Trash to Treasure is proud to announce that
Richard Brookens of
Yellow Bell Music will be our musical guest at the
Trash2Art reception August 16, from 6-8 PM at
ArtServe in Fort Lauderdale.
Richard Brookens Bio
Richard is an arranger/composer and multi-instrumentalist performing
on saxophones (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Baritone), flutes (C and Alto),
and clarinets (Bb and Bass), Tabla drums (from India), Udu (Clay Pots),
Native American Indian Flutes, and bamboo flutes from India (Bansuri)
and China (Dizi).
During his musical career Richard has enjoyed studying and working in
many different musical styles and settings: Jazz, Rock, Classical,
Musical Theater, Flamenco, Indian, Japanese, and World Fusion. All of
these have influenced his approach to composition and improvisation in
his recordings and live performances with his World Fusion group Yellow
Bell.
While in South Florida he has worked with Bailles Ferrer, a South
Florida based Flamenco dance company, guitarist Randy Bernsen, (Jazz
Fusion), and Duo DADA, an improvisatory dance/music performance art
group. He has also been principal Saxophonist with the Palm Beach Pops.
In addition to these groups Richard freelances with many other
performing groups, including orchestras at Actor's Playhouse, New Vista
Theater, Florida Atlantic University, The Broward Performing Arts
Center, and The Kravis Performing Arts Center.
He has also performed Kirtans (devotional call and response
gatherings), and Yoga workshops on Tablas, Clay Pot, Soprano Saxophone,
and Bansuri (Indian bamboo flute) with Bhagavan Das and David Newman
(most recently at Karmapalooza 2005), or Russill Paul, Wynne Paris,
Jorge Alfano, Guru Das Singh, Guru Das Khalsa, Milk Baba, Sri VasuDeva,
Krishna Devi, Ma Bha, Swami Srinivasananda, and local Kirtan artists
like Laura DiBello, Mohini, Serpentine, Prem Shakti, and Jennifer
Vasilakos. He has played with these artists at Satsangs or Kirtans held
at South Florida Yoga studios like Yoga Warehouse, Something Yoga, Prem
Yoga, Prana Yoga, Synergy Yoga, and Yoga Connection.
Richard has allowed music from his CDs to be used in a documentary
film about the spiritual aspects of Judo, Karate, Tai-Kwan-Do, and
Tai-Chi, titled 'The Empty Mind' produced by Jon Braely of Thin Media,
Inc. in Miami Beach, FL. This film has footage and interviews never seen
until now from the Shao-lin and Wu-Dang Temples in China in addition to
the other major schools of martial arts in China and Japan. The Empty
Mind won "Best Florida Film" in the 2004 Fort Lauderdale International
Film Festival. Music from his CDs has also been used in a production of
Samuel Beckett's 'Waiting for Godot' by Robert Hooker at Sol Theatre in
Ft Lauderdale.
Richard has also composed music for a short film about the homeless
called "The Park", and been the musical supervisor for another short
film titled 'The Last Minute' both produced by Gilda Pianelli and Chasta
Natour of Rev Films. His is the musical director and composer for the
2007 film "She", produced by Gilda Pianelli for Ambassodor Films. He
also helped to re-orchestrate and rearrange music for a show about
Nefertiti by Rick Gore, Christopher Gore, and David Spangler. In July of
2001 music from his CDs was featured in a play about refugee women from
around the world called "Displaced" at Altered Stages, 212 W 29th St.,
NY, NY.
After graduating from Berklee College of Music where he majored in
composition and studied with Joe Viola, Richard studied briefly with Joe
Allard and received a National Endowment for the Arts grant to study
Jazz Improvisation with Charles Banacos. He later began his studies on
Bansuri and Tabla at the Ali Akbar College of Indian Music in San
Rafael, California.
In addition to the fine musicians above and on the Yellow Bell CDs,
he has performed with: The Artie Shaw Orchestra, Cab Calloway, trumpeter
Nat Adderly, pianist James Williams, Buddy Greco, Roy Clark, Boots
Randolph, Tiny Tim, Clark Terry, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Hal
Linden, Mary Street Dance Co., Lucie Arnaz, Jimmie Rosselli, Shirley
Jones, Tony Orlando, and has worked in many recording studios as a
player and arranger on records and commercials.
Born in Wichita, Kansas and growing up in upstate New York and the
Washington, DC area, Richard now lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
He is also certified in Sivananda and Kundalini Yoga and teaches Yoga
in the South Florida area at Barry University in Miami Shores, Yoga
Connection in Plantation, The Hillsboro Club in Deerfield Beach,
community centers in Pompano Beach, and Golds Gyms in Pompano Beach and
Ft Lauderdale.
Listen to samples of Richard's work
here.
Thanks to Richard for performing. See you at the reception.
