Brooks Bowman

composer (East of the Sun)

Brooks Bowman was an American songwriter who wrote East of the Sun while at Princeton; Barry tells his story on Piano Jazz in 2002 before playing the song as a duet with Marian McPartland.

mentions: 2
recordings: 1
Barry speaking: 2

What Barry says

Before he and Marian McPartland play East of the Sun as a duet, Barry admits he seldom knows who wrote what, but says he had found out about this song’s composer: Brooks Bowman wrote it, and a couple of others, for a musical event while he was at Princeton, and that was about all he wrote.

Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland30:39 31:14

Barry explains why composers slip past him: because he works with singers he pays attention to lyrics, which he really does know, while composers’ names escape him. Asked how he picks songs, he describes closing his eyes, opening a songbook and taking whatever comes up.

Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland31:14 31:48

In his own words

I never seemed to know much about who wrote what. And I found out something about the guy that wrote this tune.

Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland, USA (NPR), 2002. Piano Jazz, introducing East of the Sun 30:39 Watch on YouTube at 30:39

And they had one of their events where they had music, and he wrote East of the Sun. His name was Brooks Bowman, and I think that’s all he wrote.

Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland, USA (NPR), 2002. Piano Jazz, on the song’s Princeton origin 31:14 Watch on YouTube at 31:14

Every mention

2 moments in the recordings, 2 of them Barry speaking. Each says who is talking.

Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland

USA (NPR), 2002

31:14
Barry
Names Brooks Bowman: wrote East of the Sun and a couple more for a Princeton event; little else.
Watch on YouTube at 31:14
30:39
Barry
Says he rarely knows composers but found out about the man who wrote East of the Sun.
Watch on YouTube at 30:39

In the interviews and notes

christianm77, jazzguitar.be forum 2016 A student’s notes
A forum guitarist names East of the Sun among tunes where a dominant moves to another a minor third lower, then to a minor chord (C7, A7, D minor), and says running the scale up and down to the next dominant’s third makes such passages easy.
jazzguitar.be members (usernames kept per post), Official Barry Harris Thread (jazzguitar.be forum thread) ¶75jazzguitar.be members (usernames kept per post), Official Barry Harris Thread (jazzguitar.be forum thread) ¶79jazzguitar.be members (usernames kept per post), Official Barry Harris Thread (jazzguitar.be forum thread) ¶80

Method ideas nearby

Ideas of the method taught in the classes where they come up, with how many mentions fall in each.