Gitkin

Gitkin applies the phrase "International Cowboy Funk" to his output, a body of instrumental recordings built around his atmospheric guitar tone saturated in reverb and supported by relaxed grooves that absorb Latin, African, and Middle Eastern influences along with the swampy R&B pulse of New Orleans, the city he now calls home. Before unveiling the Gitkin endeavor he had already worked extensively as a producer and sideman, launching the project with the 2018 album 5 Star Motel and thereby attracting a devoted cult audience. He stayed on that same creative trajectory with later releases, among them 2020’s Safe Passage, which brought in guest vocals by Carol C. on two tracks, and 2024’s Golden Age, which featured multi-instrumentalist Assaf Spector.

Brian J. Gitkin was born in Brooklyn, New York, and first attracted notice as guitarist and co-founder of the funk band the Pimps of Joytime. Credited as Brian J., he functioned as the group’s chief songwriter and producer; their recorded debut arrived in 2007 with the album High Steppin’. Regular touring helped the Pimps of Joytime cultivate a loyal following, while the quality of their studio work opened doors for him as a session musician and producer, especially after he settled in New Orleans. In that role he produced and mixed material for New Orleans funk legend Cyril Neville, New Birth Brass Band member James Andrews, Mississippi blues scion Cedric Burnside, DJ and producer Nickodemus, and iconic studio drummer Bernard Purdie, among others.

As Brian developed ideas that lay outside the Pimps of Joytime’s orbit, he introduced the Gitkin alias and began placing spacious, reverberant guitar lines over instrumental arrangements that fused funk, jazz, and world-music textures. The project’s first release, 2018’s 5 Star Motel, found its own listeners when tracks such as “Grand Street Feast” and “Tail Chaser” gained traction on major streaming services. Although that debut remained fully instrumental, the second album, 2020’s Safe Passage, included two songs featuring vocalist Carol C., with Gitkin himself restricted to guitar. Rising popularity prompted him to assemble a touring lineup, and audience support financed the third LP, 2023’s Nowhere to Go But Everywhere, which once more featured Carol C. on “Tesoro.” The fourth Gitkin album, 2024’s Golden Age, added producer and multi-instrumentalist Assaf Spector to the sessions, where he appeared on the title track.