Brainfeeder’s Brandon Coleman trades the Hollywood Bowl for Sierra Madre’s most intimate stage

Coming to the Sierra Madre Playhouse is pianist and composer Brandon Coleman to exhibit the newest sounds from his work. He’ll be taking a quintet there on September 6th at 8:00 PM, a band he’s still piecing together to figure out who fits best.

“I’ve been playing with different ensembles, and I know everybody likes to stick to the same band, but I’ve been experimenting with different musicians,” says Coleman.

After a bright residency at the West Hollywood Sun Rose Hotel, he is in a great creative state for the show, saying “I feel like that’s been a highlight in the last 6 months. Being able to just explore some more music, explore my music, you know?”

Both the Sun Rose and the Sierra Madre Playhouse are intimate venues, with capacities under two hundred to bring the artist and listener closer together. It’s made a decision necessary as to whether the show will bring out violin parts or a voice to highlight that setting. The venues also allow Coleman to connect in a way he pleasantly enjoys.

“I can play, you know, one finger snap or blue bossa all day, you know, but you play one theme from a movie, like ET or Back to the Future, and then people are like, oh, wait a minute. I love when you played that theme. And then it’s like a conversation happened,” said Coleman. “I’m used to playing on bigger stages, so anytime I get to a smaller stage I like the feeling because the audience is listening better and it’s a different energy,” Coleman continued.

‘I keep my sound close, coveted.’ – Brandon Coleman

The conversation come September will be around some of Coleman’s own work with the Brainfeeder label, as well as the music he’s arranged and composed for films. The sound he’s cultivated is deeply varied, and marked with contemporary techniques while still keeping more traditional jazz sounds relevant for his listeners. His 2022 album Interstellar Black Space shows an impressive mastery of jazz fusion, bringing in electronics, vocoding (tonal alterations to voice recording), and pop to orchestral sounds.

His 2018 work Resistance brings out a more present soul sound, with a larger focus on brass. It gets a little deeper with jazz-funk elements, bringing in Kamasi Washington as a key player on the album. While the Sierra Madre Playhouse show won’t feature Washington, his sound will surely still permeate the playhouse as a longtime peer and influence of Coleman’s.

Born in Los Angeles, he’s been through the circuit, playing at venues such as the Hollywood Bowl, and alongside artists including Thundercat, Flying Lotus, and the aforementioned Kamasi Washington.

Now, the special sound of Coleman will be coming, with a show concise on its setting and ready to be singular in how it executes. “I keep my sound close, coveted. Over the years I realized how special it was, and it’s something I treasure more now,” said Coleman.

Tickets, which are $35, and information can be found by calling 626.355.4318 or at their website.