Brian Mitchell (musician)
Encyclopedia
Brian Mitchell is a keyboard and accordion
player based in New York City who is well known for high-profile collaborations, and for consummate session work.
Brian has toured extensively around the world, from The Apollo in Harlem, Tipitina's in New Orleans to Ronny Scott's in London and The Blue Note in Japan. He has appeared in concert halls and at festivals including Lincoln Center in New York, The Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy, The North Sea Jazz Festival and The New Orleans Jazz & Blues Heritage Festival.
, Al Green, B.B. King, Allen Toussaint and Levon Helm. He can be seen performing with Levon as a member of the The Midnight Ramble in Woodstock. Brian is featured on Levon’s new CD Dirt Farmer which recently won a Grammy. He can also be heard on all-star sessions such as Les Paul & Friends with Peter Frampton
and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top
and B.B. King & Friends 80 with John Mayer and Gloria Estefan. Both of those CD’s were also awarded Grammy’s. Brian’s unique approach to performing and recording in the studio was the subject of an article in Keyboard Magazine.
Brian released two CD's of his riginal music, Songs From The Underground, and his latest, Diggin Up The Roots. He also records and performs with House Of Diablo, a collaboration with drummer Shawn Pelton that showcases his more electronic improvisational side. His extraordinary versatility on piano, Hammond B-3, accordion, and other various keyboards, plus his distinctive vocal styling have firmly established him as one of New York City's most gifted and sought after musicians.
Brian's work as a composer has been featured in TV, film, and theater. His original music with House Of Diablo was used in the soundtrack for the Robert Altman film Tanner On Tanner. His blues piano stylings were also heard in the recent Broadway production of August Wilson's Seven Guitars.
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
player based in New York City who is well known for high-profile collaborations, and for consummate session work.
Brian has toured extensively around the world, from The Apollo in Harlem, Tipitina's in New Orleans to Ronny Scott's in London and The Blue Note in Japan. He has appeared in concert halls and at festivals including Lincoln Center in New York, The Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy, The North Sea Jazz Festival and The New Orleans Jazz & Blues Heritage Festival.
Brian Mitchell's Collaborations
He has recorded and performed with some of music's most respected artists, including Bob DylanBob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Al Green, B.B. King, Allen Toussaint and Levon Helm. He can be seen performing with Levon as a member of the The Midnight Ramble in Woodstock. Brian is featured on Levon’s new CD Dirt Farmer which recently won a Grammy. He can also be heard on all-star sessions such as Les Paul & Friends with Peter Frampton
Peter Frampton
Peter Kenneth Frampton is an English musician, singer, producer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. He was previously associated with the bands Humble Pie and The Herd. Frampton's international breakthrough album was his live release, Frampton Comes Alive!. The album sold over 6 million copies...
and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969...
and B.B. King & Friends 80 with John Mayer and Gloria Estefan. Both of those CD’s were also awarded Grammy’s. Brian’s unique approach to performing and recording in the studio was the subject of an article in Keyboard Magazine.
Brian Mitchell's Original Music
Brian Mitchell's original music features a unique blend of gutbucket blues, funky New Orleans style R&B, quirky Latin rhythms, and occasional visits into outer space.Brian released two CD's of his riginal music, Songs From The Underground, and his latest, Diggin Up The Roots. He also records and performs with House Of Diablo, a collaboration with drummer Shawn Pelton that showcases his more electronic improvisational side. His extraordinary versatility on piano, Hammond B-3, accordion, and other various keyboards, plus his distinctive vocal styling have firmly established him as one of New York City's most gifted and sought after musicians.
Brian's work as a composer has been featured in TV, film, and theater. His original music with House Of Diablo was used in the soundtrack for the Robert Altman film Tanner On Tanner. His blues piano stylings were also heard in the recent Broadway production of August Wilson's Seven Guitars.
Public Appearances
He has made frequent TV appearances including performances on The Tonight Show, The Today Show, The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The View, Austin City Limits, and a cameo on the soap opera One Life To Live. Brian's accordion can be heard throughout Bob Dylan's version of the Dean Martin chestnut Return To Me on an episode of The Soprano's. Other special collaborations include recording with Christopher Walken in the movie Search and Destroy, and accompanying ex-President Bill Clinton, Cher, and Nathan Lane in a rousing version of “Happy Birthday” for his wife Hillary at The Roseland in NYC.Bands in which Brian Mitchell leads or appears
- Brian Mitchell Band (leads)
- The MONSTAS
- House of Diablo
- Levon Helm Band
- Paul Shapiro's Midnight Minyon
External links
- http://www.brianmitchellmusic.com - Brian Mitchell Music website
- http://www.myspace.com/brianmitchellmusic - Brian Mitchell Music "Myspace" page
- http://www.levonhelm.com/band_bios/Brian_Mitchell.htm - About Brian Mitchell on Levon Helm's website
- http://www.keyboardmag.com/article/saint-new-orleans/nov-06/23964 - "The Saint of New Orleans Piano" (Interview by Brian Mitchell of musician Allen Toussaint in Keyboard Magazine, November, 2006)