Rulon Brown is a musician and visual artist who creates for stage, gallery and new media. Rulon’s recent work includes a avant-rock CD; a solo album made while traveling North and Central America; multi-media and art installation inspired by the RESTLESS American Dream; an art puzzle with each piece embedded with hidden music and film; interactive artworks about the Sammamish River; a CD of world-rhythm improv to 19th Century Christian hymns; headlining the Nicaragua International Jazz Festival; and a U.S. State Department sponsored artist residency at a cultural institute in Granada, Nicaragua.
In addition to Rulon Brown’s artistic work, he is a designer and founded Key Leaves® music instrument care products. The company’s highly effective products earned two “Product of The Year” awards from The Saxophonist magazine, “Best in Show” at The NAMM Show, “Best Instrument Care Tool” award from School Band & Orchestra magazine, and endorsement from world-class players, repair techs and music teachers.
In winter 2022 Rulon Brown launched RULON, a line of musical instrument products to give brasswind and woodwind players luxurious comfort and even higher performance. RULON products include tools for music education, ergonomic comfort gear, and instrument cleaning cloths featuring limited-edition fashion prints. RULON designs draw inspiration from elite sport and modern design, yet soulful craft is the beating heart of each RULON design.
Rulon Brown’s band features the celebrated interdisciplinary artist Paul Rucker (cello, electric bass), experimental improviser and composer Bill Horist (electric guitar), and rhythm wiz Jeff Busch (world percussion, drums).
Rulon Brown’s commercial work include work for interactive media, TV, radio, web, and phone systems. Rulon created the Seattle OnHold music program, a first-of-its-kind kind showcase of local musicians that attracted front-page praise from the Los Angeles Times and inspired great cities across the U.S. to emulate the program.
Inspired by diverse musical traditions, Rulon has toured the United States teaching and performing with a Celtic-jazz trio, worked closely with Brazilian master pianist and mentor Jovino Santos Neto (who produced and played on Rulon’s first album), was guest soloist with the renowned Total Experience Gospel Choir, played horns for the Latin combo Coco Loco, and he has performed a variety of Latin music from Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and more.
Rulon is passionate about community building. His past work includes managing visual and performing art programs for the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture and City of Redmond Arts Program, volunteering for the Washington Composers Forum and the Gage Academy of Fine Art, and co-creating Tales & Treasures – an interfaith celebration of Christmas featuring life-sized pop-up-book theatre and concerts by many of the Northwest’s best choirs and instrumentalists.
Rulon Brown grew up in the boondocks of Anchorage, Alaska playing saxophone in coffee shops and pit orchestra for caffeinated audiences with cabin fever. As a teenager, he spent summers in Pittsburgh studying with legendary soul saxophonist Eric Kloss. Rulon finally traded Alaskan snow for Seattle rain to attend Cornish College of the Arts as a full-ride Kreielsheimer scholar. While at Cornish, he studied jazz sax, composition, and classical flute. He also admits to “spending countless distracted hours learning to play piano like a lounge hack.”
Rulon Brown uses the following products:
Soprano Sax – Selmer S80III, Morgan Jazz mouthpiece, Rovner Dark ligature.
Alto Sax – Selmer Mark VI plus other Selmer backup horns, Morgan Excalibur 6M mouthpiece, Rovner Versa-X ligature.
Tenor Sax – Selmer Mark VI (1968) with Morgan Excalibur 6M mouthpiece and Rovner Light ligature.
Bari Sax – Taishan, Morgan Jazz GM mouthpiece and Rovner Light ligature.
Flutes – Cannonball Mio and Miyazawa