Brown Baggin is a 5-piece instrumental jazz-funk/soul-jazz band hailing from Oakland, CA. Their style is a happy marriage of many styles, from the soul-jazz of the late 60’s Blue Note years to the scientific jazz-funk of Herbie Hancock to the relentless funk grooves of James Brown and the JB’s. Put together, these styles blend to create groovin’ originals with real soul, plus a heavy dose of improvisation. Taking its lead from more recent acts such as the Greyboy All-Stars and influenced by various hip-hop artists, Brown Baggin’s members also pride themselves on finding lost funky gems by obscure artists and reintroducing them to the general public. From infectious, sample-ready grooves to raucous, ass-droppin’ funk, Brown Baggin’s eclectic rhythms are sure to satisfy the soul.
Brown Baggin was founded in 1999 by members, Kevin O’Dea, Aaron Julin and Will Dowling (sax). Back then, Groovement was the official moniker of the group. They were primarily a cover band playing songs by the likes of Cannonball Adderly, Funk Inc., Grover Washington, Grant Green, and Roland Kirk. After Dowling left back in 2001, the group found another sax player in Shane “Storm” Baird (Mystic Roots) before deciding to go sax-less a year ago. Since then, Brown Baggin’s line up can range from a four-piece unit to employing a full horn section along with vocalists and MC’s for various gigs.
