Honored to have been nominated for The Pitch's Best of Kansas City Awards in the category of jazz artist and jazz band, for my quintet! Lucky to make music with the wonderful musicians of my quintet, Matt Otto, Adam Schlozman, Jeff Harshbarger, and Brian Steever, and very thankful for the support of my family, friends, and supporters!

I will always view any award, or any nomination for that matter, as encouragement to keep fighting the good fight and to keep pushing. I just want to be better and to improve, and this will certainly fuel the fire!

If you wish to vote in The Pitch’s 2021 Best of KC awards, click the link below. Whether your vote is cast for me or one of the other nominees in the jazz categories (under Arts & Entertainment), or any of the other numerous categories, make your voices heard and shine the light on your favorite things in KC. Voting is open now until the end of September!

https://vote.thepitchkc.com/

This past August, a group of us recorded our parts from our home studios for this tremendous big band project - I had the privilege of playing lead trombone! With musicians from across the country, this was quite an undertaking; only the bass and drums were tracked together in Southern California. However, listening to this wonderful recording, you’d never know! You’d think we were all in the same studio, playing as one!

Featuring compositions and arrangements by Arthur White and the legendary Randy Brecker, this is definitely an album worth checking out. The charts are wonderful, the band sounds amazing, and the soloists are terrific across the board. 

Stream/Download UNIFY Today - Click Here!

This is also the second big band project I’ve been able to be a part of with Randy Brecker. When I was at DePaul, we recorded Dearborn Station - Live at the Jazz Showcase. If you haven’t checked that out, it’s also worth a listen.

Stream/Download DEARBORN STATION Today - Click Here!

Grateful for the opportunity to meet and make music with so many wonderful people! 

I am incredibly excited to share that I have signed on as an official endorsing artist for Kühnl & Hoyer. For more information about K&H, you can visit their website - https://www.kuehnl-hoyer.de/en/home/ or reach out to me and I’d be happy to speak with you.

“Like many musicians, for years I went from one horn to another in search of the perfect match for me. A couple of years ago, I tried out the .512 bore Bart van Lier K&H trombone of a colleague. From the first notes I played on his trombone, it was clear that this is what I was looking for.  From the moment I received my K&H trombone, I was in love with the sound, response, tuning, craftsmanship, and versatility of this instrument. Since I first got the horn a few years ago, it has continued to sound better and better, seemingly becoming even more comfortable and reliable. But most importantly, I feel that in this K&H trombone, I have found my voice as a trombonist.”

Instrument:

Bb-tenor trombone Bart van Lier, .512“ with variable weight system

I am incredibly excited to share that I have released my first ever book project, The Scales Handbook. The book was published by the IfCM Press and is available now on Amazon and on the Brian Scarborough Music online store.

The Scales Handbook is available in bass and treble clef.

To learn more about this book and to read the preface, click here.

A new review of Sunflower Song from Jazz Views. You can read the full review here.

I’m excited to share an interview I did with Simon Sargsyan at JazzBluesNews.com. It was great getting to dive into all of the questions and talk jazz, inspiration, and balance for this interview.

http://jazzbluesnews.com/2020/12/29/brian-scarborough/

Sunflower Song was listed at #6 on Plastic Sax’s list of the Top KC Jazz Albums of 2020. You can find the full list here, and read their review of the album again here. Honored to have my debut album included in this list.

Enjoy this one-hour program of holiday classics performed by Zen Brass, presented by Carrizozo Music, Inc.

For more information about Zen Brass, click here.

For more information and performances sponsored by Carrizozo music inc, click here.

Excited to share that Sunflower Song comes in at #11 on the Top Kansas City Albums and EPs of 2020 list by There Stands The Glass. It’s an honor to be listed alongside so many other outstanding local artists and bands. For the full list, click here.

A few months ago, my quintet recorded a performance for JCCC’s Jazz at Noon Series. The video of our performance is now available to watch. You can find other performances in the JCCC Jazz at Noon Series here.

Welcome to the Jazz Recital Series! Learn more: https://www.jccc.edu/carlsen-center-presents/events/2020-2021/recital-series.html These recital recordings wi...

Had a great time sitting down with Leander Young and talking life, music, and my debut album, Sunflower Song.

Brian Scarborough is a top call trombonist, improviser, composer, and educator in the greater Kansas City area. He can be seen performing around Kansas City with his own ensembles, and is a member of the People's Liberation Big Band of Greater Kansas City, the Boulevard Big Band, Zen Brass, The Kansas-Nebraska Act, and is a sub for the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra.

Write-Up in The Pitch - August 27, 2020

https://www.thepitchkc.com/jazz-trombonist-brian-scarborough-on-his-debut-album-sunflower-song/

Had a great time sitting down and talking life, music, and Sunflower song with Alan Blanchard from Outside in Music.

Listen to this episode from The Outside in Music Podcasts on Spotify. On this episode Alan talks with Brian about his recent release, what life is like during the pandemic, and how he finds his inspiration for composing.

Print and digital media reviews for Sunflower Song. New reviews will be posted as they are available.

4/21 - International Trombone Association Journal - For review, click here.

1/2/21 - Jazz Views (United Kingdom) - https://www.jazzviews.net/brian-scarborough---sunflower-song.html

10/5/20 - LA Jazz Scene (California) - http://lajazzscene.buzz/waxing-poetic-reviews/

9/22/20 - A Green Man Review (Oregon) - https://agreenmanreview.com/music-2/brian-scarboroughs-sunflower-song/

9/9/20 - Chicago Jazz Magazine (Illinois) - https://www.chicagojazzmagazine.com/post/cd-review-brian-scarborough-sunflower-song

9/4/20 - Last Row Music (Ohio) - https://www.lastrowmusic.com/audio-review-sunflower-song-by-brian-scarborough/

8/27/20 - Warta Jazz (Indonesia) - https://wartajazz.com/news/2020/08/27/trombonis-asal-kansas-city-brian-scarborough-merilis-album-sunflower-song/

8/10/20 - Plastic Sax Blog (Kansas City) - http://plasticsax.blogspot.com/2020/08/album-review-brian-scarborough.html

8/7/20 - Michael’s Music Log - http://michaelsmusiclog.blogspot.com/2020/08/brian-scarborough-sunflower-song-2020.html

5/23/20 - The Midwest Record (Illinois) - http://midwestrecord.com/MWR1660.html

Had a great time sitting down with Mike Jeffers and talking life, music, Chicago, and my debut album Sunflower Song.

Had a great time sitting down with Joe Dimino talking music, quarantine life, and my upcoming album, Sunflower Song.

Coming August 7, 2020

I’m excited to share that my debut album, Sunflower Song, will be released on Outside In Music’s Next Level recording label this coming August. The recording features nine original compositions performed by my Kansas City based quintet and album artwork by my aunt, Nebraska-based artist Patricia Scarborough.

We recorded back on January 6th and 7th, 2020 and my engineer Chad Meise and I mixed the tracks in the weeks following. The recording was mastered by Collin Jordan at the Boiler Room in Chicago, IL in March.

I am very proud of the music on this project and grateful for everyone who helped bring this recording to life.

The single, “This One’s for John”, will be released on July 10th and will be available at all of the regular online music services.

Stay tuned to my website and Facebook Page and the Outside in Music website and OiM Facebook Page for more news and information in the coming months.

Introducing: Zen Brass

A New American Brass Septet

Founded in 2019 by tubist and music director David Swanson, Zen Brass is an ambitious new brass ensemble bringing together musicians from five states and varying musical backgrounds to present an uplifting audience experience with beautiful and entertaining music. The ensemble performs original arrangements in a number of styles, resulting in a repertoire that is vast and diverse.

The group plans to present their first public performances this Fall, but in the meantime is releasing a series of Quarantine videos. Watch the first one below, and follow us online to receive regular updates about our performance schedule and catch our newest videos!

Follow us online at our website and on our Facebook Page

I am excited to announce the launch of my new project, The Jazz Etude Series. Each etude is available in bass clef, C treble clef, B-flat treble clef, and E-flat treble clef, and is accompanied by a Notes and Concept sheet offering insight into the concepts utilized in each etude.

Learn more about the new project in the video below, and find the first etude, Some Things You’re Not , on the new Jazz Etude Series page of this website (available now for free).

Check back on the first and third Monday of each month for new jazz etudes!

Plastic Sax recently named the Brian Scarborough Quintet’s August 18th performance at the RecordBar in the Top Ten of the annual Favorite Performances by Kansas City Artists list. The show comes in at #8 on the list in the company of some of Kansas City’s jazz elite.

There were many performances by local artists here in Kansas City within the past year. It’s an honor to have this performance remembered and included in this list.

To see the full list of Favorite Albums and Performances of 2019, click here.