Brian Culbertson - Together Tonight

12 January 1973, Decatur, Illinois, USA. Encouraged by his father, Jim Culbertson, a music teacher and trumpet player, Brian began his formal musical education at an early age. At eight he studied piano, then drums, followed by trombone and finally, four years after beginning his studies, the bass. His first musical listening was to contemporary big bands and small jazz groups, alongside which he absorbed the music of bands like Blood, Sweat And Tears and Earth, Wind And Fire. While still at junior high school, Culbertson began composing his own music as an alternative to the standard classical recital works. He earned numerous DownBeat student awards, individual and group. His questing nature drew him into the creation of music using synthesizers and, through the use of computers, MIDI sequencing. This use of computers and synthesizers, allied to his multi-instrumental skills, allowed him to develop apart from the general trend of his contemporaries. After graduation, he continued his studies in the music pr