Rick Braun

Trumpeter Rick Braun stands out in a smooth jazz landscape littered with sax players who sound very much alike, and his non-saccharine approach has helped to make him one of the biggest selling smooth jazz artists of all time. While his funky backing tracks are often standard issue, he isn't a brassy player, and his introspective and mellow horn style, along with his tendency to lay behind the beat, make him closer in spirit-- if not in style -- to Miles Davis, Chet Baker and Mark Isham than to most of his peers. Braun is also part of the supergroup BWB, which gets its name from the initials of Braun, (Kirk) Whalum and (Norman) Brown.