Marlene Brown - keyboard, is a native of Birmingham, AL. She plays piano, organ, flute, and piccolo. Mrs. Brown received a bachelor's degree in flute performance, and has a master's degree in French Literature. Although her core musical training is that of a classical musician, Mrs. Brown has become a jazz pianist and improviser through her own study. In addition to using her improvising skills with the Soft Note Combo, she also improvises frequently during church services where she serves as organist. Mrs. Brown has the distinction of being an original Latin Rhythms band member with Luis, and she has played keyboard with Luis with LR and the Soft Note Combo for about the last 15 years, although there have been some vacations from the band as she raised her family during that time. STORY TIME: "One of the most exciting times I remember with Luis was playing on stage at the Guntersville civic park series when a huge summer thunderstorm came up and started blowing the music everywhere, and lightening strikes seemed imminent. Although I would have been glad to stop playing sooner, the audience kept their seats as they enjoyed the music, so band leader Luis Trevino valiantly carried on. I really enjoy the challenges of learning the many styles of jazz and latin music with its variety of rhythms..... M. Brown"