Nearly a decade has passed since The Brighton Beat released a studio album. The funky afro-beat big band built up a solid fan base on the US East coast and played tons of clinics at schools to show the kids that becoming a professional musician is feasible (and pretty cool). During all those activities there was little time to go into the studio, but now a bunch of road-tested new material was selected for a new full-length, Victory At Last.
Taking cues from jazz and funk, the band has always been about providing highly entertaining music that people can dance to. Their recipe is deceptively simple: create a solid groove and give the brass and reed instruments plenty of leeway to improvise. Sounds pretty simple, right, and most listeners won't even notice the rhythm shifts and left turns that make it an album that can holds it own as a very enjoyable listening experience.
Funky afro-beat big band The Brighton Beat wrap up 2024 with a couple of shows, playing their favourite haunts in the lead up to their home-coming gig in Marlboro on December 7.
Live dates:
11/01 Woodstock, NY @ Colony (w/ with Ghost Funk Orchestra)
11/02 Schenectady, NY @ The Van Dyck
11/08 Brattleboro, VT @ The Stone Church (supporting The Big Takeover)
Funky afro-beat big band The Brighton Beat returns to The Falcon in Marlboro, NY for a show on December 3rd. They will play some new material they have been working on. Long overdue new recordings coming soon as well.
Funky afro-beat big band The Brighton Beat have a couple of shows lined up in their home state New York. The show in Peekskill conincides with drummer/bandleader Sammy Wags' birthday, so that will be special one.
Funky afro-beat big band The Brighton Beat have a couple of dates lined up. They posted a live video of Hot Sand (featuring Drew Vandewinckel on Tenor Sax), a track from their Live at the Clayton Opera House album.
Funky afro-beat big band The Brighton Beat have a couple of dates lined up in their home state New York. They made a video on a boat for their song Changing Elevators while they were on tour in Maine.
Multi-instrumentalist Sammy Wags kicks of his 13 week Wednesday Night residency (28 November 2018 – 27 February 2019) @ Peekskill Brewery, Peekskill, NY, with a stripped down version of his band The Brighton Beat.
Each night is dedicated to one his outfits (Mr. Clifford, Distant Planets Orchestra, Sammy Wags and Friends, and the aforementioned The Brighton Beat). Anything goes during this shows: new music, oddball covers and of course stuff from his bands that fans will recognize. A splendid time is guaranteed for all.
Funky afro-beat big band The Brighton Beat added a vocalist to the mix in 2017. With Ryan Nava holding the mike (and adding extra percussion too) the band has broadened their sound even further. Case in point: the new album Live at the Clayton Opera House. They have enjoyed a warm welcome over the years at that venue in Clayton, NY and the show on October 20th, 2017 was no exception. Ever thought that the fierce Genghis Khan could be subjected to a free-flowing sax solo? Or that a Fortune Teller could be divided into chopped guitar notes seasoned with trumpet blasts?
The Brighton Beat is well-oiled live phenomenon and thankfully they are in the habit of releasing in concert albums on a regular basis. Their sense of rhythm comes to fore again in a spicy mix of jazz and funk. A party band that can please music geeks and revellers is pretty rare,
Watch Afrobeat ensemble The Brighton Beat perform their new song Momentum live @ Sweatshop Studios, Katonah, NY. Co-written by Ryan Nava, who also sings and directed the clip. It's their first ever track with vocals.
The Brighton Beat:
Ryan Nava: vocals
Greg Schettino: guitar
Ray Sullivan: guitar
Matt Graff: congas, shekere
Sammy Wags: drums
Derek Van Wormer: bass
Nat Ranson: rrombone
Joe Natale: baritone sax
Jon Bean: tenor sax
Mark Zaleski: alto sax
Ron Harter:y: trumpet
Freddy "Fuego" Gonzalez: keyboards
The Brighton Beat like to hit the ground running. Fancy Beast, the first track of their new album Hear and Now, kicks off with a sexy bass line to get the ball roiling, shekeres join in and, after a few feeler blasts, the brass section, percussion and guitars lock into a groove, giving the saxes plenty of room to roam free. And that's just for starters.
Sounding even more funky than on their previous album Of We Go, the NYC based big band are determined to bring the house down with a swinging Genghis Khan - the Mongolian emperor wouldn't have dreamed that 900 years after his death people would be smiling listening to track named after him - the brass heavy controlled clamour of Serengeti Waltz and the NOLA vibe of Sweet Baby Chazz.
Afrobeat jazz funk big band The Brighton Beat have been added as a last minute replacement act for a show at the Brooklyn Bowl in NYC tonight, opening for The Rad Trads.
They have been working on new material during the Winter for an upcoming release due out this Spring.
Afrobeat jazz funk big band The Brighton Beat are celebrating their 5 year anniversary with a special show on December 18 @ Joe's Pub in New York City. They kick off at 23:30.
2015 was a rather good year for music. In the next four days HCTF lists the 20 albums that will be in regular rotation for many years to come.
Today: countdown from number 20 to 16. Go here for 5-1 | 10-6 | 15-11.
20 The Brighton Beat: Off We Go
The funky afrobeat big band thrives on stage. They managed to transfer the excitement of a live show to the studio on their sophomore release.
Joe DiGiorgi at Headline Studios, NY did an excellent job. He got a rock sound for Hit The Bricks, a widescreen cinematic feel for Summer Lullaby and put the percussion and brass up front for the two parts of Stand With The Herd. The bass gets a boost when the band goes funky, most notably in the title track.
19 Holly Bowling: Distillation of a Dream: The Music of Phish Reimagined For Solo Piano
A classically trained piano player transcribed the spontaneous jamming of the Vermont quartet. A sprawling double album that sparkles.
Bowling had to bottle the on stage spontaneity. (...) The instrumentals The Horse and The Inlaw Josie Wales were fairly easy by comparison, but she didn't shun the challenge of A Song I Heard The Ocean Sing and The Squirming Coil.
The Dutch jazz trio Kapok invited some guests for their third album and a good time was had by all.
With the sound Morris Kliphuis' horn the trio stands out as colorful bird amidst a flock of squabbling pigeons. With drummer Remco Menting's command of complex rhythms and guitarist Timon Koomen's progressive tone they are a truly "unusual" jazz trio. Throw in their ability to find inspiration to write about subject like muscle spasms - the ambient/post-rock mashup Myoclonus or sing the praise of Cacti and extensive plains in Pediplen and you have a band with an open mind and sense of Zappa-esque humour.
17 Richard Lomax & The Tontine: Down There For Dancing
English multi-instrumentalist is a man of many moods. And also the sole guy on Earth who can rock out while wielding an Omnichord.
Even when Lomax gets mad at someone, like he does in Every Fucker Fucks You (so why not fuck them first?), he picks up a scalpel instead of an axe, wrapping his wrath in an aloof manner plus a some memorable guitar outbursts - efficiency superseding blind fury.
Marcel Hulst made a wonderfully delicate solo album, even foregoing capitalizing the song titles.
(...) a great blend of indie, folk and Americana, a prime example of soft music that doesn't need to be played loud to make its mark. Highlights: the use of double tracked vocals adding urgency to the message of in Canada, the early Floyd-alike pastoral artificial light and the melancholic dirge all your armies.
Watch Afrobeat big band The Brighton Beat tackle the Rage Against The Machine classic Killing In The Name. Anger turned into a fun, upbeat instrumental with a great brass section as an added bonus.
Funky Afrobeat big band The Brighton Beat always feels at home on the stage of the Brooklyn Bowl in New York. They released a recording of their April 5, 2015 show. An appreciative audience inspired them to stretch the tracks from their latest album Off We Go, vamping on the choruses and bringing them to a close way beyond the ten minutes mark.
Live music can be transcending experience when the crowd an the band lock into a groove and that happens more than once during the show, especially during Fortune Teller and Red Orange. They filled out the set with a notable funkified covers Debra (Beck) Swinging From The Rafters (John Tabacco), Mr. Clean (Freddie Hubbard).
Brooklyn Bowl - 4/5/15 is a self-released album. Buy it from the band's website. As per usual the FLAC version is served up in HD (24/48).
Want the new Off We Go CD by funky Afrobeat big band The Brighton Beat? HCTF has two copies. To be eligible in to get one answer this simple question: what's the title of their debut album?
Free music from Afrobeat jazz funk big band The Brighton Beat. HCTF has a couple of download codes for their latest studio album Off We Go and a live album recorded at the Brooklyn Bowl in New York on October 10, 2014 (otherwise only available to backers of their Kickstarter project).
The Brighton Beat is an instrumental big band determined to get the crowd dancing with their mixture of Afrobeat, jazz and funk. Their second full-length Off We Go is a step up from their 2012 debut The Brighton Beat LP when it comes to dynamics, but they kept the live vibe intact.
With so many band members in the studio you need a sound guy with good ears and Joe DiGiorgi at Headline Studios, NY did an excellent job. He got a rock sound for Hit The Bricks, a widescreen cinematic feel for Summer Lullaby and put the percussion and brass up front for the two parts of Stand With The Herd. The bass gets a boost when the band goes funky, most notably in the title track.
Off We Go captures the band in full flight. Band leader Sammy Wags and his band of merry men can play as tight unit, with plenty of room for individuals or sections to commandeer the spotlights.
Sammy Wags: drums, additional keyboards and guitar
Ryan Hinchey: bass
Jon Bean: tenor sax
Mark Zaleski: alto, soprano, and baritone sax
Freddy Gonzalez: trombone, trumpet
Francesco Fratini: trumpet
Gabe Yonkler: baritone Sax
Mark Cocheo: guitar
Greg Schettino: guitar
Zach Kamins: keyboards
Patrick Dalton: congas
Matt Graff: shekere
Ryan Nava: shekere Gust musicians
Stephen Malinowski: keyboards on "Hit The Bricks" and "Stand With The Herd - Part 2"
Assaf Gleizner: keyboards on "Stand With The Herd - Part 1"
Ben Teters: congas on "Stand With The Herd - Part 1"
Off We Go is a self-released album. Buy it from the band's website.
Brighton, MA funky afro-beat big band The Brighton Beat will celebrate the release of their new album Off We Go with a late night at the Blue Note in New York on January 17th. Their next show is at the Church of Boston in Boston, MA on February 14th, supporting Secret Army.
