Carl Maguire (Drums) Alan Maguire (Upright Bass) Donald Brown (Piano) 2,3,6,7 Kirk Whalum (Tenor sax) 3,6,7 Tom Williams (Trumpet, Flugelhorn) 2,3,7,8,9 Don Aliquo (Tenor sax, Soprano sax) 1,2,3,4,5,7,8,9 Keith Brown (Piano) 1,4,5,8,9 Ekpe Abioto (Percussion) 2,3,5,7 Nygel Yancey (Percussion) 2,3 Music is the most powerful and universal language shared by people all over the world.  Art Blakey would always quote "Music washes away the dust of everyday life".  I am still fascinated with the sound of music and its healing qualities.  As a jazz educator I tell my students all the time "You never know where music will take you and whom you will meet through music.”  As a young kid growing up in Memphis, music has taken me many times around the world and introduced me to some of the most amazing people.  Two of these amazing people, Carl and Alan Maguire I met one year ago and now I want to introduce them to you.       While on a recruiting trip for the University of Tennessee Knoxville, I visited the Stax Music Academy in Memphis.  I heard so many talented students and Alan and Carl caught my attention.  These two Japanese/American kids are the real deal!  They are twins and make a solid foundation for any rhythm section.  They can play all the different styles of music but their passion for jazz really stands out.  This CD is a culmination of them studying with me and playing together the last year. Selecting the music for this CD was difficult because we explored everything from the blues, New Orleans 2nd line music, traditional Japanese music, etc.  But I am sure you will enjoy the music we selected for you.       The music encompasses jazz from many cultures and eras and you sense how humbled Carl and Alan are to play this music.  I selected musicians who would bring out the best of these young guys and the chemistry was great!  To have three great masters on this recording was the icing on the cake.  I was so excited when Kirk Whalum said he could make it.  It was our first time playing together in 30 years and he has that same warmth, soul, and intellect that made me a fan and won him thousands of fans around the world.  The great Tom Williams has worked with Jimmy Heath, Gary Bartz, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, and one of the great trumpeters who exploded on the scene in the early 90's with Wallace Roney, Roy Hargrove, and Nicholas Payton.  Don Aliquo teaches at Middle Tennessee State University and has worked with Hubert Laws, etc.  My youngest son Keith Brown is quickly being recognized as a talented pianist and composer.       Both Carl and Alan are starting to develop a relationship with the piano that has already planted the seeds for their composing and arrangements.  Check out Carl’s arrangement of the Joe Henderson classic "Inner Urge" and Alan's arrangement of the Japanese standard "Sakura".  Check out how effortlessly they swing and rock the tempo on the standard "Speak Low".  A few more highlights include Alan's soulful interplay with Don Aliquo on "Softly as in a Morning Sunrise" and his rhythmically driving solo on "Inner Urge".  Not to be out done, Carl swings “L’s Bop” into bad health and plays it with the fire recalling one of his heroes, Lenny White.  They are the consummate accompanists and listen and build behind each soloist to give each song a special identity.  It is hard to believe they have been playing jazz only a couple of years.  Oh, did I mention they just turned 18 years old? You can hear the passion, creativity, humility, and enthusiasm they recognize it takes to play this music.       I am so glad I made that trip to the Stax Music Academy and met these young lions.  Music has rewarded us again with this coming out party for Carl and Alan Maguire!  The CD you hold in your hands represents music of the highest creativity and dedication.  More importantly, it brought out the fun and emotions we all enjoy and share regardless of what part of the world we are from.  Since life's inception, the "The Sound of Music" has been there in the background providing a soundtrack to our lives.  Now enjoy the sound of music shared to us courtesy of Carl and Alan Maguire...... Life is good! Donald Brown Producer, Jazz Pianist, Composer, University of Tennessee Knoxville Assoc. Professor, 6 times Grammy Award Nominee "I was there when it happened!" There isn't a person alive who doesn't like saying this, especially when it refers to something awesome and enduring. Both words apply to the Maguire twins, Carl & Alan... x2!! Their trajectory is all but guaranteed to be upward and very long. These boys take the music very seriously––and still manage to make it fun! Kirk Whalum Saxophonist, Artist In Residence––Stax Music Academy, Grammy Award Winner