Edwin Orion Brownell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Edwin Orion Brownell
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Edwin Orion Brownell at Place des Arts, October 2009.
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| Background information | |
| Born | November 30, 1964 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | Classical Neo-classical Romantic Blues Rock R&B |
| Instruments | Piano, vocals |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Labels | Brownell Music |
| Associated acts | Longbottom (1984–1989) Inside Out (1985–1986) Gold Nugget (1985–1986) Straight No Chaser (1989–1990) Ohm (1990) Magyk (1991) Gerry (1991–1992) Black and Blue (1991–1994) Edwin and the Bedouins (1994–present) Blue Sky (1994) Souled Out (1994) Angel and the Bad Boys (1995–1998) The Derek Martin Band (1996) The Bobby Lee Silcott Band (1997–2000) |
Edwin Orion Brownell (born November 30, 1964) is a Canadian musician and writer from Ottawa, Ontario. He is known for being a concert pianist and a neo-classical composer. This means he writes new music that is inspired by older, classical styles.
His original songs are known for their beautiful melodies. He often mixes the sounds of classical piano with the free-flowing feel of blues music.
Contents
Musical Journey
Early Life and Rock Bands
Brownell began learning piano when he was only four years old. At age six, he started studying music through The Royal Conservatory of Music program in Canada. As a teenager, he switched gears and started playing rock and roll music for a living.
From 1984 to 1991, Brownell played in popular rock bands in Ontario, including Longbottom, Inside Out, and Straight No Chaser. In 1990, he moved to Montreal and started his own band, Edwin and the Bedouins. With this group, he toured across eastern Canada and even North Africa. They recorded several albums together.
During this time, he also played with many other well-known Montreal musicians. He performed with singers like Angel Forrest and members of famous bands like April Wine and Offenbach. He also opened concerts for famous Canadian artists Bruce Cockburn and Burton Cummings.
Return to Classical Music
In 2003, Brownell decided to return to his classical music roots. He began to focus on composing and performing classical piano again. His first solo piano albums, Maimonides Pops and Music of the Dance (2005), included his own songs and some classic pieces.
He continued to explore this neo-classical style in his later albums. In 2007, he released a double album of all-original music called Journey of the Spirit. In 2009, he released Smile, which was a CD and a DVD. The DVD included a documentary about his life and a video of his concert at Place des Arts in Montreal.
Working with Other Musicians
In 2012, Brownell released a chamber music album called Songs of Love and Marriage. Chamber music is written for a small group of instruments. For this album, he worked with a violin and cello duo called The Zara Strings.
Two years later, he released a live album called Forever Laughter (2014). It was recorded during his fourth concert at Place des Arts with The Zara Strings.
Writing and History
Between 2013 and 2016, Brownell wrote a history book called Operation Hannibal. The book was inspired by his mother's story of escaping the Eastern Front during World War II. The book tells the story of how the German Navy rescued over two million civilians during the last few months of the war.
He has also started writing a second book called "Panzers in Retreat." This book will look at the armies of the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany at the end of World War II.
Recent Work and Online Concerts
In 2013, Brownell's band, Edwin and the Bedouins, celebrated its 20th anniversary. They marked the occasion with a series of concerts, some of which were to raise money for charity.
When the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, Brownell started performing concerts online. He did shows almost every night for the first two months. During his online shows, he released new albums like Edwin Orion Brownell Goes Baroque and Romance.
He used his online concerts to help others. He held fundraisers for people with diseases like ALS and Arachnoiditis, for Covid relief in India, and for other musicians. One special fundraiser featured musicians Angel Forrest and Carl Dixon to help Médecins du Monde's work in Ukraine.
Brownell is now back to performing live concerts for audiences. He is also writing and producing two new albums: "The Waltz King" and "The ... is an ... and Other Hits of 2020."
Helping the Community
Brownell has often used his music to help others. He has played at many benefit concerts to raise money for different causes.
Some of the organizations he has helped include the Montreal Women's Shelter, Earth First!, Greenpeace, and the Montreal Children's Hospital. He has also raised money for Oxfam Québec to help Syrian refugees and for relief efforts in Lebanon after the 2020 Beirut explosion.
Discography
Edwin Orion Brownell classical recordings
- Maimonides Pops (2005)
- Music of the Dance (2005)
- Journey of the Spirit (2007)
- SMILE (2009)
- Songs of Love and Marriage (2012)
- Forever Laughter (2014)
- The Inside Track (2016)
- Songs for Canada (2017)
- Edwin Orion Brownell Goes Baroque (2020)
- Romance (2021)
Other recordings
- Edwin and the Bedouins
- Somebody's Watching You (1996)
- Bering and Beyond (2006)
- One for All (2011)
- Mo'Roccan the Blues (2022)
- Various artists
- Before (2018)
- Angel and the Bad Boys
- Second Hand Blues (1995)
- Angel Sings Janis (1997)
- Preservation Blues Review (1999)
- Bobby Lee Silcott
- Voodoo (1998)
- East Coast Wendy and the West
- Live at Avanti (1998)
- Too Blues
- Too Blues (1999)
- Wayne Dwyer
- Dwyer (2000)
- Fred Cusinato
- BPP Radio (2013)
