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Why Canada's Best Bassist Refused to Leave
Description
Rich Brown - The RIFF S1 ep3
What happens when one of Canada's most accomplished jazz bassists sits down with his oldest musical friends and just gets real? This. Rich Brown — Juno Award winner, educator, bandleader, and one of Toronto's most versatile musicians — joins Gary O'Brien and Jeremy Green for an honest, hilarious, and deeply inspiring conversation that every musician needs to hear.
Rich walks us through the origin of his 30-year friendship with co-host Jeremy Green, from teenage garage jams in the '80s to building careers on the Toronto jazz scene. He breaks down the creative process behind Naiba — a groundbreaking all-electric-bass solo album with no other instruments — and explains why he turned down an opportunity to audition for the house band on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to stay in Canada. He also shares the story of how the Jeremy Ledbetter Trio won the Juno Award for Best Jazz Album — and how he almost missed the news entirely.
Along the way, Rich reflects on Rinse the Algorithm, his musical brotherhood with drummer Larnell Lewis, his friendship with Kim Mitchell, and the lessons he's learned after decades of teaching at Humber College, the University of Toronto, and Scott's Bass Lessons online. His advice to young musicians — "embrace the struggle, be comfortable being uncomfortable" — is worth the price of admission alone.
We also feature a food moment from Mary B Kitchen, a beloved whole-food restaurant in the Yonge-St. Clair neighbourhood of Toronto.
If you love jazz, fusion, bass guitar, Canadian music, or just great conversations between people who have been making music together for decades — this one's for you.
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YOUTUBE CHAPTERS
0:00 Welcome to The Riff
2:42 Introducing Guest Rich Brown
4:57 How Rich and Jeremy Met in the '80s
14:53 Van Halen's Unchained Changed His Life
21:41 Building the Band: Eclipse & Period of Denial
28:52 Car Rides, Deep Talks & Musical Growth
38:50 New Album Naiba: A Solo Bass Record
29:28 The Creative Process Behind Naiba
38:50 Rinse the Algorithm & Larnell Lewis
45:14 Food Segment: Mary B Kitchen
49:16 World Music Influence & Toronto's Global Scene
51:39 Winning the Juno Award (And Almost Missing the News)
53:33 Turning Down Jay Leno to Stay in Canada
57:45 The Brownstone YouTube Channel
1:01:17 Kim Mitchell Stories & Max Webster
1:17:57 Advice for Young Bass Players: Embrace the Struggle
1:41:40 Thanks for Watching
RESOURCES MENTIONED
Rich Brown — https://richbrownmusic.com
The Brownstone (YouTube) — https://www.youtube.com/@TheBrownstone
New Origins on Jazz FM 91 — https://www.jazzfm.com
Scott's Bass Lessons — https://www.scottsbasslessons.com
Humber College — https://humber.ca
University of Toronto — https://www.utoronto.ca
Jeremy Ledbetter — https://jeremyledbetter.com
Steve Coleman — https://m-base.com
Bruce Cockburn — https://www.brucecockburn.com
Kim Mitchell — https://www.kimmitchell.ca
David Clayton-Thomas — https://davidclaytonthomas.com
Terri Lyne Carrington — https://terrilynecarrington.com
Larnell Lewis — https://www.larnelllewis.com
Mary B Kitchen — https://marybkitchen.com
Juno Awards — https://junoawards.ca
mytoronto.ca — https://www.mytoronto.ca
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