It’s hard to imagine what smooth jazz would sound like without the powerful, R&B driven sound that has been Brown’s trademark as a producer since breaking through with Boney James’ Trust in 1992. James, whose hit recordings routinely sell over 500,000 apiece, once said, “I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for Paul Brown.” In an interesting bit of trivia that ties in beautifully with the sessions on White Sand, Brown met James years ago when James was on tour with Bobby Caldwell and Brown was doing mixes for the singer’s live shows
In addition to Grammy wins as producer and engineer for Norman Brown’s Just Chillin’ and helming hits for instrumental and vocal stars like Jeffery Osborne, Kirk Whalum, Larry Carlton and Patti Austin, Brown—known by some as “The Babyface of Smooth Jazz” for his soulful leanings and Midas touch—achieved a lifelong dream when he produced tracks for George Benson, his chief jazz guitar influence. “It’s exciting that I was able to produce George Benson because it was his album Breezin’ that helped me realize that the guitar could be the focus of an entire album and could hold a person’s interest for 40 minutes or an hour. That was a big revelation back then.”
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