Brandino with Warwick
From the streets of Compton, California to the most prestigious stages and recording studios in the world,BRANDINO( Kevin Brandon) is living the American dream. Brandino, as he is known, not only beat the odds of the "hood," he also overcame the physical problems presented by congenital clubfeet and a hip displacement. After high school, Kevin gave up a full scholarship to the University of Southern California to attend Cerritos and Long Beach Colleges known for their jazz programs. Soon after, he relocated to New York City and accepted an offer to play with Tommy Dorsey. Following that he returned to Los Angeles where he studied under such great bassists as David Borkenhagen, Nathaniel Gangursky, Ami Porat, and was a protégé of Barry Lieberman from the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Since that time Kevin has had a long and successful career and, in addition to numerous sessions and live dates with some of music's greatest artists, has been Aretha Franklin's bass guitarist over a 22-year period. A "short list" of his artist clients include James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Dionne Warwick, Patti LaBelle, The Beach Boys, Bobby Lyle, Lionel Hampton, Andre Crouch, Vanessa Williams, Ben Vereen, Snoop Dog, All For One, En Vogue and Al Jaureau.
Brandino recently completed work on his latest album featuring the bass guitar and he featured the five-string Warwick Streamer and six-string Warwick Thumb. "The album really showcases the six-string Thumb," Brandino states. "Every bass player talks about how unique the sound is and the guys who have played it remark about the clarity, depth and warmth and the response of the instrument." Brandino says once he got the six-string Thumb, he actually went back and overdubbed many of the lead parts he had played with another instrument. "It was just that much better," he adds. "When you do bass records, you have a problem with separation of the bass sounds since most instruments and manufacturers have the same sound concept. The sounds are hard to distinguish and tend to run together. So, for most of the main bass parts, I used the Streamer five as my foundation tracks because depth-wise it is sonically better for that role. I did most of the slap things on Streamer as well because of the bite it has. Then I added my melody lines with the Thumb six string because of the super-clarity of the instrument." The basses were recorded live to tape via an amplifier, and according to Brandino the sound he got on tape was exactly what he heard live in the studio with no variation. On the road Brandino is using the Warwick Thumb six-string bass. "The people I have been working with have been showcasing me at some point in their shows, so the Thumb six is the ticket for that," Brandino reiterates. "I hear the same things from guys on the road that I do from guys in the studio mainly that they can't believe the sound of the instrument. The sound engineers have absolutely no problem getting the sound live, and they have told me they are amazed with how clean it sounds and how well it projects and cuts through. So if I'm working a gig where I'm going to be doing some solo stuff that's the bass I'm going to use. If I'm doing a standard R&B gig where I'm not going to solo, then I go to the Streamer five-string. With either instrument, I am constantly getting complimented on the sound from professional sound guys and players who have worked with the best and heard them all."
Warwick is proud to have Brandino as part of "the family" and wishes him continued success in all his musical endeavors!
By Dick McVey
See and Hear Brandino at www.brandino.com
Brandino recently completed work on his latest album featuring the bass guitar and he featured the five-string Warwick Streamer and six-string Warwick Thumb. "The album really showcases the six-string Thumb," Brandino states. "Every bass player talks about how unique the sound is and the guys who have played it remark about the clarity, depth and warmth and the response of the instrument." Brandino says once he got the six-string Thumb, he actually went back and overdubbed many of the lead parts he had played with another instrument. "It was just that much better," he adds. "When you do bass records, you have a problem with separation of the bass sounds since most instruments and manufacturers have the same sound concept. The sounds are hard to distinguish and tend to run together. So, for most of the main bass parts, I used the Streamer five as my foundation tracks because depth-wise it is sonically better for that role. I did most of the slap things on Streamer as well because of the bite it has. Then I added my melody lines with the Thumb six string because of the super-clarity of the instrument." The basses were recorded live to tape via an amplifier, and according to Brandino the sound he got on tape was exactly what he heard live in the studio with no variation. On the road Brandino is using the Warwick Thumb six-string bass. "The people I have been working with have been showcasing me at some point in their shows, so the Thumb six is the ticket for that," Brandino reiterates. "I hear the same things from guys on the road that I do from guys in the studio mainly that they can't believe the sound of the instrument. The sound engineers have absolutely no problem getting the sound live, and they have told me they are amazed with how clean it sounds and how well it projects and cuts through. So if I'm working a gig where I'm going to be doing some solo stuff that's the bass I'm going to use. If I'm doing a standard R&B gig where I'm not going to solo, then I go to the Streamer five-string. With either instrument, I am constantly getting complimented on the sound from professional sound guys and players who have worked with the best and heard them all."
Warwick is proud to have Brandino as part of "the family" and wishes him continued success in all his musical endeavors!
By Dick McVey
See and Hear Brandino at www.brandino.com
posted by Brandino at 2:15 AM
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