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Brian Lynch (September 12, 1956, Urbana, Illinois) is a Grammy Award-winning New York based Jazz trumpeter, currently touring and recording as a member of the Phil Woods Quintet and Eddie Palmieri's Afro-Caribbean Jazz group, as well as leading his own groups and appearing with various other bands including the "Latin Side Of Miles" project he co-leads with trombonist Conrad Herwig.

In recent years Lynch has worked with Buena Vista Social Club alumnus Barbarito Torres, recorded with dance remixers Joe Clausell, Little Louie Vega and the influential Latin alternative group Yerba Buena. He arranged for Japanese pop star Mika Nakashima and producer Shinichi Osawa, has written string charts for Phil Woods, and has played with such pop luminaries as Maxwell, Prince, and Sheila E.

On February 11, 2007, Brian Lynch earned the Best Latin Jazz Album of the Year Grammy for his album, "The Brian Lynch/Eddie Palmieri Recording Project - Simpatico," at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.

Contents 1 Training 2 Projects 3 Teaching 4 Discography 5 External links

Lynch grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he apprenticed with pianist Buddy Montgomery and organist Melvin Rhyne, while earning a degree from the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. While living in San Diego 1980-81, he gained further valuable experience in the group of alto master Charles McPherson.

Lynch moved to New York in late 1981 and was soon hired by Bill Kirchner, performing and recording with Kirchner's nonet. He was a member of the Horace Silver Quintet (1982-1985) and the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra (1982-1988). Simultaneously, he played and recorded on the Latin scene with salsa bandleader Angel Canales (1982-83) and legendary cantante Hector LaVoe (1983-87). He began his association with Eddie Palmieri in 1987, and at the end of 1988 joined what turned out to be the final edition of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. He began his association with Phil Woods in 1992, and also worked frequently with Benny Golson around this time.

In 1986, Lynch recorded his first album as a leader, Peer Pressure, for Criss-Cross. There followed Back Room Blues and At The Main Event (Criss-Cross), In Process (Ken), Keep Your Circle Small (Sharp Nine)), and a string of sideman dates with Art Blakey and Phil Woods. On each, Lynch documented his fiery, coherent tonal personality. Whether limning a ballad or tearing through a searing bop structure, he projects a rich tone that ranges from warm to brilliant, uncoiling serpentine lines that land in the most surprising places.

Brian also made a name for himself as a composer, through numerous songs that play with and stretch harmony while never losing melodic essence and rhythmic thrust. In tunesmithing he's much influenced by former employer Horace Silver. "I look to get that clean sound that Horace's compositions have." he comments. "You can play complicated or simply on them, always with something that connects to the public." Art Blakey recognized Lynch's skills, and recorded originals like "Chippin' In," "Chandek's Den," "Byrdflight" and "Green Is Mean" on albums for Timeless, A&M, and In-n-Out.

A 1997 recording called Spheres of Influence (Sharp Nine), which earned a 4-1/2 star Downbeat review, was Lynch's first project to reflect the panoramic range of interests that influence his working life as a musician. During these years he documented cross-cultural investigations with Eddie Palmieri's seminal Afro-Caribbean Jazz Octet on Arete, Palmas and Vortex (Nonesuch and RMM). As the ‘90s progressed, he steadily refined his concept, eventually collaborating with Palmieri as an arranger, co-composer and musical director. In a rare gesture, Palmieri took advantage of Lynch's pen on the recent albums La Perfecta II and Ritmo Caliente Concord Picante. The synchronistic nature of their relationship continued in 2005, when Palmieri collaborated with Lynch on his ambitious project, Simpático for ArtistShare.

Lynch has continued to advance the Spheres of Influence concept, gathering around him a repertory company of top-shelf Pan-American oriented musicians. These include drummers Dafnis Prieto, Horacio Hernandez, Robby Ameen, and Ernesto Simpson; percussionists Richie Flores, Pedro Martinez and Roberto Quintero; pianists Luis Perdomo, Edsel Gomez, and David Kikoski; bassists John Benitez, Ruben Rodriguez, and Hans Glawischnig; and saxophonists Miguel Zenon and Yosvany Terry.

The fruits of Brian's work in this area are now becoming apparent through a remarkable series of recordings.

On Conrad Herwig's The Latin Side Of Miles Davis (Half Note) and on Que Viva Coltrane (Criss-Cross), a Herwig-Lynch collaboration, Lynch reharmonizes tunes like "Freddie Freeloader," "Miles Mode," "Wise One" and "Straight Street," fluently navigating the changes over dynamic guaguanco, songo, bolero and timba beats.

Joined by tenor saxophonist Ralph Bowen and pianist Luis Perdomo, he addresses his own compositions similarly on a 2005 Criss Cross CD entitled Jazz Con Clave. Also, in 2005, EWE, a Japanese label released Lynch's piece de resistance; a commissioned six-part composition for nonet entitled the "Spheres of Influence Suite."

On Fuchsia/Red, a live date from 2003, Lynch presented, in the words of critic Russ Musto in All About Jazz, "an electric Miles-inspired excursion conceived and executed with such assurance as to create a whole new perspective on Lynch's artistry." Musto added: The music is alternately earthy, spacey, pretty, funky and swinging and often, just like Lynch, all of these things at once."

But don't think Lynch has forgotten about his roots. That he's evolved into a major postbop stylist is apparent on 2000's Tribute To The Trumpet Masters (Sharp-9), an instant classic on which Lynch, blending superlative technique with deep soul, pays forward-thinking homage to trumpet lineage spanning Dizzy Gillespie to Woody Shaw. Brian Lynch Meets Bill Charlap (Sharp-9) is a nuanced, interactive 2003 collaboration with the renowned pianist, a long-time Woods bandmate. "It's the kind of standard fare—ballads, bebop and blues—that is often lackluster in the hands of lesser bands, but brings out the best in these masterful musicians," wrote Russ Musto in All About Jazz.

Lynch also documents his touring units of recent vintage on forthcoming recitals of mainstream repertoire in quintet with Miguel Zenon (24/7, Nagel-Heyer) and in quartet with pianist Rob Schneiderman (Further Arrivals, Zoo't).

Lynch has turned increasingly to teaching in recent years. He currently holds faculty positions at New York University and the North Netherlands Conservatory, has taught at the Stanford Jazz Workshop, and conducted workshops in numerous major institutes of learning, including The Eastman School of Music, Dartmouth College, the University of North Texas, and Columbia University, among many others. Many of today's finest young jazz trumpeters call him a mentor. Brian is proud, but it works both ways: the interchange of ideas between he and the "youngbloods" challenges him to keep it real and keep practicing!

Lynch's creative efflorescence since the millennium bears out the truth of a remark he made several years in the liner notes for the Spheres of Influence album.

After crediting Palmieri and Art Blakey as the Alpha and Omega of his musical thinking, Lynch stated: "Eddie inspired me to want to do my own thing, because that's what he does, and how he energizes and leads the band. And being a Messenger is something that will never be taken away from me. I can see Art sitting up there saying, 'You've got to go on and be a leader.' It's easy to be a sideman; it's very hard to be a leader. Now I'm ready."

Lynch's 2006 release, Simpático, brings together Brian's musical influences, friends and mentors for an historic recording for Artistshare "The Brian Lynch/Eddie Palmieri Project: Simpático." This CD and accompanying multimedia web site features music by an all-star roster of jazz and latin jazz artists, including: Phil Woods, Lila Downs, Donald Harrison, Conrad Herwig, Giovanni Hidalgo, Gregory Tardy, Mario Rivera, Boris Kozlov, Ruben Rodriguez, Luques Curtis, Robby Ameen, Dafnis Prieto, Pedro Martinez, Little Johnny Rivero, Edsel Gomez, Yosvany Terry.

(Some text from http://www.brianlynchjazz.com with permission by the author/site owner)

• Peer pressure - Criss Cross Jazz - 1029 - Recorded December 1986
• Back room blues - Criss Cross Jazz - 1042 - Recorded December 1989
• In process - Ken Music - 011 - Recorded October 1990
• At the main event - Criss Cross Jazz - 1070 - Recorded 1992
• Keep your circle small - Sharp Nine Records - Recorded 1995
• Spheres of influence - Sharp Nine Records - Recorded 1997
• Tribute to the trumpet masters - Sharp Nine Records - Recorded 2000
• Do that make you mad? (Brian Lynch/Tomonao Hara Quintet) - Zoo'T (Japan) - Recorded May 2001
• 24/7 - Nagel Heyer 2047 - Recorded December 2002
• Fuschia/Red - Cellar Live CL020201 - Recorded February 2003
• Brian Lynch meets Bill Charlap - Sharp Nine Records CD 1027-2 - Recorded May 2003
• Que viva Coltrane (Conrad Herwig/Brian Lynch Septet) - Criss Cross Jazz 1254 - Recorded December 2003
• Conclave - CrissCross Jazz 1271 - Recorded October 2004
• The Brian Lynch/Eddie Palmieri Project Simpático, 2006

• The Brian Lynch/Eddie Palmieri Recording Project
• Free Jazz Video Podcast by Brian Lynch/Eddie Palmieri
• Official Homepage

• Eddie Palmieri
• Phil Woods