Brian Culbertson has scored hit singles on just about every Billboard chart there is.
Culbertson, an Illinois-born pianist, bandleader and songwriter who performs at the Charleston Music Hall on Oct. 26, is primarily classified as a jazz musician. But he’s hit the R&B, Pop, Contemporary Jazz and Adult Soul charts with singles like “Always Remember,” “That’s Life,” “Your Smile” and “Been Around The World.”
In fact, Culbertson has more than 40 #1 singles to his credit, along with a handful of NAACP Image Award and Soul Train Award nominations.
Culbertson will be playing music from his 31-year career in Charleston, but those songs are sure to sound a lot more powerful onstage. Culberson will be at the piano at center stage surrounded by a 10-piece band.
His new album, Day Trip, is big in every sense of the word. There are guest spots by stars like saxophonist Branford Marsalis, funk/jazz bassist Marcus Miller, former Prince percussionist Sheila E. and smooth jazz veteran Kirk Whalum.
The music itself feels big, too. The relentless funk jam “On the Road” is layered with horns, keyboards and percussion and mixes fusion jazz with an irresistible dance beat. “With You” is an expansive but sparse ballad with layers of keyboards. And “U-Turn,” which finds Culbertson jamming side-by-side with Marsalis, flirts with a stomping rock groove.
So that’s why he’s bringing a big band along with him. But it’s not a classic, Count Basie-style orchestra by any means.
“The idea behind this larger band basically spurred from the music on the album, and me thinking, ‘How do I bring the music that is on the record appropriately to a live show?’ ” Culbertson said in a recent interview with the Charleston City Paper. “And the answer was that I had to bring a lot of people.”
Culbertson has his regular backing band featuring a guitarist, bassist and drummer, but he’s also added two keyboard players, a percussionist and a four-piece horn section. Keyboardist Nicholas Cole joined because he co-wrote and appeared on most of Day Trip.
“For this particular tour, the horn section parts on the album were so integral to the music that I really wanted it represented well live,” Culbertson said of the extra musicians. “And the percussionist adds a lot of excitement and atmosphere to the show.”
Longtime fans can expect to hear some deep cuts among the familiar favorites.
“I’m doing a whole bunch of songs that I have not done live before — mainly because now I have a group that’s really able to pull it off,” Culbertson said. “I’m taking certain songs from my records and putting them in my set because I thought they would be really cool to do, and because we can.”
He said he’sconfident that his audience, which has followed him from smooth jazz to funk to pop and back again, will love his new direction.
“I think the hardcore fanbase is really excited about this tour because they get to hear songs we don’t usually perform,” he said. “I think that real jazz fans are a unique set of folks that really appreciate music to a finer degree in terms of the complexity and the wide range of sounds and styles that we can play.”
“And to their credit,” he added, “they really come along for the ride wherever I go. Am I doing a funk record? Am I doing an R&B album or a jazz acoustic trio type thing? Whatever it is, they love music, and at the heart of it, they love real musicians and instruments. I have ZERO computer tracks running.”
Culbertson mentioned he’s looking forward to seeing some of those fans at the Music Hall on Oct. 26, and that he’s grateful that they’ve allowed him to fully explore all of his musical interests.
“I’m just going with my gut,” he said. “I like to make music that is interesting to me at that time and place. And thankfully, jazz is so broad that it allows me to experiment under that umbrella.”
IF YOU WANT TO GO: Doors open at 7 p.m., Oct. 26, Charleston Music Hall, 37 John St., Charleston. Tickets range from $68-$252: charlestonmusichall.com
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