Brazz Tree

Brazz Tree are an intriguing mix of haunting folk songs with sharp, jazz overtones. The band consist of singer and violinist, Mazz Swift- a former pupil at prestigious music school Julliard, and Brad Hammonds on acoustic guitar. Their music is eerie, evocative and totally different from anything heard before.

The closest comparison that can be made is with Martyn Bennett, a folk singer who combines traditional Scottish folk songs with hip hop and drum and bass tracks with surprisingly good results. Brazz Tree though are completely different, yet just as good and ‘Quest’ with its fusion of influences, soaring violins and dreamy vocals is a record which is totally unique, and absolutely brilliant.
- Charlotte Otter

Performance Date: April 4, 2007
The Brazz Tree show went very well. We enjoyed having Brad and Mazz on campus. We would definitely invite them back!
Jackie Smith, Director of Student Activities, Illinois Central College – East Peoria, IL

Performance date: March 27th 2007
Brazz Tree was great. They were very easy to work with and all the students loved their music. It was a great success!
Kimberly Thornton , Assistant Director for Student Leadership and Involvement , Louisiana State University in Shreveport

Performance Date: March 6, 2007
The show went great last night, students really enjoyed their sound and actually hung out to just sit and listen for quite a while. Sometimes when we do these coffee nights (we just run a tab at the counter and people can come and order whatever drink they want) students will get their goods, hang for about 10 minutes and then leave. Last night they seemed to stay around. Our VP for Student Life and VP of Faculty also went too, and they loved it!
Jackie Weber, Director of Student Activities, Westminster College - Fulton, MO

Performance Date: March 14, 2007
Hi House! Brazz Tree was EXCELLENT! Thank you so much for helping me to get the show here. Brad and Mazz were extremely professional and the students were making comments about their amazement at their musical talent. I heard many students make comments such as "You can really tell they're performers". There were a core group of students who stayed and watched intently throughout the show. I talked to Mazz and Brad before the show to tell them about the atmosphere so I think they were anticipating it, but it's always nice if there is a group of students who are there to just see the show, and there were. All in all, it was a success!
Shannon Chronister, University Of Wisconsin at Marathon County - Wausau, WI

Performance Date: March 14, 2007
They were amazing! I have to admit I was a little nervous about the last minute switch, but I couldn't have been happier. The audience loved them as well. Brad and Mazz were wonderful to work with - so laid back!
Brooke Wegner, Director of Student Life, Alverno College - Milwaukee, WI

Performance Date: March 7, 2007
It was great! Much better crowd response than most shows. They were super easy to work with too. Lots of good feedback!
Kelley Pfeiffer, Student Activities Coordinator, SaintCharles Community College - Cottleville, MO

Performance Date: March 6, 2007
Brazz Tree worked out perfect for a coffee shop! Unique music, the students seemed to enjoy it. They were very easy to work with.
Kelly Dye, Student Programmer, Westminster College - Fulton, MO

Performance Date: Feb. 26, 2007
They were fantastic, hoping to hook up with them when I go to New York in a few weeks. How fun, they were great, and I am looking forward to having Deidra here tomorrow!
Kelly Lewis, Coordinator of Student Activities, Kankakee Community College - Kankakee, IL

Performance Date: March 1, 2007
Brazz Tree was great last night, they were a great fit for Starbucks and Butler. I really enjoyed their sound as did the students who were there enjoyed themselves. Not only did I like Brazz Tree's music, but I really liked Brad and Maz's personalities and how they told stories in between songs. Thank you!
Jenna Widmann, Coffeehouse Co-Chair, Butler University - Indianapolis, IN

Performance Date: Feb. 21, 2007
Brazz Tree was fantastic! I got a lot of feedback from the audience wondering where I had gotten them from and asking me to bring them back. In other words, the audience loved them! Brad and Mazz are really fun and have great personalities. I was very pleased and I hope to bring them back to Valpo when I have the chance. T
Ashley Funk, Union Board - Series Programming, Valparaiso University - Valparaiso, IN

Performance Date: February 7th, 2007
Students enjoyed their music. So did I! I hope they had a nice visit.
Leigh Davis – Assistant Director of Student Activities , Queens University, Charlotte, NC

Performance Date: February 7th, 2007
It went very well...No problems at all.....It was during our dinner service so it was more of fill music for the crowd....
Michael Porowski – Student Activities Coordinator , Johnson and Wales University Charlotte, NC

Performance Date: Nov. 21, 2006
This is Janet from Benedictine University. I am the president of the campus Programming Board, and attended the event at which Brazz Tree performed with several members of the board, including the music chair. I loved the duo, and was told by members of the board that they felt the same way. Not only were the two personable, chatting before the show and engaging listeners during the show, their music was great. It was original and fresh, and stuck out from the other acoustic performers often on campus. I would love to see the two of them again!
Janet Bilder Programming Board President, Benedictine University - Lisle, IL

Performance Date: Nov. 17, 2006
Josh Schoenfeld - College and Universities etc...

Mazz is a remarkable player fluent in styles from Celtic to Jazz...Brad is a strong player in the Richard Thompson tradition, with a beautifully hypnotic approach. This music is sinuous and sensual with a progressive edge....Mazz is a great vocalist; by turns vulnerable and fiery; a perfect complement to the gritty dreaminess of the songs.
-Vernon Reid - Vernon Reid

LAST NIGHT WE SHOWCASED A DUO FROM NYC THAT LITERALLY BLEW THE SOCKS OFF EVERYONE IN THE PLACE! TOTALLY UNEXPECTED! BRAZZ TREE FEATURES MAZZ SWIFT: VOCALS & VIOLIN AND BRAD HAMMONDS 6/12 STRING ACOUSTIC GUITARS. EVERYONE WAS WONDERING WHY SUCH TALENTED, MIND-BLOWING, SUPER CONSCIOUSNESS-RAISING ARTISTS WOULD EVEN BOTHER STOPPING IN A TINY TOWN LIKE CARLISLE, MA., INSTEAD OF GRACING THE STAGE AT CARNEGIE HALL, WHERE THEY BELONG! THE TRUTH IS, I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING. I HEARD THEM, AND I SIMPLY GOT ONLINE AND BEGGED THEM TO COME AND PLAY FOR US. THEY SAID THEY'D BE DELIGHTED. (TO BOOT, THEY'RE THE NICEST PEOPLE ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH!)THERE ARE COFFEEHOUSES, AND OTHER PERFORMING VENUES BOTH NEAR TO, AND FAR FROM US, BUT, EVEN THOUGH I LOVE IT, I REFUSED TO HITCH MYSELF TO THE TOTAL FOLK BANDWAGON, BEING THAT I LOVE ALL KINDS OF MUSIC, AND THIS WORLD IS JUST OVERFLOWING WITH UNKNOWN MUSIC GIANTS TRYING TO SCRAMBLE UP THEIR OWN BEANSTALK, JUST TO BE SEEN AND BE HEARD. BRAZZ TREE BILLS THEMSELVES AS A BAND THAT BLENDS TRADITIONAL MUSIC FROM ALL CORNERS OF THE WORLD INTO ONE, NEW SOUND. AND HERE IS WHERE THE WORD `TRADITIONAL' AS IT IS COMMONLY KNOWN, STOPS! BECAUSE, THERE ISN'T A SINGLE THING TRADITIONAL ABOUT THEM. MAZZ' VOICE IS SO POWERFUL AND SO DAMN CONTROLLED (YES, SHE'S THAT GOOD) THAT SHE'LL START RIPPING OUT YOUR SOUL, THEN EVER SO GENTLY PUTTING IT BACK, BEFORE YOU EVEN KNOW WHICH WAY THE WIND IS BLOWING. BRAD, UNDOUBTEDLY HAS THE FASTEST FINGERS IN THE EAST. I HAVE NEVER, EVER SEEN FINGERS FLY UP AND DOWN THE NECK OF A GUITAR, AT THIS SORT OF BREAK-NECK SPEED. IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME FOR THESE TWO. BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, THEY'LL GET TO THE TOP OF THAT BEANSTALK, WITH ALL THE WORLD AT THEIR FEET, AND I FOR ONE WILL BE IN THE CROWD. TO HEAR THEM GIVES YOU GOOSEBUMPS. TO SEE THEM PERFORM LIVE CAN NEARLY MAKE YOU BLEED. NOW, THAT'S PASSION, MY FRIEND. www.brazztree.com

Dian @ Union Hall
Carlisle, MA - Union Hall

“a sublime, surprising, bristling and hearty stew of Irish lyricism, daredevil jazz aerobatics and punk rock moxie.....both the elegance and the energy are off the chain. “
- Greg Tate, Village Voice

A strong debut by a Julliard drop-out and a New York City jazz guitarist under their assumed name Brazz Tree. Blending Western and Eastern music influences, “Quest” is a journey through powerful sounds and transcendental ambience. On the album there’s a marriage of Celtic, Indian, roots rock, jazz, and ambient that breathes an elegant and esteemed vibe into the nine songs present on the album. You’re not going to hear a more talented duo in a long time.

- J-Sin - Smother.net

Brazz Tree’s Quest is a stunning debut from an exciting new band. Brazz Tree’s intermingling of the guitar with other strings creates a one-of-a-kind sound. This is not your typical folk band. Brazz Tree takes from a variety of musical and cultural styles and uses them to create their own. Some of the tracks have a more rock sound, while others sound like traditional Irish folk music. Then there are those that have a more laid-back jazz feel. Each song on Quest has different elements that may not seem like they would work together, but Brazz Tree succeeds in blending them into a perfect harmony.

Reviewer: Gail Hoffer new pop
- The Celebrity Cafe'

It's all in the eyes, when lead vox Mazz looks at you with the divine madness in her gaze reveals information far beyond what can be expressed through the limited palettes of speech and movement......This girl is far more trained than half of the NXNE performers combined..Brazz Tree creates their own sound....Why they aren't inciting a new revolution in music, I'll never know.
- Chart Attack (Toronto)

"...Quest..." is the debut album from masterminds Mazz Swift (vocals, violin) and Brad Hammonds (acoustic guitar). Swift, a Juilliard dropout, joined forces with Hammonds, a NYC jazz guitarist, to create something rare in the music scene: a blend between Eastern and Western influences. Mixed at Solar Sonic Studios in Brooklyn they include a little of everything- Celtic, rock, jazz, pop, abd folk with the help of Jason Dimatteo on Double Bass, Suphala on tabla, and Glen Fittin on percussion. Swift, who has a gifted voice to match the talents of Jill Scott, is unafraid to take chances with the melodies and nuances that Hammonds so expertly provides. Case in point Mazz has accompanied and collaborated with artists like Kanye West, Moby, Jay-Z, Perry Farrell, and DJ Logic. Brazz Tree performs once a month at Rockwood Music Hall, and twice per month at Caffe Vivaldi. www.brazztree.com
- The Deli: Music Recipes from the Big Apple

Simplicity in music is all but irrelevant in this day and age, with music in its most humble form being nothing but a thing of the past, something passé for today’s generation that is blessed with technology at its behest. In such a day and age where technology in music has become as integral as the music instrument itself, a band like Brazz Tree, for the kind of music they are making, is an aberration.

If technology is believed to be a norm in modern music, then Brazz Tree would be music’s Amish equivalent; overly modest is what this debut is. ...Quest... is music in its most organic form. Not only the style of this band, but the music itself is nothing less than earthy to the greatest extent possible. Consisting of duo Mazz Swift (on vocals and violin) and Brad Hammonds (on acoustic guitar), Brazz Tree has a sound that is based (completely) on two of music’s most basic instruments, in their rawest forms.

For an album that has absolutely no rhythm section (no drums at all and minimal bass guitars), and no other extravagance whatsoever, ...Quest... is phenomenally exciting. The band has a very free-form style of composing, so the tracks seem very spontaneous. The whole sound of ...Quest... feels like an aggressive jam between Hammonds and Swift.

Beneath Brazz Tree’s rusticism is a band of great depth and serious talent. Swift is an elegant lyricist and an articulate singer; her singing styles change effortlessly as the duo’s eclectic music does, which is a farrago of diverse influences ranging from Traditional Scottish to Americana.

With the help of the same old tools -– an acoustic guitar and a violin -– Swift and Hammonds show the great range in their musical ability as they swiftly jump styles from the elegant Traditional Scottish arrangements on “Return To My Town” to some jazz on “My Blues” and “Kiss Me,” then adding a taste of Indian ethnicity on “We Get,” and then going roots music on “Four Elements” and “Ghost.”

Music has rarely been so crude and yet so vivaciously brilliant and refined, let alone in the last several years. ...Quest... is a breath of fresh air for anyone seeking some serious originality, and a style that’s more hip than it is down to earth. This is an album every bit worth checking out.

Rating: A - The Daily Vault (July 2006)