Suns of Mothers (Live) 12-29-2024
The second installment of the trio I’m part of with Tommy Guerrero and Nino Moschella. Performing live at Little Hill Lounge, El Cerrito California 12-29-2024. (Free)
We spent two days in the studio last week to record some ideas and shape together some songs. It has been quite liberating to play in a small ensemble with so much space for texture, silence, and rhythm. We just started playing together a few months ago but we have spent decades drinking from a lot of the same musical fountains and when we get together, things just flow.
New music from Antibalas: ‘Fu Chronicles’
Antibalas releases the 7th LP “Fu Chronicles” on Daptone Records, Feb 7 2020 with worldwide tour dates.
We have a new record coming out in February on Daptone Records! It is called “Fu Chronicles”. It is our seventh full-length album.
Here is the first single “Fight Am Finish”
The album is a suite of songs composed by Antibalas vocalist/multi instrumentalist Duke Amayo. The musicians include the current touring band as well Our extended musical family
We recorded it in the summer of 2018 at the Daptone House of Soul in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Additional studio work and mixing were done at Penrose Recorders in Riverside, CA.
My contributions include baritone saxophone, flute, percussion and background vocals. I prepared the arrangements and co-produced it with Bosco Mann.
Enjoy!
HONG KONG / ART BASEL / EUROPE SPRING 2019
2019 Tour Recap: Art Basel in Hong Kong, Europe, NOLA Jazz Fest
I’m back home in a moment of repose and pivot after five weeks on tour with Antibalas.
We began the tour in late March in Hong Kong (our first trip there and only other Asia appearance outside of Japan). We played the LACMA X UCCA Party connected to Art Basel.
I wasn’t sure what we were in for but it was a beautiful and strange night filled with immersive dance and theater performances, lots of people in couture, and a performance before us by Vava, an MC from China who put on a really good show.
The jet lag was intense and at times, crippling.
We had a few days to walk around before the next leg of the trip.
Part Two: Europe
From Hong Kong we flew via Moscow to Paris. It was not a nice flight, and the transfer was hectic.
We arrived in Paris and none of our checked luggage had arrived: no clothes, nor instruments (except for what we gate-checked and carried by hand.
Luckily our stuff arrived the evening before our first show in La Rochelle.
We set off on the next 3.5 weeks in a sprinter van and 4-person car throughout France, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, England and Ireland.
Sugar Club, Dublin Ireland.
The shows were a lot of fun and the level of production overall was tremendous, a much higher level than what we normally experience at clubs of the same size in the US. A large part of this has to do with two things: culture is taken seriously as a profession and social benefit/right and 2) The state (at local, regional and national levels provides financial support to both venues and festivals which allows them to staff each event with capable staff who are trained and getting paid okay.
It was non-stop, and has to be when you have 12 people on the road all needing to eat, drink, sleep and move. We can’t really afford many days off.
In Zurich, we made a horn squad field trip to the workshop of Thomas Indirbinen who makes some of the most divine instruments I’ve ever seen and played. These baritone saxophones are so balanced and resonant, top to bottom. Saving my Swiss francs…
The squad was top notch and we had Jerome Bach on sound and tour managing. I can’t imagine having done this run without him.
Part Three: New Orleans / Jazz Fest / Music Box Village
The Music Box Village is hard to describe: it’s a cluster of home-made buildings made from repurposed materials that are musical. Each one has different sounds (percussive, chimes, horns, metal, strings) and can be played with the other buildings. Everything is mic’ed or has electric pickups and the sound is fed and mixed through a soundboard.
We did a hybrid performance using our own instruments integrated with the sounds of the buildings. We had two days to get the repertoire and new compositions and set together. On day one it poured for five hours straight so our rehearsal was confined to the warehouse.
The day of the show we had pure sunshine and got to work setting up and testing the sounds.
New Ocote Soul Sounds 45 out TODAY!
New 45 single release by Ocote Soul Sounds feat. Quantic and Chico Mann. Out 6/17/2016 on Wonderwheel Recordings.
I made some new music with Ocote Soul Sounds! This 45 single with the songs "A Pesar La Vida" and "Not Yet" with Chico Mann and Quantic.
"A Pesar La Vida" featuring Chico Mann on vocals, is dedicated to immigrants, past and present, looking for something better amidst all obstacles.
Thanks to Nicodemus and the Wonderwheel Recordings family for putting this out.
Click on the pic above to buy, or below to listen: