Biography
Brandon Coleman earns recognition first and foremost as a versatile keyboardist whose performances and recordings have placed him alongside Kamasi Washington, Flying Lotus, Al Jarreau, and Babyface. He has also issued the albums Self Taught (2015), Resistance (2018), and Interstellar Black Space (2022), buoyant yet intricate sets that let the jazz-based musician pursue his affinity for electronic funk.
Drawing deeply from late-'70s and early-'80s breakthroughs by Herbie Hancock, George Duke, Zapp, and Prince, these releases display Coleman's command of multiple electric keyboards and synthesizers together with his songwriting, arranging, production, and vocoder-treated vocal abilities.
A Los Angeles native, Coleman took up piano as a teenager under the guidance of his brother Marcus Coleman and, following high school, continued his training at the local Colburn School. He emerged as a sought-after touring and session musician in the early 2000s. After forging lasting ties with Kamasi Washington, Ryan Porter, and other prominent L.A. players, he extended his reach to Babyface, Alicia Keys, and Anthony Hamilton, becoming arguably the sole bridge between polyglot experimentalist Flying Lotus and smooth jazz mainstay Boney James; Coleman has contributed regularly to FlyLo projects since 2012's Until the Quiet Comes, while his first session with James arrived on the following year's The Beat.
Coleman stepped forward as a leader in 2011 with Self Taught, a hyperkinetic yet structured recording featuring tenor saxophonist Washington, trombonist Porter, violinist Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, and many additional musicians. (The set was reissued in 2015 on Beat Japan.) Between his own projects he maintained a busy schedule of live work and studio sessions. Coleman's breadth appears in one striking stretch: within three months in 2014, jazz vocalist legend Al Jarreau, contemporary singer/songwriter Colbie Caillat, and Flying Lotus each released Coleman-assisted albums—namely My Old Friend: Celebrating George Duke, Gypsy Heart (Coleman is on the platinum single "Try"), and You're Dead!
After joining Flying Lotus' Brainfeeder label, Coleman delivered his second album, Resistance, in 2018. A joyous act of opposition to unacknowledged tyranny, the project enlisted more than twenty singers and players while spotlighting his keyboard prowess. Following further sideman appearances on Flying Lotus' Flamagra, Thundercat's Grammy-winning It Is What It Is, and Moses Sumney's græ, Coleman mapped out a third album with a comparatively live sound in mind. Issued on Brainfeeder in 2022, the resulting Interstellar Black Space incorporated contributions from many of his regular associates, while trumpeter Keyon Harrold, bassist Ben Williams, and drummer Marcus Gilmore supported him on two mostly-acoustic pieces. Fusion throwdowns, funk jams, and soul ballads completed the program.
Drawing deeply from late-'70s and early-'80s breakthroughs by Herbie Hancock, George Duke, Zapp, and Prince, these releases display Coleman's command of multiple electric keyboards and synthesizers together with his songwriting, arranging, production, and vocoder-treated vocal abilities.
A Los Angeles native, Coleman took up piano as a teenager under the guidance of his brother Marcus Coleman and, following high school, continued his training at the local Colburn School. He emerged as a sought-after touring and session musician in the early 2000s. After forging lasting ties with Kamasi Washington, Ryan Porter, and other prominent L.A. players, he extended his reach to Babyface, Alicia Keys, and Anthony Hamilton, becoming arguably the sole bridge between polyglot experimentalist Flying Lotus and smooth jazz mainstay Boney James; Coleman has contributed regularly to FlyLo projects since 2012's Until the Quiet Comes, while his first session with James arrived on the following year's The Beat.
Coleman stepped forward as a leader in 2011 with Self Taught, a hyperkinetic yet structured recording featuring tenor saxophonist Washington, trombonist Porter, violinist Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, and many additional musicians. (The set was reissued in 2015 on Beat Japan.) Between his own projects he maintained a busy schedule of live work and studio sessions. Coleman's breadth appears in one striking stretch: within three months in 2014, jazz vocalist legend Al Jarreau, contemporary singer/songwriter Colbie Caillat, and Flying Lotus each released Coleman-assisted albums—namely My Old Friend: Celebrating George Duke, Gypsy Heart (Coleman is on the platinum single "Try"), and You're Dead!
After joining Flying Lotus' Brainfeeder label, Coleman delivered his second album, Resistance, in 2018. A joyous act of opposition to unacknowledged tyranny, the project enlisted more than twenty singers and players while spotlighting his keyboard prowess. Following further sideman appearances on Flying Lotus' Flamagra, Thundercat's Grammy-winning It Is What It Is, and Moses Sumney's græ, Coleman mapped out a third album with a comparatively live sound in mind. Issued on Brainfeeder in 2022, the resulting Interstellar Black Space incorporated contributions from many of his regular associates, while trumpeter Keyon Harrold, bassist Ben Williams, and drummer Marcus Gilmore supported him on two mostly-acoustic pieces. Fusion throwdowns, funk jams, and soul ballads completed the program.
Albums
Singles
