BRAXTON BROTHERS
Saxophone & Bass
They come from San Francisco and are the funky twins of smooth jazz: Nelson and Wayne Braxton aka The Braxton Brothers. During the fourth grade, they joined the school band and, by high school, each was a perennial member of the California All-State Honor Band. Then they first went separate musical ways and upon turning professional Nelson toured with Najee, while Wayne worked with Sheila E. In 1996, the twins debuted as The Braxton Brothers with ‘Steppin’ out’: a #1 Album that popularized the blended sound of sax and bass melodies, which became their signature. They wrote, arranged and produced all the material on that CD (except one cover version), and played nearly all the instruments. Wayne plays tenor and alto sax, flute, as well as keyboards; Nelson focuses on 6-string bass, but also plays fretless and wah-wah bass, as well as keyboards. They alternate on drum and percussion programming. Their smooth but funky music is distinctive, refreshing, and undeniably unique. They create irresistible melodies but compose by writing lyrics first. ‘Yes, it is a different way of writing for instrumentalists, but for us, first and foremost, we never want to be background music’, says Nelson.
Listen to Braxton Brothers on YouTube.de: