It's not just about the show. It's about everything that happens before and after. It wasn't going to just be a concert CD. It would also have a thrilling and truly revealing DVD component that ushered the fans inside his world. This would not be a stodgy documentary, but a dynamically-lensed feature that allowed you to get up close and personal with all the action, with ever-changing angles and focal points. It would by no means be a vanity piece all about Brian.
It would be about the man AND the band that travels the globe with him. And he would go a step beyond that by also having special all-star guests such as Ray Parker Jr., Dave Koz, Eric Marienthal, Michael Lington, Eric Darius and Brian’s father Jim Culbertson joining him, so it would be even more one-of-a-kind. Lastly, instead of shooting the performance parts of the DVD on stage, he would document the band both rehearsing and performing live in the studio - playing at the same high energy level as if they were in concert, but with the advantage of optimal sound and visual lines.
Thus the concept for Live From The Inside, Brian Culbertson's jaw-dropping new DVD/CD extravaganza was born - the ultimate souvenir for fans of Brian's music and for anyone eager to experience the creation of soul-stirring music from the ground floor up.
Live From The Inside is a deluxe 2-disc set consisting of a 98-minute DVD (that features live performance, interviews, and exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, plus over 90 minutes of additional bonus content). The CD contains 12 songs (10 of which were #1 hits) that gives Culbertson fans newly-rendered versions of some of his most popular numbers, including one brand-new song titled "Go" - a sonic sequel to Culbertson’s recent chart-topping hit "Always Remember," which is also on Live From The Inside.
(One might say Brian and his band are lovingly keeping the flame of "The Fire" alive!) Like most things with Brian, this project came together very quickly in a burst of serious inspiration followed by exquisite follow-through and execution. And, as always, Brian Culbertson has thought of everything to make the project like no other before in scope, intimacy and revelation.
"I was flying home from the Berk's Jazz Festival back in March (2009) when the whole concept for this project really hit me," Brian shares. I guess you could call the concept a high energy blast of 'best of' and biography. By April I had outlined my idea and presented it to my manager. I reached out to Joey Castro to be my right hand for shooting, directing and editing the video footage.
He's done work for a wide variety of artists including Neil Diamond, John Legend and even Victoria's Secret. I'd met him while working on a music video for contemporary opera singer Micaela Haley and really loved his creative eye and energy. We decided to shoot at the legendary Capitol Records (Studio 'A') on Vine Street in Hollywood where Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, The Beatles, Nat King Cole and countless others have recorded."
Brian was able to "Capitolize" on the instinctual and harmonious vibrations of his long standing band, all of whom know each other inside out as players and friends. Those amazing and unified men are drummer Chris Miskel, bassist Lamar Jones, singer/keyboardist Eddie Miller, guitarist Wayne Bruce, sax man/singer Marqueal Jordan, trumpeter Michael Stever and latter days Earth Wind & Fire singer/guitarist Sheldon Reynolds. The result is a stunningly electrifying “live in the studio” performance filled with vigor, verve and ferocious vitality.
Familiar songs are given a new lease on life with fresh tempos and thrilling accents as Brian and his crew re-imagined the music to keep it exciting for both themselves and their audience. The band is also augmented by an expanded horn section that includes Nick Lane on trombone, Rob Schaer on trumpet and flugelhorn and Eric Marienthal (who came to prominence as a member of the Chick Corea Elektrik Band) who does triple duty on alto, tenor and baritone sax! Last but not least is first-call session percussionist Lenny Castro who has recorded and toured with everyone from Joe Sample to Fleetwood Mac.
Every musician and every special guest gets a standout section somewhere within the discs to strut their stuff. And leader/multi-instrumentalist Brian Culbertson is featured peeling off dazzling displays of his keyboard, trombone and bass playing skills.
The camaraderie and energy of the ensemble playing literally leaps forth from your speakers on gems such as the slammin' "Do You Really Love Me?," the reverent "Our Love" (composed for Brian's wife Michelle on the occasion of the first dance at their wedding), the old-school funk-fest opener "Get It On," the super sexy "On My Mind," the exceptionally smooth "Come To Me" (the oldest song of the set originally recorded on Brian's second album, Modern Life - 1995), and the absolutely gorgeous "All About You" (with soprano sax by Dave Koz - who co-wrote the piece with Brian - and Ray Parker Jr. on acoustic guitar).
The DVD also shows Brian having some fun with the `70s jams “Hollywood Swinging" (Kool & The Gang) and "Serpentine Fire" (EWF), and even includes new instrumental score cues under the behind- the- scenes segments that will keep toes tapping.
Beyond the music, you witness quiet moments behind the
music's incubation as Brian takes you on a summer afternoon drive through scenic and winding Mulholland Drive, where he often goes to clear his mind and open the portals for new music to come. Brian also takes you back to Illinois, where you see landmarks like the home in which he grew up, the high school and college where he learned his craft, the studio where he scored countless commercials, the apartment where he recorded his very first album - even his favorite pizza joint!
The tasteful video biography also shows him on the road with his band taking you through a typical "day in the life" of airports, buses, sound checks, gigs, hotels and back again. It is truly a remarkable feast for the eyes and ears.
Brian Culbertson began his quest in music at the age of 8 on piano, adding drums at 9, trombone at 10 then bass at 12. He grew up loving genre-crossing jazz-pop artists such as Chicago, Blood Sweat & Tears, Tower of Power, The Brecker Brothers, David Sanborn, Yellowjackets, Earth, Wind & Fire and Maynard Ferguson. So passionate and naturally gifted was Brian that his 7th grade piano recital consisted of all original pieces.
He flourished in high school bands with his father, Jim Culbertson, as the school’s award-winning jazz band director, then spent two years at DePaul University before going on to compose commercial jingles for clients such as United Airlines, Oldsmobile, Sears and McDonald’s in Chicago’s competitive advertising community.
In 1994 - at age 20 - Brian self-produced his debut, Long Night Out, followed in short order by Modern Life (1995 - his first album to top R&R and Gavin’s Contemporary Jazz charts, driven by the hit single “Come To Me”) and After Hours (1996). With 1997’s Secrets, the hits kept comin’ with “So Good” and “On My Mind”. His 1999 follow-up Somethin’ Bout Love also sat high among the CJ Top 20 for nearly a year with the two #1 singles “Back In The Day” and “Do You Really Love Me?”
In 2001 Brian released Nice & Slow (featuring special guest trumpeter Herb Alpert and singer/songwriter Kenny Lattimore), which spent six weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Chart thanks to the #1 singles “Get It On” and “All About You.” Then came Come On Up (2003), highlighted by a blazing cover of Earth Wind & Fire’s “Serpentine Fire” and the beautiful “Our Love.”
2005's It's On Tonight found him making the switch from Warner Bros. to GRP/Verve for a sensual leaning project featuring two more #1 singles "Hooking Up" and "Let's Get Started," as well as special guests Patti Austin, Will Downing, Ledisi, Kirk Whalum, Boney James and Chris Botti. The 2006 holiday album A Soulful Christmas swiftly followed.
2008 found him blasting back after two years with the all-star blowout Bringing Back the Funk, a salute to '70s soul music that he co-produced with the legendary Maurice White, and featured William "Bootsy" Collins and Phelps "Catfish" Collins plus members of the Rubber Band and the Horny Horns (all out of Parliament-Funkadelic), Larry Graham (of Sly & The Family Stone and his own Graham Central Station), Larry Dunn (of Earth Wind & Fire), Greg Adams (from Tower of Power), Tony Maiden and Bobby Watson (of Rufus), Michael Bland, Cora Dunham and Rhonda Smith (from Prince's bands), Maceo Parker & Fred Wesley (from James Brown's JB’s band), solo stars David T. Walker, Ronnie Laws, Gerald Albright, Tom Scott, Paul Jackson Jr., Perri and many more L.A. session greats.
This was an unprecedented assemblage of music royalty that graced the CD including the churchy standout “The House of Music” (which Brian co-wrote with Larry Graham) and his tenth chart-topper as a solo artist “Always Remember.”
From the dreamy opening montage shot on film, through all of the sharp high-definition video of the performance that was shot with six cameras, to the grittier hand-held video that was captured on the fly, Live From The Inside gives you an all-access pass to the life of Brian Culbertson - one of contemporary music's most compelling creators. Live From The Inside is a definitive piece capturing Culbertson’s youth-fired passion, sensitivity and skill – qualities that transform what would be mere music in the hands of lesser players into a heartfelt manifestation of art from the soul to the soul.
“It felt like one day I went to sleep and woke up 15 years later,” Brian marvels at his career in conclusion. “After 10 albums and countless shows I was humbled by the inspiration and the drive I have received along the way. This project is the best way I know to share my life and my music…from the inside.”
Website :- www.brianculbertson.com
