Butcher Brown’s Letters from the Atlantic has landed. The band has guests Yaya Bey, Victoria Victoria, Leanor Wolf, Nicholas Payton, and more to their Solar Music followup. LFTA is hazy and atmospheric but still very much grounded in earthier grooves from their jazz, funk, soul, and hip-hop roots. They even pay tribute to house music DJs like Theo Parrish with the smart sonic layers of “Montrose Forest.” The title is a reference to their travels up and down the East Coast and Europe. Their range of sounds includes covers of late saxophone god Wayne Shorter’s “Infant Eyes” and “Dinorah Dinorah,” which was originally recorded by jazz guitarist George Benson. Both men used jazz as their base and expanded their sound and they form parts of Butcher Brown’s lineage along with so many others like the rapper Guru. The quintet is going on tour March 29th in support of Letters from the Atlantic, with the first show in Chicago and they wrap things up in Los Angeles at the end of April. Tickets are still on sale now. 

Butcher Brown shares the spacey “Ibiza” from their next album, Letters From The Atlantic. The instrumental single builds tension with subtle percussion and ambient keys interspersed with a floaty saxophone. “Ibiza” is part of the band’s announcement for the new album, which takes its inspiration from jazz, soul, rock, funk, and more. Melanie Charles, Yaya Bey, Mia Gladstone, Victoria Victoria, Nicholas Payton, Neal Francis, and Leanor Wolfe have guest appearances. The band explained the dance music influence of “Ibiza” in a press release. 

“We recorded that joint with the idea of it tapping into something you’d hear in a dance club in New York or the UK. We’re all producers, so we’re thinking of the samples a DJ would find and chop up into a groove – but do it all live, no samples, reimagining it in our own way. There was something magical about the recording of this song, cosmic is the only way to describe that feeling. The excitement and joy everyone felt listening back in the control room was a clear sign we should get this out to the world. We hope ‘Ibiza’ takes you somewhere warm and offers a level of comfort.”

Butcher Brown released their last album, Solar Music, in 2023. Letters From The Atlantic was recorded last summer at Spacebomb Studios in their hometown of Richmond, Virginia. The eclectic jazz group’s album officially drops on March 25 on the Concord Jazz imprint, and they will kick off a tour of the United States. 

 

 

Butcher Brown Tour Dates 

Mar 29 Chicago, IL SPACE

Apr 2 Boston, MA Brighton

Apr 4 Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn Bowl

Apr 5 Philadelphia, PA Milkboy

Apr 11 Charlottesville, VA The Southern

Apr 12 Virginia Beach, VA Elevation 27

Apr 18 Portland, OR The Get Down

Apr 19 Seattle, WA Nectar Lounge

Apr 20 Vancouver, BC The Biltmore Cabaret

Apr 22 Boise, ID Neurolux

Apr 23 Salt lake City, UT State Room

Apr 26 San Francisco, CA The Independent

Apr 27 Santa Cruz, CA Kuumbwa

Apr 29 San Diego, CA Casbah

Apr 30 Los Angeles, CA Regent Theatr

Butcher Brown returns with the funky jazz of “Montrose Forest,” featuring Nicholas Payton. The Richmond, Virginia, band laid down a warm and soulful offering that has guitar work reminiscent of Wes Montgomery that supports Payton’s bluesy trumpet solo. The single is a tribute to a studio in the woods of their hometown, where they made music in the past. They were delighted to work with Payton again and shared their feelings about their latest collaboration in a press release. 

“Having Nicholas Payton guest on the track is an honor and a full circle moment for us as Butcher Brown. We first linked with him 10 years ago on our first album, ‘All Purpose Music.’ Nicholas Payton is among the last of the ‘Young Lions’ – that golden generation of jazz artists that had a direct link to the legends, like Louis Armstrong. We’re hyped to spin the block again and tell a new story with him on this single.”

Butcher Brown released their Solar Music album last year. The band is currently touring Europe, and they have a show in their Richmond hometown on December 7th at the National. 

 

Butcher Brown’s Solar Music is the next phase of their jazz-based exploration into Black pop. The Richmond, Virginia band’s musical inclusiveness is the central inspiration of the new album. The title refers back to the saying “Everything under the sun.”  The band’s creative choices have a long lineage going back to Roy Ayers, A Tribe Called Quest, Guru’s Jazzmatazz, Digable Planets, Roy Hargrove, and Robert Glasper. The kinship between jazz, hip-hop, and R&B is a fluid movement for Butcher Brown and their latest addition to the conversation builds each song with playing that swings regardless of the styles in the mix.

“Espionage” featuring guitarist Charlie Hunter stirs like a ’60s soul jazz cookout complete with a funky organ and solos that would make Eddie Hazel proud. They take another trip and make house music from Detroit, Baltimore, Chicago, and London their destination with “MOVE (Ride) featuring  East London artist Jay Prince. “Turismo” is another escape into dance music reminiscent of the days of Roni Size’s drum and bass hyper rhythms. “Eye Never Knew” conjures up a kettle of modal jazz and poetry when genre shapeshifter Pink Siifu whispers and Keyon Harrold’s trumpet blows sketches in the air. The collaborations are fresh and Butcher Brown’s grooves keep the album interesting. Limited red vinyl copies of Solar Music and merchandise are available with the usual streaming options. Their global tour started this week and tickets can still be purchased. 

 

 

                                                   Butcher Brown Tour Dates 

10/12 – Reno, NV – University of Nevada, Reno – Nightingale Concert Hall

10/17 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall

10/18 – New York, NY – (Le) Poisson Rouge

10/20 – Charlottesville, VA – The Southern Café and Music Hall

10/21 – Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe Live (upstairs)

10/22 – Pittsburgh, PA – Club Cafe

10/24 – Minneapolis, MN – Dakota

10/25 – Chicago, IL – Sleeping Village

10/26 – Detroit, MI – El Club

10/27 – Indianapolis, IN – Jazz Kitchen

11/4 – Eindhoven, NL – So What’s Next?

11/6 – London, UK – The Forge

11/7 – Antwerp, BE – De Roma

11/8 – Berlin, DE – J.A.W. (Zenner)

11/9 – Mannheim, DE – Alte Feuerwache

11/10 – Técou, FR – Coco Jazz

11/11 – Groningen, NL @ Rockit

11/12 – Rotterdam, NL – Rooterdam / Bird

11/13 – Amsterdam, NL – Bimhuis

11/14 – Charloeroi, BE – Palais des Beaux Arts

11/15 – Paris, FR – Le Trabendo

11/18 – Eilat, IL – Red Sea Jazz Festival

11/24 – Richmond, VA – The Broadberry

11/25 – Washington, DC – Atlantis

12/5 – Seattle, WA – Madame Lou’s

12/6 – Portland, OR – The Get Down

12/7 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent

12/8 – Santa Cruz, CA – Kuumbwa

12/9 – Los Angeles, CA – Lodge Room

12/10 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues, Voodoo Room