Today, GRAMMY® Award winning duo Brasstracks release a memorable horn-driven interpretation of Mariah Carey’s classic record, “Always Be My Baby.” Download/stream the track HERE.
“’Always Be My Baby’ is one of our very favorite timeless Mariah tunes, says Brasstracks. “If you asked us to do a cover of this one with a singer, we’d say absolutely not- but Mariah’s vocal runs and the harmony of the tune lent itself so perfectly to what we do, we just had to do a horn cover. On top of that, the minute November hits, you can’t walk anywhere in NYC without hearing Mariah in stores, on the streets, in taxi cabs… I guess we just couldn’t help ourselves. Maybe we’ll get to hear this version in the back of a yellow cab on some winter NYC day.”
Brasstracks EP, Before We Go: Live From Capitol Studios is out now via EQT/Capitol Records and includes the exuberant single, “Professional” featuring Kyle Dion. The duo also released a corresponding live video for each of the EP’s six tracks. Praising the clip for “Snowdaze” featuring Charles Gaines, Billboard said, “the Grammy Award winners recreate the jazzy, hip-hop-tinged track with smooth perfection. The video is powerful, as Gaines delivers delicate vocals and Ivan Jackson and Conor Rayne effortlessly take up the trumpet and drums, respectively.” Watch the live performance video for “Snowdaze” featuring Charles Gaines HERE.
Ivan Jackson and Conor Rayne formed Brasstracks while studying jazz at NYC’s Manhattan School of Music. Together, they quickly gained a following, after posting their songs and covers online. In 2016, Brasstracks released their debut EP, Good Love, which led to performances at festivals across North America in 2017. A slew of new singles and covers followed, culminating in the two-part project For Those Who Know, which included collaborations with Robert Glasper, The Underachievers, Xavier Omar, and others. Cumulative streams of For Those Who Know now are approaching five million. Brasstracks launched their first headline tour in 2018, playing 19 cities and selling out venues in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and New York City. They have also toured with Lido, Nao, Mr Carmack, Jack Garratt & GRiZ.
In addition to their own recordings, Jackson and Rayne have numerous production credits. In 2016, they produced Chance The Rapper’s “No Problem” featuring Lil Wayne & 2Chainz. This led to a GRAMMY® nomination for Best Rap Song and a GRAMMY win for Best Rap Album for their contribution to Chance’s Coloring Book. In addition to collaborations with Harry Styles, Anderson Paak, GoldLink, Wyclef Jean, Lido and Khalid, Jackson and Rayne have also teamed up with Mark Ronson and contributed to the tracks, “Nothing Breaks Like A Heart,” “Don’t Leave Me Lonely” and “When You Went Away” on his recent album, Late Night Feelings.
Brasstracks have received praise from Complex, XXL, VICE, Billboard, Earmilk, The Guardian and more. FADER said, “Brasstracks’ jazzy horns and mixture of live and programmed percussions [is] a celebration of energy which offers…a unique pleasure all its own.” DJBooth noted, “The Brasstracks mission statement is simple: bring an organic touch to popular music. The rest will be history.”
*Photo credit: Evan Browning
