Hailing from Virginia, Butcher Brown refuses to be pigeonholed as "pure jazz." Instead, they boldly fuse hip-hop, soul, and funk into a sonic blast of high-octane brass and grooves. Once dismissed as "heretics" by jazz purists, they have now emerged as pioneers leading a global shift in the musical landscape. On February 28th, these sonic navigators will make their Taiwan debut with their latest album, Letters From The Atlantic. On the stage of Billboard Live TAIPEI, they will transform the intricate details of the studio into a magnificent live odyssey.

Answers by Tennishu - trumpet, saxophone, vocals

1. This will be your first live performance in Taiwan—have you visited Taipei before? As you’re announcing a show at a newly opened live music venue in Taipei, (since November 2025) is there anything you can tease in advance as a surprise for fans?

We’re all honored and excited to perform in Taipei for the first time. Anyone who knows our music might be surprised to hear the nuances of our live show. We record the songs one way, but the more and more we perform them live, songs morph and change into new arrangements. So Taiwan is gonna get a version of the songs that is spectacular in my opinion. You can look forward to that.

2. Could you tell us which track from your latest album “Letters From The Atlantic” you’re most looking forward to performing at the upcoming show in Taipei?

Ibiza is definitely a highlight. The conviction we have in performing that song allows us to experiment in a way that’s exciting for us and the audience in Taipei will get the best version of it.

3. With your distinctive style, you’ve broken away from the convention of having a single main key instrument in a band, allowing each instrument more room to shine. What originally inspired this approach?

I would say a lot of the great jazz masters that we studied in school have a lot to do with it. Miles Davis was a master of that approach. The some of our favorite artists all hung out with people who had different skillsets. So instead of being competitive with the instruments, the focus was and is more on what is being presenting during the recording or performance. That really inspired us because the bands that were really successful were working together as one. That was the key to their momentum, so we adopted that.

4. Coming from what’s often labeled as “indie music” in the market and breaking into the mainstream against the odds, did you sense at the time that the landscape might change through your work? Change often comes with resistance—did you feel pressure back then? If so, could you share a specific story as an example?

None of us go into it expecting to change music. Our music and drive comes from our love of this. We are always hanging out with creative people, that's what drives us. Not our influence on others.

There was pressure just being in the jazz world; just like any historically successful business there's pressure from the upper level on the middle level to maintain the status quo. Hard to argue because the upper level paved the way for those underneath, but how it was done back then isn't how it is done now. You can only look at history so much. We did feel some pressure from the purist jazz community and our peers to keep the music more traditional and not incorporate so much energy into our sound. But we aren’t the kind of people to be held back, so we went the other way.

5. In the beginning, you were calling out to the market with a simple message—“Please give us a listen?”—yet that attempt was once seen as “heretical.” Looking back now, it feels very much in line with the trend of globalization. When trying to create change or attempt something unconventional, what do you think is the most important mindset or principle needed to successfully build bridges between different communities and audiences?

I think it’s most important to form your musical foundation first, and to give the aspects of that culture and those that are teaching you the respect of really understanding what they are saying. You have to dedicate time with the music and the culture together. That’s why we’re so good – we study this music and immerse ourselves. So it’s just a matter of paying respect like you would with any other genre.

We play a lot of different styles of music and move through those quickly. Some people might interpret that as lack of respect because we’re moving too fast, but fortunately we are familiar with a lot of styles on a deep level. Music gives back what you put into it. Ours is just a different flavor. Remembering that keeps us fresh and it becomes easy to connect with other people.

6. At that time, the whole world was undergoing change, and many people shared similar ideas to yours. Taiwan also has many such “music pioneers.” Have you listened to works by artists from the Mandarin-speaking market? Are there any musicians or works that you particularly like?

We are constantly inspired by music from all over the world, so we’re eager to check out Taipei and see what we can find musically from Taiwan while we’re there. We’d love to get more familiar with artists from the area.

7. What were your impressions of Taiwan before? Are there any places you’d like to visit or foods you’d like to try?

My impression of Taiwan and Taipei is that it’s an area with very deep history that I don’t fully understand being where I am from. So I’m looking forward to soaking it in, being a lister and experiencing the culture.

As far as food, I’m very interested in what Taipei does for breakfast food in the morning! What do you get up and eat in the morning before you go to work? That’s what I want to try.

8. As artists who are always eager to embrace and challenge new things, what are your plans for this year? Is there anything you’ve been wanting to try but haven’t yet had the opportunity to?

Our plans for this year are to deepen our relationships with some old friends both in and out of the studio. We’re always recording new music and have artists like Nicholas Payton and Nigel Hall that we look forward to collaborating with this year.

One thing that I’ve been wanting to try as a musician is to do a studio tour – where you just pull up for a weekend to a new studio with your friends, stay in lodging at the studio and record music all day and night. I would like to try that creatively this year.

The flight path of "Solar Music" is about to descend, heading straight for the morning bustle and vibrant energy of Taipei’s streets. On the night of February 28th, we invite you to step on board. Through the experimental rhythms of Butcher Brown, we will witness music in its most liberated and untamed form.