Kuckaw! is a brand spankin’ new band, fresh out of Oakland, California. The band members, all seasoned players in the Bay Area music scene, have come together through happenstance in order to fulfill one common goal: to get some Bay Area booties shakin’. Influenced by the music of Snarky Puppy, Herbie Hancock, Orgone, and Roy Ayers, Kuckaw!’s sound melds the driving, heavy rhythms of 70′s funk with the hypnotic, interlocking essence of Afrobeat, adding a touch of disco, and bringing the unwieldy abandon of a Zappa-esk musical odyssey.
Adam Lowdermilk and Michael Wynar (both of Albino! Afrobeat), combined forces on bass and guitar respectively, with Ross Mcintire on drums (of DRMS), who is fresh off the Bayou from New Orleans. Feeling the emptiness of a keyboard-less trio, the three conscripted long time flood pants advocate and all around musical wizard Casey Cameron to lay down an ever-shifting polyester blanket of harmony. Shortly after, the band roped-in Bulgarian folk music extraordinaire and Fulbright fellow, saxophonist Teddy Raven (MWE, Jazz Mafia). Together, the five notoriously funkified local heavy-hitters compile an outfit of epic proportions… Keep an ear out for this burgeoning ensemble, bringing the funk to a location near you! KUCKAW
Shamek Farrah is an alto saxophone player, who was featured on many Strata-East Records albums, and released two albums on the label as leader. Reviewing First Impressions, Allmusic said: "This is the standard spiritually intense new jazz one learns to expect from the label, soaked in some Eastern influences but always with its ear to the street.". He was born Anthony Domacase in New York City, New York. He began studying the alto saxophone under Garvin Bushel at age 12. In the late 1960s he began performing with upcoming Latin and Latin-jazz groups around the New York area. In the mid 1970’s and 80’s when live loft jazz was popular in New York City, He performed with his own groups and other prominent jazz musicians such as Sonelius Smith, Rashid Ali, John Stubblefield, Carlos Garnett, Walter Davis Jr.. In late 1972, at age 25, he signed with Strata-East Records and in 1974 his first jazz album "First Impressions" was released. In 1977 his second Strata-East Records album, Shamek Farrah/Sonelius Smith-The World Of The Children. In 1979, he signed with RA Records and the album Shamek Farrah And Folks-La De La La was released in 1980. Each of those recordings have since been re-released. First Impressions and The World Of The Children were re-released in 1996 on the Japanese record label, Bomba Records and Shamek Farrah And Folks-La De La La was re-released in 2002 on the Quadraphonic Sound Modules Records label. His legendary composition "First Impressions" performed on the album of the same name continues to fascinate listeners around the world many years after its inception. In 1992, Soul Jazz Records, a British record label, released the original recording of "First Impression" on a compilation CD "Soul Jazz Loves Strata-East" featuring other Strata-East Records artists as well. In 2006 the British record label Soul Brothers Records re-release "First Impressions" again on a compilation CD "Fusion With Attitude" featuring jazz greats Joe Henderson, Nat Adderley and Walter Bishop Jr. performing on their own selections.
Her poignantly warm, rich, soulful voice lovingly and profoundly
penetrates the soul of all who are blessed to hear her. From the first
note, the listener becomes spellbound. Not only her voice, but her
delivery captivates.
Janine Carter was introduced to gospel, Jazz and blues at a very
early age by her parents and grandmother. This Pennsylvania native
cannot remember a time when music was not a part of her very existence.
She began her musical journey like so many contemporary artists as a
member of the choir at her church in Aliquippa, PA. She also had the
opportunity to expand on her solo performances as a member of the Bach
Choir of PA which performed some of Broadways most exciting musicals.
Janine continued to use the gift she was given to perform at various
functions and special events until she relocated to the Washington, DC
Metropolitan area in the summer of 1988. During the summer of 1996
Janine performed her debut concert in the DC area at New Genesis Baptist
Church, this celestial songbird has been flying ever since. JANINE GILBERT CARTER
Zara McFarlane’s
debut album, 2011’s Until Tomorrow, came garlanded with rave reviews and a MOBO
award nomination, and heralded a major new talent in the world of British jazz.
The follow-up, also recorded for Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings, is a
more ambitious collection that draws from many more influences: from the deep
spiritual jazz of Pharoah Sanders to dub and reggae.“With the
first album,” says Zara, “I was trying to create a cohesive sound, one that
used the same line up and the same instrumentation throughout. This time the
focus is on the songwriting, and the arrangements are tailor-made to suit each
song. There’s a lot more variation – around half of the tracks are duets, and I
use more than one band. If there is a unified, cohesive theme, it’s in the
lyrics: the songs represent a journey through a woman’s life.”Gilles
Peterson has been a key figure in Zara’s career. They first met when she was
performing with the house music project Bopstar at the Southport Weekender in
May 2010, where she gave him an EP of acoustic jazz songs she’d recorded.
Within a few months, an impressed Peterson had signed Zara to his Brownswood
Recordings label, and that EP eventually provided the basis for her debut album
Until Tomorrow.“Gilles has
been an incredibly enthusiastic person to work with,” says Zara. “With the
first album, I’d recorded most of it before he’d signed me, but this time he’s
been more involved in its creation and made suggestions. He’s passionate about
all kinds of music, not just jazz, which has allowed me to experiment with
different sounds.” ZARA MC FARLANE
Dylan
Meek is one of the up and coming talents of the modern music scene. He's
a virtuoso pianist, fresh sounding composer and soulful singer. His
first album illuminates all his talents and is the first shot across the
bow of his upcoming long and successful career.In the
21st century jazz is blessed with yet another golden age of young jazz
pianists. Still in their twenties are stars like Eldar Djangirov,
Jonathan Batiste, and Aaron Diehl, while slightly older veterans like
Bill Charlap, Ted Rosenthal, Renee Rosnes, and Brad Meldau, delight
audiences every time they sit behind a keyboard. Even in such August
company, Dylan Meek stands out. Dylan is one of the most
original and versatile pianists to come along in the last decade, a true
keeper of the Jazz Flame. He has thrilled audiences at Harlem's Lenox
Lounge and every other venue he performs at in New York City with his
glorious performances blending Blues, BeBop, Stride, Gospel, Boogie
Woogie, and Swing, a capsule history of jazz piano styles of the past
and the present. When people look up and see a young, blond, Texas born,
musician still in his early twenties, there is a moment of shock. Even
the noisiest crowd stops and listens, blown away by the energy, fire,
spirit, and originality of Dylan's solos.This Debut disc
features originals (Passion Fruit, And When, Two Sweet) and standards (
Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good to You, When you wish upon a Star, Wail, and
Yesterdays). Accompanied by master musicians Ben Wolfe on bass, and
Gregory Hutchinson on drums, at the top of their game, Meek gives forth a
program so exciting that one can hardly sit still. A fantastic set by a
musician who will undoubtedly influence generations of pianists and
musicians to come. DYLAN MEEK
The Fredericksburg Area Museum and Cultural Center is pleased to present a
summer long concert series, Sounds of Summer. The concert series is
geared toward attracting residents and visitors from all walks of life,
regardless of taste and style, access and experience. This series is
meant to showcase local and regional musicians performing various genres
of music including jazz, country, bluegrass, blues, classical, and pop.
All concerts will be free of charge and open to the public. Each
Friday, the Museum will offer free, extended Museum hours from 5-9pm, a
member’s reception, and activities for kids in the square. M-Law and the
Modern Prophets of Jazz are an emerging force in the Virginia music
scene. This 4-5 piece ensemble performs music encompassing jazz and jazz
influenced genres such as R&B and funk. This is a show you won't
want to miss!M LAW & THE PROPHETS OF JAZZ
The creative duo of Kenny Marshall and Kevin W. Peery started in early
2005. Kenny Marshall, a legendary guitar picker and well respected
singer/songwriter was paired with an unknown lyricist/storyteller from
North Central Missouri, Kevin W. Peery.Since the first collaborative meeting Marshall/Peery exhibited instant energy, crafting more than 50 original songs to date.A TAXI Review of Marshall in 2005, compared him to another guitar picking legend, Mark Knopfler!!
Kenny's ability to play 5 string banjo, resonator, acoustic, electric, & bass guitar makes folks take notice.
A "Guitar Player Magazine", review of Kenny Marshall highlights his ability to find depth and tone.Peery writes about his personal life experiences. The cold hard truth bleeds from his pen onto the page.
It's only when you listen and take time to digest the lyrics that
you can begin to feel the honest vulnerability embedded in his writing.
Each project is reflected by Kevin, in an innate ability to dig up the
past and offer it to the listener as if he were speaking directly to
them.The Marshall/Peery Project have appeared on the Roots Music Report
and Radio Free Texas charts on and off for more than 8 years. Their most
recent release "Life's Too Short" will be the the featured CD of the
month in March 2013, on both Radio Free Texas and Roothog Radio. Many
Americana radio stations across the country are now spinning songs from
the album and "Life's Too Short" is now being played regularly in
Germany, Serbia, Belgium, Norway, France, the UK, Ireland, the
Netherlands, Australia & Japan.
From the first notes of the very first track, I suspected I was going to
enjoy this, the 4th album from Bonnie. I wasn't disappointed. Bonnie
has always had great taste in material. Standards (Roger and Hart,
Oliver Nelson) sit comfortably alongside contemporary pop tunes. (Stevie
Wonder is a favorite). But it is on her original material that she
demonstrates her maturity as an artist. The polished arrangements and
sound speak for her attention to detail as singer AND producer. Of
course having great collaborators helps. Co-producer and songwriter
Graham Jess's sax and flute playing complement Bonnie's smoky, soulful
vocals perfectly. All the players, the cream of Sydney's jazz musos, are
at the top of their game here and sound like they are really enjoying
their work. The whole album swings and includes more than a hint of
"Latin tinge". Perfect for a sunny Autumn afternoon.
BONNIE J JENSEN
Big Head Todd & the Monsters spent much of the early years of the new millennium emphasizing their blues roots, going so far as to spearhead a centennial celebration of Robert Johnson in 2011, so the expansive nature of 2014's Black Beehive comes as something of a welcome surprise. BHTM haven't left the blues behind, of course -- there are funky slide guitar workouts like "Seven State Lines," along with a salute to the great Howlin' Wolf guitarist Hubert Sumlin -- but they've internalized the blues, letting it infuse songs that otherwise read as pop or lending a bit of grit to performances that otherwise favor comfort. This dexterity (demonstrated, as it should, through throwaway grooves and succinct solos), when combined with a production that boasts considerable color even during the record's quietest moments, gives Black Beehive a surprising resonance; unlike some BHTM records, this feels lived-in, which in itself is a reflection of how the band's sojourn into the blues has paid off dividends. They've returned to some of the easy, breezy melodic songwriting that gave them AAA hits in the '90s, but that tunefulness is given a backbone by the band's willingness to delve into the blues, and the production -- alternating between spare sweetness and sharply detailed, sculpted six-strings -- gives the album dimension (and Todd's decision to occasionally co-opt Dylan's phrasing, unmistakable on "Josephina" and "Travelin' Light," adds another dimension to this roots rock fantasia). Big Head Todd & the Monsters will never be a gutbucket, down-and-dirty blues-rock outfit, but Black Beehive proves that's fine: they have found their own friendly spin on the blues and have become a better band for it. BIG HEAD TODD THE MONSTERS
