Butcher Brown sounds like a lost 1970s master tape that was discovered in a crate of 90s boom-bap records. It is music that feels lived-in, characterized by the warm hiss of analog gear, the unmistakable 'thwack' of a perfectly tuned snare, and the lush, buttery textures of a Fender Rhodes. There is a tangible weight to their sound that separates them from academic jazz; it is music built from the ground up, starting with the pocket and ending with the soul.
What makes them distinctive is their ability to treat a five-piece jazz quintet like a human sampler. They play with the rhythmic 'swing' and micro-timing of a J Dilla beat but with the harmonic sophistication of Weather Report. While many fusion acts lean into technical showmanship, Butcher Brown prioritizes the 'stank' - that visceral, physical reaction to a groove that is just slightly behind the beat and heavy on the low end.
Start with #KingButch to hear their most polished synthesis of jazz and hip-hop. If you want to hear their raw, live energy, dive into The Camden Session. For those who love the intersection of big band arrangements and rap, Triple Trey offers a unique look at how they can expand their sound without losing their signature grit.
Butcher Brown is a jazz quintet founded in 2009 and based in Richmond, Virginia. Their members are Marcus Tenney (trumpet and saxophone), Morgan Burrs (guitar), Corey Fonville (percussion), Andrew Randazzo (bass), and DJ Harrison (keyboards). DownBeat has characterized them as a "'70s jazz-funk fusion throwback". Others describe their music as a mix of jazz, hip-hop, soul, funk, and R&B. National Public Radio says that "they scoff at the limitations of adjacent genres with the expertise of master musicians who've played together so long that they flow from one vibe to the next without missing a beat." Burrs and Fonville, speaking about the band's sound and development, have cited the following as inspirations: D'Angelo, the Headhunters, the Miles Davis Second Quintet, Return to Forever, the Robert Glasper Experiment, the Roots, Spyro Gyra, and Weather Report. Butcher Brown's cover of Little Richard's "Rip It Up" was selected as the theme song of Monday Night Football in September 2020. In 2024, the band won the third annual Newlin Music Prize for their album Solar Music. In 2025, Butcher Brown released Letters from the Atlantic, featuring female guest artists Yaya Bey, Melanie Charles, Leanor Wolf, Mia Gladstone, Victoria Victoria, along with Nicholas Payton and Neal Francis.
Shares trumpet, jazz fusion, funk, nu jazz (instrumentation)
Shares jazz fusion, funk, nu jazz, tape saturation (subgenre)
Shares trumpet, jazz fusion, funk, nu jazz (instrumentation)
Shares jazz fusion, funk, nu jazz, tape saturation (subgenre)
Shares jazz fusion, funk, nu jazz, soulful (subgenre)
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