George Brooks is a prolific and diverse saxophonist and composer, acclaimed for successfully bridging the worlds of jazz and Indian classical music. He is the founder of several important Indian fusion groups including Summit with Zakir Hussain and Steve Smith, Bombay Jazz with Larry Coryell and Ronu Majumdar and the Kirwani Quartet with Dutch harpist Gwyneth Wentink and Indian flute maestro Hariprasad Chaurasia.
Brooks deep understanding of raga has lead to collaborations with many of Indias most respected artists. He has performed at major festivals throughout India and was a featured soloist on John McLaughlins 2008, Grammy nominated Floating Point CD. His facility with genre bending music has led to distinctive collaborations with Terry Riley, Yo-Yo Ma, The Mark Morris Dance Company and Merchant/Ivory Productions. Admired as an innovator, Brooks remains grounded in American vernacular music and has worked with blues greats Etta James, Albert Collins and Roy Rogers, R&B legends the Temptations, Mary Wilson and the Shirelles, jazz innovators Henry Kaiser, Wadada Leo Smith, Anthony Braxton and Jaki Byard and contemporary singer song writers Jackie Greene, Barbara Higbie, and Leni Stern.
Brooks has performed on many of the worlds great stages including the Barbican and Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Esplanade in Singapore and the Hong Kong Cultural Center. He has appeared at major international festivals throughout North America, Europe, India and Japan.
