It’s a rare feat for a recording artist to release 30 albums and score more than 40 Billboard No. 1 singles. It’s even more exceptional for an artist to hit that milestone while firmly in their prime, continuing to grow and evolve with each release. Rarer still is for that genre-crossing songwriter, producer, and multiinstrumentalist to be a dynamic performer who presents their music in ways never before seen, both on stage and online. And beyond that, the artist has built a premium festival brand around unique fan experiences. Brian Culbertson checks every one of these boxes. Culbertson’s sonic approach has been to craft primarily instrumental music fusing jazz, R&B, funk, and pop. He’s been doing it at the highest level since he exploded on the scene after the release of his debut album, Long Night Out, in 1994. That hitfilled set recorded in his college apartment in Chicago instantly established Culbertson as a core artist in the newly emerging smooth jazz genre. Now, on his 30th album, The Midnight Tapes, Culbertson does something he’s never done before: he played every single instrument* on the album himself.