MUSIC

Da Camera of Houston presents Brandon Lee Quartet.   Saturday, March 20, 2010; 8:00 PM,  in  the Cullen Theater, Wortham Theater Center.

The talented trumpeter and graduate of Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts makes his Da Camera debut on the heels of the release of his debut album, From Within. As the youngest faculty member in the jazz studies program at The Juilliard School, Brandon Lee is committed to preserving the integrity of America’s uniquely original art form, jazz. Brandon has toured the world presenting his hard-swinging, soulful and progressive music to captive audiences. As an artist for Wren/Tang Studios, Brandon has recently released his debut album, “From Within” to critical acclaim. With praise ranging from Jazziz Magazine to jazz master Benny Golson, His style has been described as “a rare combination of power and subtlety” and as “playing from the deepest grotto of your heart’s core.”

Born in 1983 in Houston, Texas, Brandon is the middle child in a musical family of three siblings. His interest in music began at an early age. Encouraged by his father, a former band director, he began playing piano at age 2 and trumpet in the fourth grade at Parker Elementary School Fine Arts Magnet. He furthered his playing at Johnston Middle School Fine Arts Magnet. In the fall of 1997, Brandon broadened his love for jazz as he studied at the Houston High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (H.S.P.V.A.).

In the fall of 2001, Brandon Lee joined 17 other students in launching a new Jazz Studies program at The Juilliard School. In the summer of 2002 Brandon was awarded a scholarship by Wynton Marsalis to attend The International Achievement Summit in Dublin, Ireland. Since he has been a student at Juilliard, Brandon has been privileged to perform in 4 different countries with members of the Jazz Orchestra: Italy, Japan, Costa Rica, and England. In the fall of 2002, Lee was given the opportunity to perform with members of the LCJO, which included his teacher, Victor Goines on saxophones, Herlin Riley on the drums, and Richard Johnson on piano. In December of this same year he was contracted through Jazz @ Lincoln Center to play a Miles Davis Tribute Concert in the Kaplan Penthouse. Over the past few years, has played with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra in a number of concerts and was recently given the opportunity to record with them on a NBA pre-game show project in December, 2005. Also in the fall of 2007, Brandon toured with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra where he was one of the youngest members in the band.

Over a 8 year period in New York, Brandon has had the opportunity to play with a plethora of great jazz musicians: Benny Golson, Frank Wess, Clark Terry, Joe Wilder, Wynton Marsalis, Wycliffe Gordon, Tom Harell, Hank Jones, Ray Brown, Eddie Henderson, Bob Leslie Hurst, Billy Childs, Peter Washington, Carla Cook, Carl Allen, Ernestine Anderson, Lewis Nash, etc. Though a consummate sideman, Brandon has often performed as a leader in New York playing his original compositions and arrangements.

Brandon holds both a Bachelors and Masters of Music Degree from The Juilliard School’s jazz studies program.

“from Houston, one of the baddest *#$*%* on trumpet out here.” —Wynton Marsalis

The Da Camera Jazz series also includes:
Charles Lloyd, Kenny Garrett, Dianne Reeves, Ben Allison and Man Size Safe and Esperanza Spalding.