Norman Brown Reunited BWB On 'Stay With Me'

Norman Brown says he was happy that he got to reunite the smooth jazz trio BWB with one track on his smash CD, Stay With Me. The tune "It's Not Over" features Brown alongside trumpeter Rick Braun and saxophonist Kirk Whalum, who recorded the 2002 CD Groovin' as BWB.

The three have reunited to contribute at least one track to each of their recent solo albums, and Brown says he always enjoys it. When he co-created the tune, he thought it would fit the trio's style and named it "It's Not Over" to signal the fact that BWB is in no way a thing of the past.

Brown explained: "I just had such fun with that group! I came into the business as a solo artist. I had one gig before I became Norman Brown, I played rhythm guitar for George Howard on one tour. And so I hadn't really had a chance to collaborate with other guys, I wanted to feel that. That group was great -- Warner Bros. put us together, we had a great time, we toured, and then it was over, it stopped. I just missed that feeling. That song hit me and it was perfect, it was like, oh, this is us."

Brown is currently enjoying the group dynamic in a live setting. He's in the midst of the third edition of the Norman Brown Summer Storm tour, featuring keyboardist Jeff Lorber, vocalist Peabo Bryson, and saxophonist Marion Meadows. The tour's next stop is July 7th at the Omaha Riverfront Festival in Omaha, Nebraska. More dates can be viewed at normanbrown.com.

By: Janine Coveney

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