RnR: Rick Braun and Richard Elliot

Allentown native Rick Braun has shared his stunning trumpet and flugelhorn stylings and his impressive vocals at nearly every Boscov’s Berks Jazz Fest.

Braun began developing his jazz chops as part of a jazz-fusion band at the Eastman School of Music in the 1970s. After graduating he entered the pop world as a singer and a successful songwriter for other artists. Then, returning to the trumpet, he worked as a session and touring musician with Natalie Cole, Sade, Rod Stewart, Tina Turner, War, and others.

Braun has collaborated on massive hits with Boney James, as a member of RnR with saxophonist Richard Elliot, and with BWB, a powerhouse trio with Grammy winners Kirk Whalum and Norman Brown       His debut album as a soloist, “Intimate Secrets” (1992) launched him as a band leader, and he released his 19th, “Rick Braun” in 2022.

Scottish-born saxophonist Richard Elliot moved with his family to Los Angeles when he was 3, and he was soon beguiled by R&B and Motown -- and especially by the late, legendary saxophonist Dexter Gordon, who inspired him to take up the instrument.

He started as a member of the jazz/rock band KittyHawk, then Tower of Power during the 1980s in San Francisco Bay Area. He was a member of The Yellowjackets, and participated in the “Groovin’ for Grover” concert series with Paul Taylor and Gerald Albright, in memory of the late Grover Washington Jr.

His debut solo album was “Trolltown” (1986), the first of 20, most recently “Authentic Life” (2021), which features Rick Braun.

ARTIST WEBSITES: Rick Braun(opens in a new tab) - Richard Elliot(opens in a new tab)