Latin-Jazz-Urban
trumpet / alto / bass / congas / Cuban drums
Considered Canada's premiere latin-jazz ensemble - this hard hitting multi-award winning latin-jazz unit under the leadership of Trinidadian born, New York City schooled trumpet player & composer Nick "Brownman" Ali funkifies it's audiences with Brownman's original latin-jazz-urban compositions and high-energy virtuositic jazz soloists. The amalgamation of authentic latin rhythm, jazz harmony and urban ideology, this group began it's career as a musical experiment in 2001 for Brownman in the tonal qualities of latin music composed in a chordless setting (no piano, no guitar). Unlike the rich 5 decade chordless jazz tradition, this texture had never been explored in Latin America, due to the dominance and omni-presence of the piano "montuno" or equivalent guitar structures. The result - Nick "Brownman" Ali & CRUZAO - the first chordless latin-jazz-urban ensemble in history.
Winner of the coveted 2001 Montreal Jazz Festival's "Grand Prix du Jazz" Award.
2002, 2003, 2004 National Jazz Award nominee for "Electric Group of the Year"
2006 National Jazz Award nominee for "Latin-jazz Artist of the Year.
Brownman himself awarded the 2002 National Jazz Award for "Composer of the Year" for the tunes written on debut CRUZAO CD.
2004 Independant Music Award nominee for "Alternative Latin Group of the Year".
The debut CD "Shades of Brown" sat in the number 1 position on jazz radio nation-wide for 8 months and is now part of New York University's course cirruculum on the "Evolution of latin-jazz".
CRUZAO GRUPO MONSTRUOSO
Latin-Jazz-Urban Big Band
6 horns / 3 percussionists / 2 latin vocalists / 2 rappers / 2 bassists
Normally CRUZAO - Trinidadian born jazz trumpeter Nick "Brownman" Ali's award-winning latin-jazz outfit - is a 5-man group. This special large permutation of the group was conceived in 2004 for 4 feature performances at the Distillery Jazz Festival in Toronto. Brownman has written intricate 15-man large ensemble orchestrations for this MONSTROUSO unit (affectionately refered to by it's members as "The Monster"). The group features a 6 piece horn section, 2 monster bass players(!), 2 acclaimed latin vocalists, 3 percussionists and 2 of Canada's finest freestyle rappers - MC Enlight (of GRUVASYLUM fame) and the luminous PHATT AL, all - like the original CRUZAO - still in a chordless latin-jazz setting - with no piano and no guitar.
