Saxophonist and singer Derek Brown has been simultaneously entertaining and challenging audiences with his progressive blend of jazz, classical, funk and more for years. With a masterful command over his instrument and an innovative approach to performance, the multi-talented musician has amassed fans around the world. While his one-of-a-kind solo “BEATBoX SAX” project has turned him into an internet sensation of sorts, his latest undertaking — the FiftyFifty Tour — may just be his most ambitious endeavor to date.
The FiftyFifty Tour will see Brown performing in each of the 50 states over the course of the next nine months. The tour kicks off with a two-night run (Aug. 31-Sept. 1) in Chicago and will see the artist — joined by his wife Rachel — on the road through May of 2019, vlogging his experiences from the comforts of an RV. The DIY method, with which Brown has a solid track record (see his “America the Beautiful” collaboration below), is also at the heart of his forthcoming tour as the musician and songwriter personally booked each and every single date himself.
Check out our recent chat with Brown below, where he shares details of his genre-bending musical style, his new tour & coinciding new LP (available for iTunes pre-order on Aug. 31) and more.
Laurie Fanelli: Congrats on the upcoming album and tour! What made you want to perform in every state during a single tour?
Derek Brown: For some reason or other, I’ve been performing a lot outside of the USA. For instance, I’ve done two separate month-long tours in Russia — the most recent being 24 gigs in 24 different cities in 24 days — as well as lots of festivals and events in Europe and throughout Asia.
So after realizing it might be nice to play a little closer to home in the US, I did what I always do and started sending out a lot of emails (meaning hundreds, maybe thousands). When so many of these from all over the US were returning excited about the possibility of me coming to visit, my wife and I thought, “We’ve got a lot of the US covered here. What if we just go all the way and make the challenge to do all 50?” Plus, as some people say, we’re young, (maybe a bit naive?), without a big family yet, so why not?
LF: The Fifty Fifty Tour even finds you performing in several states more than once. How did you decide which states to revisit?
DB: Yeah, although it’s the “FiftyFifty Tour,” meaning 50 gigs, 50 states. As of now it’s closer to 75 gigs, 50 states. Like probably a lot of performers, I love to play as much as possible, and I hate turning venues down. So as more places were interested and writing back, I was always like, “Sure! Add it to the calendar!” And it’s taken my wife, who will be joining me on the tour in the RV, to say “Uh, we’re doing this thing for 9 months. We probably don’t need more than 3 gigs in Connecticut. It might be nice to have SOME days off for seeing the country and relaxing.” Needless to say, I think we’re good for each other!
LF: Your biography states that you live in Chicago. How has the city’s music scene — whether it be jazz, blues or the current excitement around local hip-hop — helped to shape your approach to songwriting and performing?
DB: I’ve been living and performing in Chicago full-time for four years (although now that the tour has started, I’m kind of homeless!). I love the music scene in Chicago, as there’s so much going on and such wonderful musicians. I’ve actually been most plugged into the jazz/rock fusion scene here with my band Low Spark, for instance playing a Thursday night residency at a great club called aliveOne every week I’m in town.
However, I have to admit, I think my different “BEATBoX SAX” sound was formed by living in small-town Abilene, Texas, where I was a jazz and sax professor for 6 years at Abilene Christian University. With a huge city like Chicago, I think I would have been more than happy playing in multiple groups and just trying to “fit in” to the active music scene. But with a small town like Abilene, with not as much happening all the time, I was more or less forced to do my own thing at times. I felt like I had the freedom to really pursue what I was into, without worrying about what other people thought, at least for a time.
LF: You’re beginning the tour at Andy’s Jazz Club, what does that venue represent for you?
DB: I’m extremely honored and excited to kick off the tour (and release my new album) at Andy’s Jazz Club. I think it might be the first jazz club in Chicago I ever visited when I was a kid traveling to the city with my parents. It’s definitely the premiere jazz club in the downtown area and has such a wonderful history of amazing local and international legends playing there. And I’m also very excited, as my two nights there — shared with my band Low Spark — coincide with the excellent Chicago Jazz Festival. It’s going to be hoppin’!
LF: How did you find the 50 plus sax players that contributed to your “America: The Beautiful Collaboration?” Do you know them personally or did you connect with them online?
DB: A few months ago, I put a call out on social media asking any US sax players to video record themselves playing various segments of my own arrangement to the tune “America the Beautiful.” Soon enough a diverse group of about 60 sax players from all over the country started sending me videos. After panicking a bit over what to do with all this audio and video footage (did I mention I did all the editing/mixing by myself?) I got to work piecing everything together into one giant arrangement. I’m pretty proud of the final product, and I’m extra excited about getting the chance to meet a lot of these players for the first time when I travel from state to state!
LF: Can you share a little bit about your upcoming album which is set to drop in September? Is there a dominant theme to the release?
DB: The album is also called FiftyFifty. The most obvious reason is the tour connection; the idea of playing over 50 gigs in all the 50 United States. However there are actually a few other strong reasons for the name. Throughout my music career, and since studying both jazz and classical styles of music in college, I’ve always wondered to which genre I actually belong. With my love of improvising and experimentation, is this jazz music? Or because of the advanced, extended techniques I use and the compositional nature of my pieces, am I more of a classical musician? I’m sort of eternally split between the two, fifty/fifty. Also, on this album half the songs feature my singing, while the other half is strictly instrumental. And finally, about half the songs on the album feature collaborations, while half are me playing by myself.
And regardless of the name, I’m most excited by how much fuller-sounding this album is. Although, like my previous album and all my live performances, I still don’t use any looping or electronic effects. But my style has evolved a lot in the past two years, and I’ve added a lot of new techniques, like stomping and hitting the saxophone with rings, as well as more singing and more collaborations. It’s a fun album!
LF: Your BEATBoX SAX style is so unique. Who are some of your influences?
DB: I’ve been influenced of course by lots of sax players, from the great Sonny Rollins’ solo playing to Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s creative (and sometimes bizarre) multi-tasking on multiple horns. But often my biggest influences come from outside the saxophone world. For instance, studying classical music like Johann Sebastian Bach’s cello suites was extremely informative as to how a solo instrument, capable of playing only one note at a time, can give the aural impression of a full band — complete with melody, harmony and bass lines. And finally the great Bobby McFerrin’s way of interacting with audiences and his virtuosic but always accessible solo vocal techniques were perhaps my biggest influence.
LF: Is there anything else you’d like to share with Eponymous Review readers?
DB: There are two types of music in this world: Good music and bad music. And I like them both!
I’m always blown away at my shows by how many people will listen to over an hour of solo saxophone music like I do. For all the negative talk by some people about how so much music sounds the same these days, I’m so encouraged that there are so many open-minded listeners interested in hearing something a bit different. You all inspire me to keep taking risks and to keep sharing my explorations with the world! I’m so lucky to make a living from my own music, and I hope never to take that for granted. Thanks for your time and your open ears!
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Keep up with Derek Brown through his official website and FiftyFiftyTour.com. You can also follow him on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube.