Sunday Night Jazz Showcase
Program #339 (October 31 at 8:00pm)
Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Spencer Brewer began playing piano at age seven, learning mostly from his grandmother, who taught him Southern blues and boogie-woogie.
When he became the accompanist for numerous modern dance troupes and writing musicals ‘off-Broadway’, Spencer developed a taste for melodic, spontaneous interpretive music. After his move to Northern California in the early 80’s, Brewer began recording original instrumental music, joining the forefront of the burgeoning new age music movement, producing two #1 records and selling more than a million albums under his own name.
Not long after moving to Mendocino County, California in the mid 80's he started Laughing Coyote Productions, a world class recording studio dedicated to recording and producing audiophile recordings. For the nearly two decades LCP would produce over 300 records, numerous soundtracks and countless radio commercials.
Spencer firmly believes in contributing back to his local community of Mendocino County. While donating private concerts over the years for local non-profit agencies, he started and ran the highly successful "Sundays in the Park" summer concert series for 25 years. He also created the series’ 'Live at the Playhouse', ‘The Professional Pianist Series’, ‘Happination’, ‘BandSlam in the Plaza’, ‘Acoustic Café’, ‘Sunset at the Cellars’, “Lightening Jam with Kris Kristoffersen’ and is a consultant to many performance organizations throughout the area regionally.
Spencer conceived the 56-acre Redwood Valley Outdoor Educational Facility for kids and is one of the founding members of the Ukiah Educational Foundation. He has been nominated for Ukiah’s “Citizen of the Year” award and in 2008 won the Mendocino County Arts Champion Award.
Spencer has been a composer/pianist/performer playing for audiences and listeners worldwide. In 1999 a serious car accident caused a brain injury that altered his musical abilities. The frustration that came with his sudden (and thankfully temporary) loss of musical fluency pushed his creativity to find new methods of expression. Spencer found himself in his shop, intensely driven to work with his hands in new ways.
Spencer's solo albums include Where Angels Dance, Shadow Dancer, Emerald, Portraits, Dorian’s Legacy, Piper’s Rhythm, Torches on the Lake, Forward Motion, Romantic Interludes, and Cinematic.
(provided by Spencer Brewer)
