Norman Connors w/ Tom Browne, Azar Lawrence at The Thompson House

Norman Connors, with special guests Trumpeter Tom Browne and Saxophonist Azar Lawrence will be live at The Thompson House Friday July 20, 2012 at 830pm. Ticket Price $25.

Norman Connors is best known for his major R & B records, however, his roots are steeped in jazz music. As a child, Norman lived in the same
neighborhood as Bill Cosby and became interested in jazz at an early age. At elementary school, he was exposed to jazz extensively, influenced by the drummer Lex Humphries and the younger brother of bassist and Jazz-Messenger, Spanky De Brest. Norman was in junior high when he began getting into jazz clubs and sat in for Elvin Jones at a John Coltrane gig. At the age of 13, he first got to meet his idol, Miles Davis....

read more

Norman Connors, with special guests Trumpeter Tom Browne and Saxophonist Azar Lawrence will be live at The Thompson House Friday July 20, 2012 at 830pm. Ticket Price $25.

Norman Connors is best known for his major R & B records, however, his roots are steeped in jazz music. As a child, Norman lived in the same
neighborhood as Bill Cosby and became interested in jazz at an early age. At elementary school, he was exposed to jazz extensively, influenced by the drummer Lex Humphries and the younger brother of bassist and Jazz-Messenger, Spanky De Brest. Norman was in junior high when he began getting into jazz clubs and sat in for Elvin Jones at a John Coltrane gig. At the age of 13, he first got to meet his idol, Miles Davis.

Norman went on to study music at Philly’s Temple University and the Juilliard School of Music in New York. Gigs with Jackie McLean, Jack McDuff and Sam Rivers followed, and he was first recorded as a sideman when Archie Shepp employed him on his 1967 Impulse! session Magic of JuJu. After touring with Pharaoh Sanders and playing on several of his albums, he signed with Buddah’s Cobblestone label in 1972 and recorded his first album as a leader, ‘Dance of Magic’.

Tom Browne- Consider the songs in our hearts that inspire us toward uplifted continence; melodies that ring out in a manner that is soulful … even funky! Now think of an artist; an artist who George Benson describes as “joy filled in expressiveness” and “believable in any musical style,” topping the jazz and adult contemporary / R & B charts with his kickin’ trumpet and rich jazz melodies. That artist … is trumpeter Tom Browne.

Tom Browne

Browne began to carve a path for his musical future early on, studying via scholarship under Murray Karpilovsky (principal trumpeter with the NBC Orchestra directed by Arturo Toscanini.) A student at the co-joined High School of Music and Art / Performing Arts in New York (renowned courtesy of the motion picture entitled “Fame,”) Browne became a regular on the New York jazz scene and had the fortune of learning first hand from masters like Jimmy Nottingham, Richard Williams, Woody Shaw and Freddie Hubbard. Browne soon played his first pro level performances as sideman to jazz greats Weldon Irvine and Sonny Fortune for which he earned domestic and international recognition. It was no surprise that Downbeat Magazine would single out his “warm trumpet” during the review of Fortunes’ 1976 “Infinity Is” album.

Then in 1978, Browne led a traditional jazz quintet at the Breezin’ Lounge, an uptown New York nightclub indirectly affiliated with George Benson. Through contacts made by Jimmy Boyd, Bensons’ former and Brownes’ subsequent manager, Browne was offered several solo recording contracts and ultimately signed with Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen on the newly formed GRP Record label. There he recorded six solo projects including several hits. His debut release “Browne Sugar” (1979) dominated the jazz charts for many weeks while “Love Approach” (1980) and “Magic” (1981) each earned gold album status and spawned hits like “Funkin’ For Jamaica,” “Thighs High” and “Secret Fantasy.” Browne went on to win prestigious Billboard honors of Best Instrumentalist, Best Jazz Cross-Over, Best Jazz Artist-Trumpet and Best Jazz Solo Album.

Saxophonist, Azar Lawrence’s musical studies began at age five. A classically trained violinist and pianist his formal instruction were under the direction of his late mother, music teacher and educator, Ima Lawrence. Born in 1952 at home on Los Angeles’ famed Central Avenue, (Southern California’s Jazz Mecca during the 1920′s – 40′s) the vibe of that scene clearly seeped into his musical consciousness. A member of the USC Jr. Orchestra (University of Southern California), from age five to eleven, he turned to Alto sax by age twelve.
He was a member of the famed Dorsey High Jazz Band under the direction of Herbert Baker. While in high-school he would meet the late Reggie Golson, and become an extended member of Benny Golson’s family. And thanks to Reggie, Azar’s professional music life began in his late teens when he was asked to join Elvin Jones’ band, Jazz Machine, (after being introduced to Elvin by friend, Reggie) and immediately his stature in the jazz world placed him amongst the elder statesmen of post-bop.
While performing for years with Elvin Jones he headed up Fantasy/Prestidge Records, and after his years as part of the McCoy Tyner Quartet he went to work for Capitol Records as a songwriter, and was Executive Assitant for Stan Neufeld at Orion Pictures for Hollywood Squares and Outside Productions.
As a leader his seminal work, Bridge Into The New Age, 1974 lauded as a classic, was re-released twice over the past two years. He worked with Skip Scarborough on the first instrumental version of Can’t Hide Love, for his People Moving album and wrote three songs for Earth Wind & Fire’s Powerlight album performing on keys.

His discography is diverse with names like Frank Zappa, Busta Rhymes and impressive where he performs on titles such as Woody Shaw’s Moontrane, and Miles Davis’, Dark Magus, recorded live at Carnegie Hall in 1974.

Within the past three years, he’s performed, written, and produced two CD’s Speak The Word and Prayer For My Ancestors, (Prayer was given honorable mention for Best of 2009, AllAboutJazz/New York, January 2010) and also lead and co-produced a live tribute album, Legacy and Music of John Coltrane, 2006. Azar’s latest production Mystic Journey, on Furthermore Recordings, will without a doubt again place him amongst jazz’s elder statesmen.

show less