Andy Brown - Trio and Solo (2007)

New to me and perhaps also to you, Brown is a New York born guitarist in his early thirties. After a seven year long formative spell in Cincinnati followed by time spent playing in New York, he is presently based in Chicago. There, he leads his own regular trio and also plays in groups led by Kimberly Gordon, Chris Foreman and Russ Phillips, and appears in duo with his wife, singer Petra van Nuis. Brown is a very melodic player with a coolly understated approach to his repertoire. Here, he offers satisfying interpretations of mainly familiar compositions; the two less well known pieces are Jimmy McGriff's City Lights and George Van Eps' Scott's Lullaby. The trio performances are well integrated and both bassist and drummer provide excellent support to the featured guitarist. Left alone, Brown is always interesting and this CD should appeal to all those who like to hear inventive soloing and still like to recognize the tune. This CD might be hard to find but very well worth any effort you might have to make.~Jazz Journal International Magazine - November 2008