Brazzaville is an indie rock band. Such an interesting name was given to the group in honor of the capital of the Republic of the Congo. The group was formed in 1997 in the USA by former saxophonist David Brown.
Line-up of the Brazzaville band
Brazzaville's constantly changing line-up can rightfully be called international. The members of the group were representatives of such states as America, Spain, Russia, Turkey.
The current line-up includes lead singer David Brown, guitarist and backing vocalist Paco Jordi, keyboardist Richie Alvarez, drummer Dmitry Shvetsov and bassist Brady Lynch. During the tour, the musicians managed to visit all corners of the globe.
David preferred to travel with different line-ups of musicians depending on the country they were going to, in order to keep the music vibrant. After all, each member of the group brought a part of their culture to the music.
Biography and career of the lead singer of the band David Arthur Brown
The band leader's full name is David Arthur Brown. He was born on June 19, 1967 in Los Angeles. Since childhood, the boy loved to travel, so even in his youth he made a trip to some European, Asian and South American countries, where he became a saxophonist. In 1997 he participated in the band of a musician named Beck Hansen. At the same time, he began playing the guitar and composing his own compositions.
The beginning of the creative path of the group Brazzaville
David Brown formed the band in Los Angeles in 1997. They didn't come up with the name right away. But one day, in one of the local newspapers he read, David was interested in an article about a coup in the capital of the Republic of the Congo. The bright title of the article was remembered and eventually transformed into the name of the newly created collective Brazzaville.
The group spent its first years after its creation in Los Angeles. During this period, the musicians recorded and released three albums. Members of the group took part in many local shows. Together with an old friend Beck, David went on a short tour in 2002. Beck became David's friend after they met and performed together in a Hollywood coffee shop in the late 1980s.
Band discography
Brazzaville recorded their debut albums 2002 and Somnam Bulista in a Hollywood studio in 2002. From the first years of their existence, they have been recognized by many successful musicians.
Rouge on Pockmarked Cheeks (the band's third album) owes its appearance to famous producers Nigel Godrich and Tony Hoffer.
David Brown in 2003 decided to move to Spain, to Barcelona, where he joined the group of musicians from Europe. The renewed team recorded the next album Hastings Street. In the autumn of the same year, the musicians visited the Russian "fans" with two performances - in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Here the group gained its popularity due to the use of its music by Artemy Troitsky on his radio show.
In 2005, Brazzaville visited Istanbul, taking part in the famous jazz music festival. Turkish listeners warmly received the musicians, who eventually became frequent guests of the sunny country.
In 2006, the musicians recorded and released the first CD of East LA Breeze. Then, in their careers, the team members counted the start of the European period in creativity. At the same time, the group gave a new sound to one of Viktor Tsoi's songs.
The musicians finished the album 21st Century Girl in 2007 and presented it to the audience in 2008. David recorded one of the released songs The Clouds in Camarillo in two languages (Russian and English) together with a good friend Misha Korneev. The song refers to the period when the soloist's mother was treated in a mental hospital.
David Brown arrived in Turkey, this time to record a new album with renowned Turkish producer Denis Salian. The album gained immense popularity, taking pride of place in the music charts in Europe and the world. In 2009, the leader of the group Brazzaville wrote and released his debut solo album.
The following year became a truly touring year for the band. The musicians presented performances in many countries, including: Turkey, Ukraine, Brazil, Russia, the United States of America, as well as Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, etc.
Reorientation of musical activity
Two years later, the band released their ninth album, Jetlag Poetry, which, in addition to the usual new songs, included some cover songs. At the end of spring, the team was invited to tour the Chinese provinces.
The leader of the group often organized minor performances (“kvartirniki”) for closer contact with the audience, which cannot be achieved at full-scale concerts.
The album was released in 2013. During that period Zemfira created a new project, organized by the band members, The Uchpochmack, where David sang in Russian in one of the compositions.
Creativity of musicians at the present time
Until now, the music of the group under the auspices of the permanent leader pleases representatives of different generations.
