by Timothy Rutt
Altadena's own Brian Hughes and his band will sweeten the night with music Saturday night as part of the Sheriff Support Group of Los Angeles' summer concert series at Farnsworth Park:
Brian Hughes has carved out an impressive career in the contemporary jazz arena. His first two albums, "Between Dusk and Dreaming" and "Under One Sky," firmly established him as one of the foremost guitarists and composers in the genre, perfectly blending his fluid and emotive guitar style into an exciting, melodic mix of Latin, Jazz and World Music compositions. After being picked as a winner in JAZZIZ Magazine's "Guitars On Fire" competition his subsequent recordings "Straight To You," "One 2 One," "Shakin' Not Stirred," "Along the Way," "Live" and the concert DVD "No Reservations" have received critical acclaim and major radio air play from coast to coast. With his sizzling fret work and infectious compositions the media are accurate in saying: "Both a great artist and an accessible one. His passion is so obvious, intense and contagious, that his audience shares it." Brian has received the SOCAN / BMI "Jazz & Instrumental Composer of the Year" award seven times from 1997 to 2011 and the title track from "Shakln' Not Stirred" was featured on an episode of HBO's "Sex and the City".
Hughes' new release is titled Fast Train To A Quiet Place and features an all-star lineup: Matt Rodhe: Keyboards, (Prince, Christina Aguilera), Tal Bergman: Drums, (Joe Bonamassa, Rod Stewart), Ron Powell: Percussion, (Kenny G, Madonna), and Rufus Philpot: Bass, (AI DiMeola, Jeff Golub).
Hughes is well known for his 25 year parallel career recording and touring with world renowned vocalist Loreena McKennitt ("The Mummer's Dance"). Brian's skills as a musician (guitars, oud, bouzouki) and his production talents are evident on her recent platinum recording "The Wind That Shakes the Barley", the concert DVD "Nights From The Alhambra", filmed in Granada, Spain, and her past eight multi-platinum recordings. Brian has toured the world several times with Loreena, appeared on the "Late Show" with David Letterman and received a Juno (Canadian Grammy) nomination as" Producer of the Year" for his work on her platinum selling album "The Visit".
The Sheriff Support Group of Altadena's Summer Concert Series starts at 7 PM Saturday, Aug. 25, at Farnsworth Park Amphitheater, Lake and Mt. Curve Avenues. Beer and wine are available through the Rotary Club of Altadena, and El Patron Mexican Restaurant will have food for sale. Admission is free.
