October 2024 – KEYBOARDIST, COMPOSER, STUDIO MUSICIAN, & PRODUCER

Brian Simpson is known by his ability to compose an unforgettable melody.

His eloquent approach, sophisticated harmonies, bluesy overtones, R&B flavor and keen sense of how to craft a song has made him the go-to man for many musicians. (All About Jazz, 2019.)

Always knowing music was his voice, Simpson studied at Northern Illinois University, and then moved to Los Angeles where he immersed himself in late night jazz sessions alongside everyone from saxophonists Everette Harp and Boney James to guitarist Norman Brown.

Catching the attention of the pop scene, Simpson toured the world with divas Teena Marie, Sheena Easton and Janet Jackson. In 1991, he co-wrote the #1 Pop hit “The First Time” by Surface, which conquered both the R&B and Adult Contemporary charts.

Brian Simpson has always been a working jazz musician. He has toured with some of the greats of recent jazz history, including George Duke, Stanley Clarke, Larry Carlton, Billy Cobham, and Gerald Albright.

Brian had been the musical director for jazz saxophonist Dave Koz since the mid-2000s, and for a decade the Musical Director of the ambitious and highly popular “The Smooth Jazz Cruise”.

Simpson’s breakthrough as a solo artist began in 2005 with “It’s All Good,” which hit #1 on the Radio & Records Smooth Jazz Airplay chart and remained in the Top 5 for four months.

In total, he has written eleven CDs with the sophisticated and soulful approach that keeps delivering chart topping songs, including his most recent, entitled Soul Connection (2023).

The popularity of his music worldwide has kept Mr. Simpson on a seemingly endless world tour. Middle C Jazz is excited to host Brian Simpson on his annual sold-out stop through Charlotte on Saturday and Sunday, November 16-17.

If you cannot be there in person, you can tune in to hear his Saturday 6:15 performance livestreamed. Check out Middle C On Demand to learn how.

For a little more about Brian Simpson visit Spotify, YouTube, his website, or his Facebook page.