George Brooks

George Brooks (* around 1958 in New York ) is an American jazz musician ( soprano and tenor saxophone ) and composer who has made a name for himself in the field of Indian fusion music .

Life

Brooks learned his instrument from Frank Foster ; he studied music to a Bachelor's degree (1979) at the New England Conservatory of Music . He then moved to California where he met Terry Riley and developed an interest in Indian classical music. He took lessons from the singer Pandit Pran Nath . Together with Terry Riley he performed in North America, Europe and Japan over the next few years, often in a trio with the sitar player Krishna Bhatt . He was also a founding member of Riley's Khayal Ensemble and participated in the premiere of Riley's June Buddhas with the Brooklyn Philharmonic .

In 1996 Brooks released his debut album Lasting Impression with tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain . The duo then released the album Night Spinner in 1998 . Together with guitarist Larry Coryell and flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia , the album Music Without Boundaries followed . He then founded the group Summit with Fareed Haque , Kai Eckhardt , Zakir Hussain and Steve Smith , which last released the album Summit: Spirit and Spice in 2010. In 2010 Brooks introduced the collaborative Raga Bop Trio with South Indian guitarist R. Prasanna and drummer Steve Smith. In 2011 the album Elements followed with the Indian violinist Kala Ramnath and the harpist Gwyneth Wentink .

Brooks toured with Etta James and worked with Anthony Braxton , Albert Collins and the Turtle Island String Quartet . He can also be heard on the album Yo Miles by Henry Kaiser and Wadada Leo Smith .

Brooks was awarded the American Composers Forum's Global Harmony Prize in 2007 for his Indian jazz opera Mirrors of Mumbai . He has received composition grants from the American Composers Forum, Opera Piccola, Berkeley Jazz School, and SFMOMA. His compositions have been performed by Yo-Yo Ma and the Liverpool Philharmonic and have been used in films.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Brooks, George
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American jazz musician (soprano and tenor saxophone) and composer
DATE OF BIRTH	around 1958
PLACE OF BIRTH	new York