Brandon Sanders

As far as drummer Brandon Sanders is concerned , everyone should have a grandmother who ran a jazz club like Casablanca , his grandmother's Kanas City hot spot, where he was exposed to the music that changed his life. During summer visits from his home in Compton, Ca in the mid 1970's the through the late 80's , young Brandon not only encountered the music of such greats as Jimmy Smith, Grant Green , and Lou Donaldson , he also learned about their lives from the stories his grandma told him. Brandon was born on February 20, 1971 in Kansas City , Kansas , however after moving to Los Angeles with his Mom, he spent his formative years growing up in a musical household , where his Mom played the violin and his stepfather played the trombone. According to Brandon, the sounds of jazz were a constant presence in his home " Jazz music was always around" , he says. At, 52 , Sanders may long removed from those formative days, but on his splendid debut album, Compton's finest , the influence of his grandmother, Ernestine Parker, can be detected in his stylistic foray into bop tradition, and his ease with iconic tune like " Body and Soul " and Mon's Dream" The goal of this album is to lift people up in a positive way .