Edwin Orion Brownell facts for kids

Edwin Orion Brownell at Place des Arts, October 2009.

Edwin Orion Brownell, born in Ottawa, Canada, on November 30, 1964, is a talented Canadian musician and author. He is known as a concert pianist and a composer who creates neo-classical music. His original songs are often described as very melodic, mixing classical music with a bluesy, improvisational feel.

About Edwin Orion Brownell

Early Life and Music Journey

Edwin started playing piano when he was just four years old. By age six, he was already studying with The Royal Conservatory of Music, a famous Canadian music school. He continued his classical training until his late teens. Then, he began playing rock and roll professionally.

From 1984 to 1991, Edwin was part of popular rock bands in Ontario. These included Longbottom, Inside Out, and Straight No Chaser. In 1990, he moved to Montreal. There, he started his own band, Edwin and the Bedouins.

Touring and Recording

With Edwin and the Bedouins, he toured across eastern Canada and North Africa. They recorded several albums, such as Somebody's Watching You (1996) and Bering and Beyond (2006). Other albums include One for All (2011) and Before (2018). During this time, he also played with many other top Montreal bands.

As a bandleader, Edwin performed in nightclubs and arenas in central Canada. He played with famous Montreal musicians. These included singers Angel Forrest and Bobby Lee Silcott. He also worked with drummer Jerry Mercer from April Wine. Guitarist John McGale and bassist Breen LeBoeuf from Offenbach also joined him. Edwin even opened shows for well-known artists like Bruce Cockburn and Burton Cummings.

Return to Classical Music

In 2003, Edwin Orion Brownell went back to his classical music roots. He focused on performance, composition, and orchestration. His first two solo piano albums, Maimonides Pops and Music of the Dance (both from 2005), featured a mix of his own songs and classical pieces.

He continued to explore his neo-classical style with his double album, Journey of the Spirit (2007). In 2009, he released Smile, which was a CD and DVD set. This set included a documentary about him and concert footage from his 2007 show at Place des Arts in Montreal.

In 2012, Edwin launched his chamber music album, Songs of Love and Marriage. This was his first time arranging music for a group of classical instruments. It featured The Zara Strings, with Flaviu and Loredana Zanca on violin and cello. His next CD was a live album called "Forever Laughter" (2014). He released it with The Zara Strings at his fourth Place des Arts concert.

Writing Books

Between 2013 and 2016, Edwin wrote a history book called Operation Hannibal. He was inspired by his mother's escape from the Eastern Front during World War II. The book tells her story and describes how the German Navy helped evacuate over two million civilians in the final months of the war.

He has also started writing a second book, titled "Panzers in Retreat." This book will explore the armed forces of the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany at the end of World War II.

Recent Projects and Online Concerts

The year 2013 also marked 20 years for his band, Edwin and the Bedouins. They celebrated with many shows and benefit concerts. These events featured musicians like Breen LeBoeuf and Jerry Mercer.

During this time, Edwin also created two more chamber music CDs. "The Inside Track" was launched in 2016. His eleventh CD, "Songs for Canada," was released in 2017.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, Edwin started performing online concerts. He did nightly shows for the first two months. His album "Edwin Orion Brownell Goes Baroque" was released during his 99th online show. He continued his "Corona Family Concert" series, doing shows for various causes. He raised money for diseases like ALS and for Covid Relief in India. He also launched his 14th album, "Romance," during this series.

He later restarted his online concerts when new restrictions came. During his fourth series, he raised money for feral cats. He also launched his 15th CD, "Mo'Roccan the Blues." He hosted another fundraiser with musicians like Angel Forrest and Carl Dixon for Médecins du Monde's work in Ukraine.

Community Involvement

Edwin Orion Brownell is very active in his community. He often shares his music to support many charitable causes. He has played in benefits for organizations like the Montreal Women's Shelter and Greenpeace. He has also supported the Quebec Diabetes Foundation and the Montreal Children's Hospital.

During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Edwin worked with Oxfam Québec. He encouraged his online fans to raise money for relief efforts in Lebanon after the 2020 Beirut explosion. In 2021, he did the same for Covid Relief in India. In 2022, he performed a benefit concert for Ukraine with Médecins du Monde.

Discography

A discography is a list of all the music recordings an artist has released. Here are Edwin Orion Brownell's albums.

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)