The Brenan Brothers: ‘Valley of Silence’ Album Release!
June 30 @ 7:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Craig Brenan – Trombone
Jim Brenan – Tenor & Soprano Saxophones
David Lavoie – Trumpet
Sean Craig – Alto & Baritone Saxophones
Earl MacDonald – Piano
Jon Wielebnowski – Bass
Afo Fapujuwo – Drums
Imagine: ten-year-old twin brothers Jim and Craig, standing nervously in the doorway of the Palms Cafe in Edmonton on a warm summer night in 1979. Their dad has taken them to their first concert featuring the instruments that they’re hoping to play when they enter junior high in the fall. Neither has any idea what they’re about to experience, but the excitement in the room speaks volumes: they’re in for something special. “All I recall is the sheer force of the trumpet and the incredible speed and energy that the band performed with,”recalls Jim. The band was trumpet legend Woody Shaw’s quintet: a group that would forever imprint itself on the Brenan Brothers. They’ve been seeking to recreate that musical energy for their entire musical careers.
Having collectively performed with the likes of Maynard Ferguson, Randy Brecker, Ralph Bowen, Geoff Keezer, Bryan Lynch, Terrell Stafford, Luis Bonilla, Sam Rivers, Bob Brookmeyer, Curtis Fuller, Slide Hampton, and Kenny Wheeler, Craig and Jim Brenan have established an iron-clad reputation as a pair of dynamic and accomplished musicians, always seeking new musical challenges that push them to their creative limits.
Says Craig: “I always liked the analogy that the pursuit of mastery is like climbing a mountain: it can be arduous, but the results are incredible.” To that end, the Brenan Brothers have recorded an album that focuses on the music that first made such an indelible impression on them: jazz from the creatively fertile but often overlooked late 1970s, featuring blistering solos and tight arrangements. The “climb” continues, as this album undoubtedly demonstrates. This is the perfect time to document the latest iteration of their band.
TheValley of Silence is a collection of arrangements and original compositions that have been rumbling around in the brothers’ collective consciousness for the past decade. The originals on the Valley of Silence were written with a spirit of abandon in mind: these pieces are soulful and meditative; complex, yet accessible. This album encourages the listener to take a journey back to a time when jazz was all about connecting to the music and telling one’s own story.