The late George Brown was a legendary R&B musician, best known for his drumming in the iconic band Kool & The Gang. Born in 1949 in Jersey City, NJ, Brown taught himself to play drums on a makeshift set in his New Jersey basement. His early efforts culminated in the formation of Kool & The Gang, a band that would go on to dominate the charts and influence generations of musicians.
By high school, George Brown was performing in jazz clubs six nights a week alongside future Kool & The Gang members, including Robert “Kool” Bell and Ronald Bell. Brown's grooves became a cornerstone of the Kool & the Gang's sound, helping them become the most sampled band in hip-hop.
On April 18, Jazz in Paris, the second posthumous album from the legendary Kool & The Gang co-founder and Rock n Roll Hall of Famer George “Funky” Brown , will be released via Astana Music.
Inspired by smoky jazz clubs in Paris and New York in the late '50s and '60s, the album reflects George’s deep love for jazz and the spirit of Miles Davis' great quintets. It was largely recorded at his LA home studio during the pandemic before his passing in 2023. Brown died after a long battle with cancer.
George's widow, music executive and co-producer Hahn Pham Brown and Curtis F. Williams (Kool & The Gang Musical Director, pianist, keyboardist and album collaborator) joined WBGO's Doug Doyle to talk about the new release.
The first single released, “Lisa”, is a sultry, classic jazz composition that features smooth instrumentation, brass accents, and a full-bodied walking bassline. On the track, George Brown performs drums, vocals, percussion, and keyboards, highlighting his remarkable range as a multi-instrumentalist.
Curtis Williams says "Lisa" is one of many beautiful songs on the album.
"It's very poignant and meaningful. "Lisa" is is dedicated to the daughter of one of their former managers (Charlie Collins) who passed. George was very emotional when it came to relationships with family and friends who were so meaningful and significant in his life. This was dedicated to Lisa. You also hear the depth of the jazz influence and the flavor of it. We added some live instrumentation on top of it, live trumpet, and things these were done posthumously, so George wasn't there but his spirit looms large. We just wanted to honor George's spirit as much as we could."
Jazz in Paris is a meticulously crafted body of work that blends the timeless elegance of classic jazz with Brown’s signature touch, reflecting his lifelong dedication to the universal language of music.
Co-produced by Curtis F. Williams and the late Wolfgang Amadeus Aichholz, and with Claude Ismael as Executive Producer, the album captures Brown’s love for jazz while incorporating contemporary influences he gathered throughout his illustrious career.
You can feel and hear the inspiration of Miles Davis in Jazz in Paris, especially on the track "MDD" (Miles Dewey Davis).
Hanh Pham Brown says this project was a labor of love for her.
"It definitely was. To get through this process when he was sick he went into the studio to basically release all his emotion, his pain and love for everything. he pretty much went in there as much as he could. He mustered through his
tumultuous time of suffering and went in there and released all that. It's amazing."
The 2023 release of his memoir, Too Hot: Kool & The Gang & Me is a real, inside personal look at George. Hahn says he was a private and visionary man.
"George would see things way ahead of his time. Musically he would sometimes write things that are still timeless to this day. He saw a lot of thing and could almost predict what would happen."
Originally known as the Jazziacs, the band evolved into Kool & The Gang in 1969, blending jazz, funk, and soul into a groundbreaking sound that sold millions of records worldwide and earned them induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2024. With ‘Jazz in Paris,’ Brown comes full circle—returning to his jazz roots while leaving behind a timeless tribute to the music that first inspired him.
Hahn Pham Brown says she would have loved for George to be there when Kool & The Gang was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
"I just wish all the members that passed were here to see and celebrate that moment. It was something that George had fought for so hard. I know George and the others were there in spirit to celebrate and stood by JT (lead singer James Warren Taylor) and Kool's side at the ceremony."
Curtis Williams got emotional when talking about many of the tracks on the album.
"It was an honor being involved. All the songs are beautiful. It's such a beautiful portrait but I have to point out "Francess" because the melody is hauntingly beautiful, the chord structure, the way the woodwinds work with each other. It's a simple melody, but what's under it is mind-blowing. I get chills. It was so beautiful."
Hanh summed up Jazz in Paris nicely.
"It's a performance and an album that people are going to talk about."
‘Jazz in Paris’ Tracklist:
- Lisa
- What I Love About You
- Juliette
- MDD
- Francess
- Daddy Jazz Bow
- Addicted to the Hustle
- West End Avenue
- The Kat
- Jardin De Lapin
- In the Land of Allah – In the Land of God
You can SEE Doug Doyle's entire interview with Curtis F. Williams and Hanh Pham Brown here.
