Conventional music industry wisdom has long dictated that self-titled albums are, by design and intention, introductory artistic statements reserved for an artist’s first release. While slyly admitting he’s a little late to the party, Rick Braun boldly bucks this traditional trend with his stellar latest set, a stylistically eclectic, ultra-soulful/funky and exotica tinged collection celebrating 30 years since Intimate Secrets launched him to contemporary jazz stardom and made him one of the genre’s most influential artists and producers. After hinting at fresh directions to come with the title of his 2018 album Crossroads, the versatile trumpeter and flugelhornist marks a fresh new chapter in his career with Rick Braun, the first full-on Smooth Jazz project released on his indie label Brauntosoarus Music. The project – Braun’s 19th as a leader - was executive produced by Roy McClurg, who has also served in this capacity on recordings by Mindi Abair, Darryl Williams and Michael Lington. After amassing over 20 #1 Smooth Jazz hits, producing #1s for fellow genre greats David Benoit, Marc Antoine and the late Jeff Golub, creating two of the genre’s most impactful dual albums ever (Shake It Up with Boney James, RnR with Richard Elliot) and recording three hit albums as part of the all-star trio BWB (with Kirk Whalum and Norman Brown), Rick Braun reveals the exciting truth that the multi-faceted performer is in full creative overdrive and from his unique perspective, just getting started. “With every project, every tour and each year that passes, I realize that as a musician and artist, I still have a long way to go before I am where I would like to be,” Braun says. “There’s no true final destination, and the inspiring part of that is that I can keep practicing to improve. Music is never something you perform perfectly, and so I always feel like I’m a work in progress. Everything I’ve done in the past – the accomplishments as well as mistakes - is part of who I am, but I’m always looking to explore fresh ideas, stay in the moment and just go with what feels right. Thirty years in, I still love the camaraderie of playing music with my friends.” Regarding the idea of dropping a self-titled album so deep into his discography, Braun shares that there are reasons behind “my madness” – including the fact that he wrote or co-wrote all of the songs and there are no covers. It’s also one of the few albums of his storied career to not feature at least a few of his fellow genre stars. This is partially a result of the pandemic and lockdown, which necessitated that Braun develop many of these songs further than usual by himself, isolated in his home studio. Another beautiful musical silver lining emerging from this trying time was the development of the trumpeter’s creative relationship with veteran guitarist Tony Pulizzi, who became the “house” guitarist for Braun’s long-running “Rick’s Cafe” – a popular long running weekly concert series that streamed live from Braun’s living room turned concert stage. The 70 or so, now archived shows, were high tech, five camera shoots directed by the trumpeter’s son Kyle and featured live (and of course, socially distanced) collaborations between invited guest artists. Pulizzi had played on Crossroads, but these weekly events – now on YouTube – cultivated a powerful camaraderie with Braun that led to him lending his powerful guitarisma to each track of Rick Braun, perfectly fulfilling the trumpeter’s vision for the project.   Another key collaboration further cultivated by “Rick’s Cafe” was with keyboardist Carnell Harrell, who co-wrote and played on the collection’s spirited and infectious opening track “Far Away Places.” Braun’s only other co-composition is the gracefully exotic, Latin tinged romance “Amor De Mi Vida (Love of My Life), which features its co-writer, two-time Grammy nominated artist/producer Chris “Big Dog” Davis, on keys. Once some of the lockdown restrictions lifted, Braun enjoyed bringing in some of contemporary jazz’s most storied sidemen to flesh out his sonic vision, always based on who he felt was the best match for the vibe and groove he was after. These include bassists Darryl Williams, Jimmy Haslip, Kenny Wild, Nate Philips, Oskar Cartaya and Courtney Wild; drummers Gorden Campbell, Sergio Gonzalez, Eric Valentine and Gary Novak; keyboardist Greg Phillinganes; flutist Richard Freemont; and percussionist Lenny Castro, who adds his legendary fire to take every track to a transcendent rhythmic level. Braun also showcases his own formidable keyboard chops on the tunes “Turkish,” “Da Funk,” “Back to Mallorca, “Feet First,” “Playin Around” and most emphatically on the sassy, swinging funk closing track “Four on the Floor,” which includes a colorful piano solo and dashes of bluesy B-3 magic. Another fascinating element Braun brings to the album is a ten-piece live string section, arranged and conducted by Nick Lane, on five tracks. Beyond creating textures that alternately caress and soar, these strings are Braun’s way of paying homage to the sound of the classic 60’s and 70’s albums on Creed Taylor’s legendary CTI Records. Stylistically, longtime Braun fans will clearly hear the latest fruits of his ongoing passion for incorporating world music into his trademark trumpet and flugelhorn aesthetic, as he did on classic tracks like “Tijuana Dance?” (from 2009’s All It Takes) and throughout his 2017 collection Around the Horn. The tracks on Rick Braun which tap into this aspect of his artistry include the aforementioned “Amor De Mi Vida (Love of My Life”; the buoyant, lighthearted “Turkish,” his first ever venture into Middle Eastern-Mediterranean territory; the silky and sensual, ultimately soaring brass tinged Latin fusion jam “Back to Mallorca”; and the trippy and danceable, Herb Alpert-flavored, muted trumpet and brass fueled “Feet First.” While Braun’s mastery of blending steamy seduction with vibrant funk is on display throughout, “The Color of Love” is an emotionally impactful ballad that finds him slowing down to create a sense of heart and soul intimacy. Braun, a native of Allentown, PA, counts as some of his chief influences’ greats like Till Bronner, Clifford Brown, Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan and Chet Baker, in addition to Philly originated legends from The Brecker Brothers and Jeff Lorber and fellow Allentown native Keith Jarrett. While attending the Eastman School of Music, he became a member of the jazz fusion band Auracle and cut his producing chops on their second album. He set the stage for his early 90s emergence as a contemporary jazz artist with a successful career in pop music during the 80s, writing, co-writing REO Speedwagon’s Top 20 Billboard hit “Here With Me” and working in the studio and/or on tour with everyone from Crowded House to superstars Natalie Cole, Glenn Frey, Tom Petty, Sade, Rod Stewart, Tina Turner and War. In addition to classic, genre defining Contemporary Jazz albums like Beat Street (1995), Full Stride (1998), Kisses in the Rain (2001), Esperanto (2003) and Can You Feel It (2014), Braun’s eclectic discography includes the 2005 covers album Yours Truly, the standards set Sings with Strings (2011) and his second holiday album, the independently released Swingin’ In the Snow (2012). He is also featured, along with Mindi Abair, on 2007’s Peter White Christmas. “People often ask me, what is it that keeps me going so that I can play music, but I see it as just the opposite,” Braun says. “Especially during these challenging past two years, music has been the lifeline that’s kept me going so that I can do everything else well in my life, including being the best dad I can to my amazing kids Kyle and Emma. Rick Braun is the first album in my career where I made a conscious effort to do the bulk of heavy lifting, but it’s also a wonderful example of the energy and synergy that happens playing with good friends – and the miracle of what happens when people get together and create music spontaneously. I encouraged each of them to express themselves just as they wanted to, and that contributes greatly to the magic. I enjoyed every step of making this recording for many reasons, but most of all for being able to create and share so many special moments with so many wonderful friends throughout the process.”