George Brooks

George Brooks BioGeorge Brooks is a diverse and prolific saxophonist and composer. For over twenty-five years he has explored the relationship between jazz and Indian Classical music and has released three CDs of original compositions, Lasting Impression and Night Spinner on Moment Records and Summit on Earth Brother Music; all hailed as groundbreaking works in the realm of Indian jazz-fusion.George has performed world wide with many of India’s most respected artists including Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, Zakir Hussain, Ud. Sultan Khan, Dr. L Subramanium, U. Srinivas, Vikku Vinayakram, Sivamani, Shankar Mahadevan, Krishna Bhatt, Kala Ramnath and many, many others. He has also performed with American minimalist pioneer Terry Riley, guitarists Larry Coryell and John McLaughlin; blues diva Etta James; avant-garde saxophonist Anthony Braxton; Motown legends, the Temptations, Mexican pop star, Juan Gabriel, guitarist Leni Stern and new American roots icon, Jackie Greene.George is the recipient of the American Composers Forum 2007 “Continental Harmony” prize and has been commissioned by Opera Piccola to compose an Indian, jazz score for their 2008 opera “Mirrors of Mumbai - A Tale of Modern India”. He is the recipient of the 2003 Arts International touring grant and the 2004 Arts International “Artist Exploration” grant.A graduate (1979) of the New England Conservatory’s jazz program, George studied saxophone with Joe Allard and composition and theory with Jaki Byard, George Russell and Wm. Thomas McKinley. After graduation he developed a close personal relationship with classical Indian vocalist Pandit Pran Nath. Brooks studied with Pran Nath-ji from 1980 until his death in 1996, absorbing the master’s incredible nuance of tone and pitch and his deep spiritual reverence for the essence of raga.George has taught on the faculties of Mills College in Oakland, CA, The Jazz School in Berkeley, CA and UC Santa Cruz. He has presented workshops and master classes at the California Institute for the Arts, Clemson University, Northern Illinois University, L.A. Music Academy, McNally Smith College of Music and the Hong Kong Cultural Center. He resides in northern California with his wife, theater director/composer, Emily Klion and their three children.