Barton Avenue Records announces the release of Thoughts of Love, by Weslie Brown and Her Band of Men, the first full-length album in a series of never-before-heard archival releases from the innovative jazz/ blues/ cabaret artist. The album follows the success of her debut EP Theatrical Jazz, too, the upright bass and vocal duets that introduced two luminaries from the renowned Los Angeles punk-cabaret-jazz scene of the 1980s. Alongside innovators such as Sandra Bernhard, Lydia Lunch, and Katey Sagal, Weslie Brown was a headliner on the artsy experimental Los Angeles scene of the late 1980s, where a whip-smart West Coast counterpart to Broadway was unofficially assembling at underground venues such as the Lhasa Club, Al’s Bar, and The Anti-Club. Weslie’s packed shows, including a filmed performance at The Roxy in Los Angeles, punctuated by the poetic and visually stunning “Ships,” were the stuff of Hollywood legend, until, at the peak of her buzz, she stepped onto a ship and vanished, “leaving it all behind” to sail around the world.
Writer, arranger, vocalist, and Berklee graduate Weslie Brown would go on to compose multiple fulllength stage musicals, write songs for the award-winning film “I Hate Musicals,” and to have her songs featured on TV shows including Dexter (Showtime) and Charmed (Warner Bros). Thoughts of Love presents these ten iconic recordings with Her Band of Men for the first time, including original compositions by Weslie Brown, alongside her hand-picked standards, that take the listener on a true jazz journey, preserved and meticulously restored through state-of-the-art audiophile technology.
MUSICIANS Weslie Brown – vocals, George Mitchell – piano, Mark Justin – piano, Tommy Reeves – keyboards, Jason Sinay – guitar, Jim Donica – upright bass, Gregg Williams – drums, Richard Martinez – drums
