment. The Chicago sound is more avant-garde jazz, but also more straight-ahead. New Orleans has more traditional jazz with a brass band kind of feel. With the combination of those two, you can't really go wrong.
Brown with Ellis Marsalis at New Orleans Jazz Fest 2004

Your album is called Hip to Bop. Does the title reflect this album or more so your music in general?

I think the title reflects both the CD and my music in general. We're talking about hip-hop and bebop. When I say hip-hop, I'm not necessarily talking about rap. We have a little motto that we go by: In order to be hip, you must bop. We're all focused on trying to make sure everything is swinging and you can really move to everything you hear. That hip-hop groove feel.

The album is all original material that you solely wrote. Is that a statement about your music, to not include a cover or standard?

The one thing that I'm really into is writing original compositions and a lot of people are playing a lot of standards these days. I play a lot of standards too, but when you write original compositions, you get to find your voice quicker than if you're just playing standards all the time. Something that Elvin Jones told me once will stick with me forever, he said, "Be true to the music, and the music will be true to you." That is essentially what I am trying to do.

Where do see yourself fitting into jazz?

I don't know. I guess we just have to wait and see where everyone else wants to put me!   All I'm concerned about is making good music, and affecting people in a positive way by giving people inspiration and giving hope to music. As far as the Soul'd U Out band, that's been really helping the Quintet because all the fans we get from the Soul'd U Out band come to the jazz quintet concerts, and they love that too. So we're mixing the audience that way and blurring the lines. People know the difference between good music and bad music; they just need to be exposed to it.

Listen to the Audio Portrait of Maurice Brown.