New Signing Braxton Cook Shares “The Same (feat. Marquis Hill)”
June 10, 2022 BY Penny Palmer
Nettwerk Records is excited to announce the signing of Emmy Award-Winning, Juilliard-trained jazz prodigy Braxton Cook, one of this generation’s most exciting voices. Braxton is a uniquely talented vocalist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer who blends jazz, soul, and alt-R&B into a fresh new sound all his own.
In 2015, he graduated from The Juilliard School, where he studied Jazz Composition. While a student at Juilliard, Braxton toured with Grammy Award-nominated trumpeter Christian Scott and has since toured and performed with Christian McBride Big Band, Jon Batiste, Tom Misch, and Marquis Hill, among others. Braxton has worked with Rihanna and Solange Knowles at the 2016 VMAs and contracted horn players for Solange’s live shows at the Guggenheim, Radio City Music Hall, and Afropunk Festival. Braxton has been featured on Phony Ppl’s album Mosaic and performed with them for their NPR Tiny Desk performance. In 2019, Braxton performed alongside Jon Batiste on the soundtrack for Pixar’s Oscar-winning film Soul.
Today, Braxton shares the official music video for Nettwerk’s debut single, “The Same (feat. Marquis Hill).” At its core, “The Same” is essentially a love song but intricately told by its lyrics and compositions. “I attempted to go deeper than the hackneyed tropes that we typically see in loves songs,” says Braxton. “Harmonically and compositionally, the song utilizes half-diminished chords, which signifies light and dark, ups and downs, and the struggles and flow of any normal, loving relationship. This tune is about how my partner and I are very different people in so many ways. We have learned to love each other for those differences and really have a deeper understanding of each other. The little differences make things interesting and keeps our relationship fresh. Even ten years in, we are still discovering new things about each other.”
The video, directed by Anthony Doffek, is an intimate year-long time capsule of Braxton becoming a parent.
“I’ve been relatively quiet artistically over the past couple of years, focusing on my family, relocating from NYC to LA, and recovering mentally and spiritually from everything that’s occurred over the pandemic. This video and the forthcoming music depict everything I’ve experienced over the past couple of years – the ups and downs, the wins and losses, and everything in between. I’m ready to share more of my life with my fans and supporters, and this video is the beginning of that journey.”
Watch & Share The Official Music Video For “The Same (feat. Marquis Hill)” HERE:
His previous album release, No Doubt, debuted #2 on iTunes Jazz Chart, amassing 1M streams in its first month. Five (previously independently-released) projects later, Fader Magazine has named Braxton a “Jazz Marvel” and “Jazz Prodigy,” The New Yorker describes his music as “visceral” and “virtuosic,” and Ebony Magazine listed Braxton as a “Top Five Jazz Artist to Watch” (alongside Robert Glasper, Kamasi Washington, Butcher Brown, and Kris Bowers). Other press highlights include NPR “Tiny Desk” and features with BET, Okayplayer, Billboard, Interview Magazine, and PAPER.
Braxton will head to NYC for a three-date residency at the famous Blue Note Jazz Club in NYC in July. The three days will include special friends and guests, plus performances of new music from a forthcoming EP (Fall 2022). For more information, please visit Braxton’s website at https://www.braxtoncook.com/.
Braxton Cook joins Nettwerk’s expanding roster that includes artists like Anomalie and MEGA and catalog artists through the Justin Time partnership, like Dizzy Gillespie, Chet Baker, Big Mama Thornton, and more.
“The Same (feat. Marquis Hill)” is available at digital retailers here: https://braxtoncook.ffm.to/the_same.
