Bob Brozman

Learning to Play

Biographies

Bob Brozman, photo courtesy Bob Brozman For much more information about Bob Brozman, check out his web site at http://www.bobbrozman.com!

Redefining musical diversity worldwide, Bob Brozman is an exceptionally rare artist whose wit, energy, and musical technique combine powerfully to create an unforgettable live performance. A master of slide, fingerstyle, and percussive guitar, Bob’s exhilarating show spans the global and musical spectrum, and keeps audiences enthralled, begging for more of his endearing, infectious energy.
Bob’s familiarity with diverse world music cultures produces a novel blending of rhythmic and timbral influences, unparalleled in today’s musical environment. His rhythmic dexterity resonates with elements of blues, jazz, Gypsy swing, calypso, sega, and even the most modern hip-hop and ska beats. Likewise, his chords and harmonies articulate an acute blend of timbres from Hawaiian, Indian, African, Japanese/ Okinawan, Caribbean, and American roots blues. His fingerwork has been described in world press as uniquely staggering, yet full of humor. Bob has a collection of hand-tricks that make audiences look for electronic effects that in fact don’t exist: his show is the clean product of acoustic genius.
A lifelong study of ethnomusicology and the global migration of musical styles ensures Bob’s committed attention and respect to each of the cultures in his repertoire. He casually shares historical facts with his audience, and charms them with his ability to integrate the local language into his show. “Ja som hudobnik blasnivu ako byk” in Slovak, “Je suis un artiste trop sensible” in French, “Der schadenfreude von der kase mit schinken” in German, “Moi le content a zouer po zot” in Reunionnaise Creole, “Watashi no kotoba chisai na, demo watashi wa kokoro oki na” in Japanese, “Mina soitan bluesia satana” in Finnish – Bob’s disarming talent for humor and rapport invariably adds spice to his already well-seasoned repertoire of music.
Undoubtedly, however, Bob’s preferred language is music – which he speaks fluently, around the world. His most recent projects have rendered him a true player in the world music scene. In the past year alone, he collaborated on stage and in the studio with over four dozen artists in more than 13 different countries. At the 1999 Festival d’Été in Quebec, for example, Bob assembled an international troupe that included Debashish & Subashish Bhattacharya (India), Takashi Hirayasu (Okinawa), Rene Lacaille (La Reunion), Djeli Moussa Diawara (Guinea), George Pilali (Greece), Romane (French Gypsy guitarist), La Familia Valera (Cuba), and George Gao (China) – all performing for the first time together, live on-stage!
In the last two years, (in between and during a non-stop worldwide touring itinerary) Bob has completed eleven full-length recordings with many of these individuals, most notably Jin Jin (with Hirayasu); Ocean Blues (with Diawara), Sunrise (with Bhattacharya); Tone Poems 3 (with David Grisman); Get Together (with Woody Mann); Four Hands Sweet & Hot (with Cyril Pahinui); plus 2001 releases with Rene Lacaille (Reunion), Ledward Kaapana (Hawaii) and a second project with Takashi. An abundance of projects such as these has established Bob as, according to one reviewer, “the man whose musical empathy and energy seems to know no bounds.”
As journalist Paul Fisher notes, “If music existed in another universe, Bob would be the Planet Earth’s representative for an interplanetary collaboration.”

Bob Brozman heartily endorses the following equipment:

National Resophonic (of course) - I've designed a 27"scale baritone tricone!
Bear Creek (Weissenborn and Kona reproductions), playing two of them, the Kona in high tuning (bottom to top: G C G C E G), and a regular model. I'm also developing a 27"scale big seven-string Weissenborn model
Santa Cruz guitars - Ii have a special signature model, 27" scale semi-baritone bottleneck guitar, which combines 12-fret D, Weissenborn and Larsen qualities!
John Pearse strings
Jim Dunlop picks
LatchLake slides (I designed the Broz-O-Phonic bar)

Bob's tour schedule may be found on his web site.

Bob Brozman

Other Links

Discography (updated version found on his web site)