Shawn Lee

Sing A Song

In addition to showcasing a love for 1960s and 1970s soul, Shawn Lee also steers his latest musical mystery tour into psychedelic and cinematic territory over the course of 12 brand new cuts. Sing a Song is like a breezy summertime mixtape, packed with catchy motor city licks and space age songs that Lee built from scratch with each collaborating vocalist in mind. Inviting vocalists from as far afield as Kansas City, Los Angeles, London, Detroit and New York, Lees’ latest album features Princess Superstar, artist Paul Fryer, and blind street performer Robert Bradley. During recording Lee had to be admitted to hospital for an emergency appendix operation, just a few days after his wife gave birth to their second girl. But the musical drive in Mr Lee is so strong there’s always time to Sing a Song.

Shawn Lee and his Ping Pong Orchestra will be in the USA this Fall to play their first ever gigs, including a stop at Bumbershoot in Seattle…hold tight for more gigs.

He kicks the album off with a duet featuring Orgone chanteuse Fanny Franklin, and their vocals lace an epic string-laden instrumental with a cautionary tale for fakers and flakes.  Lee came across Marcus Malone while remixing a band called Jettricks. Surprised to learn that Malone is a mature guy with a young voice (and not vice versa) he was inspired to write a Motown-fueled jam for the Detroit native who was at one point signed to the legendary label. Making a brief appearance on “Who Are You,” Bing Ji Ling is originally from San Francisco but now resides in Brooklyn, NY. As a solo artist and member of The Phenomenal Handclap Band he’s a talented singer and instrumentalist, and more importantly “rocks the best beard and glasses combo I’ve ever seen!” according to Lee.

Lee met Jeremiah through connections with The Phenomenal Handclap Band and despite having just been discharged from hospital (for an emergency appendix operation) and having a baby daughter born less than three weeks prior Lee managed to record Jeremiah while he was on a quick trip through London.  Lord Large is made up of Andrew J Jones and Stephen Large, “a man who plays keyboards like a frickin’ wizard!” says Lee. « Fading Light » features Robert Bradley on lead vocals. Bradley is a blind street performer and songwriter from Detroit and a former RCA and Vanguard artist. He’s a long time friend of Kid Rock and sang and appeared in the movie Lackawanna Blues and the music documentary « Playing for Change ». Their track is a different version of the song that appeared on an earlier Lord Large album.

Lee is solo on “I’ll Just Wait A While” which starts out as a bluesy stripped-down song before morphing into space-age pop. It complements the two tracks with The Superimposers, a two man London group comprised of Dan Warden and Miles Copeland. Lee recently produced their new album and has joined the band, “ We go together like peanut butter & jelly and pimps and fur coats.” Fade Up is an amazing rolling funky folk track for hazy summer days while “Don’t Let That Feeling” is quirky tripped out soul. Lee also produced tracks for Princess Superstar, the native New Yorker who has worked with Kool Keith and Grandmaster Flash. Together the Mensa-member soulstress and relentless producer turn in slightly tongue in cheek soul jam. Born and raised in Wichita, Kansas, Lee had to make the Kansas City connection with rapper/singer/producer/trumpeter and MPM recording artist Miles Bonny. Midwest represent!

Lee describes Paul Fryer as “total and utter creative genius.” The DJ, club promoter, singer and successful artist was musical director for fashion house Fendi for 5 years and released a book of his poetry with illustrations by fellow artist and friend Damian Hirst. Their beautiful and cinematic track rounds out the album.

Lees’ last three albums were also collaborations. In addition to the aforementioned Bei Bei he has recently worked with Clutchy Hopkins on the Fascinating Fingers album, and with Money Mark and Tommy Guerrero under the name Lord Newborn & The Sugar Skulls. He has plans to do some major interpretations of famous classical pieces later in the year, and has a “World Of Funk” album in the works.

tracklisting:
01. Shut Up And Learn feat. Fanny Franklin
02. It Takes Two feat. Marcus Malone
03. Who Are You? feat. Bing Ji Ling
04. Fade Up feat. The Superimposers
05. I’ll Just Wait A While
06. Fading Light feat. Lord Large with Robert Bradley
07. Older feat. Miles Bonney
08. Swimming Pool
09. Don’t Let That Feeling feat. The Superimposers
10. Lucy Lucy feat. Jeremiah
11. Christopher Walken on Sunshine feat. Princess Superstar
12. Meadow in the Summer feat. Paul Fryer

http://www.ubiquityrecords.com/

Aux affamés de bonnes vibes soul-funk. Aux « connoisseurs » de cette musique accouchée dans la douleur des âmes. Rencard les 4 et 6 août au Glazart* (Paris) avec deux légendes. Ça ne se refuse pas. 

Paname se met en mode funk, avec deux Tontons flingueurs du son. George Clinton mettra d’abord le couvert le 4 dès 19 h à La plage de Glazart*, avant de laisser place à Roy Ayers, qui déménagera le tout le 6, même heure même lieu.

Et tout ça, on le doit à qui ? On vous le donne, Emile ! Encore aux fous furieux de chez Groove Production, qui n’ont décidément pas l’intention de lâcher l’affaire. N’en déplaise aux amateurs de grand-messe variétobusiness en vogue…   

Pour se mettre en jambes, on débute avec l’ami Clinton, 69 ans le 22 juillet, un des pères fondateurs du funk avec James et Sly. Comme les très grands, il a su s’entourer de virtuoses tels le claviériste Bernie Worrell, le guitariste Eddie Hazel, et quelques transfuges de la maison Brown, dont le boss pétait décidément trop les plombs et autre chose. On parle là du tromboniste Fred Wesley, et des sax Maceo Parker et Alfred Pee Wee Ellis, du bassiste Bootsie Collins…

Reboostée par la scène rap des nineties, dont le cynophile Snoop, l’œuvre du Tonton revient à sa place. C’est à dire devant. Les jeunots découvrent alors que la vraie musique existait avant les chaînes en or massif et les voitures à suspensions hydrauliques. Alléluia…

Quand on parle P-Funk, on y associe des zicos genre grosses pointures. Le regretté Gary « Star Child » Shider en fait partie. L’homme en couche-culotte a été rappelé il y a peu au firmament pour un bœuf d’enfer avec ceux qui l’ont précédé. RIP.

Un concert de Clinton, c’est minimum trois heures de liesse et de folie avec des zigues fagotés comme l’équipage de Startrek en talons lamé argent, plumes et combinaisons à faire passer Raël pour un sapeur. Alors profitons-en avant que l’inéluctable ne se produise, et qu’on en soit réduits à se consoler avec des vidéos de Youtube ou des vinyles de collec’ au grain râpeux.   

Question sample, Roy Ayers qui succéde à Clinton le 6 août, n’est pas en reste. Mary J Blige, D’Angelo, Common, Naughty by Nature et même les frenchies du neuf trois NTM ont posé leurs lyrics sur les accords du vibraphoniste. Un sacré bonhomme, ce Roy, qui mène aux baguettes une carrière d’exception.

A presque 70 ans, il tient toujours la dragée haute aux têtes d’affiches actuels à propos desquels la décence empêchera ici tout commentaire… De son papa tromboniste et sa maman pianiste, Roy Ayers a hérité le rythme. Et de Lionel Hampton, une paire de baguettes.

Jazz jazz jazz. A 18 ans, il taquine le clavier avec des grands. Phineas Newborn Jr, Leroy Vinnegar. Plus tard, Reggie Workman (bassiste de Coltrane) l’embringue dans une jam avec le flutiste Herbie Mann, aux côtés duquel il joue quatre ans avant de former le Roy Ayers Ubiquity avec des pointures nommées Fortune, Cobham, Hakim ou Mouzon. Sa patte, jazz très funk, devient en l’espace de 12 LP, la bande-son des seventies. Un détour par l’Afrique de Fela dans les années 80 et le retour en grâce via l’acid-jazz et le hip-hop des années 90 qui le samplent à tours de bras. Histoire qu’on n’oublie pas d’où vient tout ce qui est bon…  

Sheidia @ Soulflower 

*7/15 av Porte de la Villette Paris  www.myspace.com/grooveproduction

Orgone

Cali Fever

Orgone are back with Cali Fever, their second album for Ubiquity and a giant step from anything they have ever released in the past. They emerged from the evergreen Los Angeles soulful musical family (band members have also played with Connie Price and the Keystones, Breakestra, Dakah, Rhythm Roots Allstars, The Lions, the Simple Citizens, etc) releasing The Killion Floor in 2007. Tracks like “Dialed Up” and “Funky Nassau” established the bands funk and uptempo soul credibility  worldwide scoring them an Adidas campaign, and tour dates with Little Brother, and backing-band gigs for The Pharcyde, Plantlife (including a BBC performance for Jools Holland), Tone Loc, and New Orleans funk legend Eddie Bo.
They have spent the last couple of years since re-organizing the bands line-up (9 pieces!) and honing their own sound by gigging non-stop. With a deep-rooted appreciation of funk, soul, and Afrobeat, Orgone naturally slide through multiple styles both live and on record. And their intimate understanding and appreciation of DJ culture lends a hard, explosive edge.
“While The Killion Floor was a culmination spanning 4 years of recording, and featuring past members of the band, the new record is much more dialed in and immediate,” they explain. “It is a proper representation of what Orgone has developed into, while ascribing to the same vision of honesty & grit we’ve always aimed for.”
Their dynamic live shows, and huge will to get out and play hard to as many people as possible, caught the ears of concert promoter Goldenvoice VP David Lefkowitz who has taken the band under his wing for management. Since doing so Orgone has played live on KCRWs Morning Becomes Eclectic, and at New Orleans Jazz Fest. Plus they’ve opened for the likes of Al Green, Gil Scott-Heron, and Sharon Jones, and toured with The Roots, Greyboy Allstars and Groundation. Their ability to get any crowd on its feet is testament to their eclectic outlook on funk and soul. This is not a retro funk-by-numbers band re-hashing the past, Cali Fever is the evolution of a band dedicated to bringing tight, tough and honest get-on-your-feet funk and soul music with no pretentions.“Songs like « Doing Me Wrong » reminisce on late 1960’s rawness while evoking more of a P-Funk churn. “It’s Time Tonight, » brings a dubbed-out, garage dance floor sensibility that we’ve not previously explored on record. And then there are tracks like « Matanza » which combines dancehall, Brazilian, and African elements to create a unique soundscape of aggressive rhythm,” explains the band.

tracklisting:

1. The Last Fool
2. Crazy Queen
3. Give It Up
4. Cali Fever
5. Sandstorm
6. Overtime
7. It’s Time Tonight
8. Lookout
9. Matanza
10. The Only One
11. Doing Me Wrong12. The Cleaner

http://www.ubiquityrecords.com/

Georgia Anne Muldrow

Kings Ballad (Ubiquity)

“King’s Ballad is a celebration of creativity and uniqueness, things that are necessary to a meaningful life expression. It’s about being yourself,” Georgia Anne Muldrow.
Slicing pop n’lock-friendly funk with gospel and gracious soul Georgia Anne Muldrow is shining as a true West Coast original. The seeds of early experimental releases are now blossoming as her trademark scattershot beats and adventurous deep jazz melodies have grown to become the backbone for fully crafted songs.

Left to her own devices on Kings Ballad, she has come up with what her partner (MC and producer Dudley Perkins) describes as her most “pop” record to date. If only all pop was this free-spirited and barefaced.
With aspirations to be a modern-day Quincy Jones, Muldrow is truly a renaissance musician. She is always looking to take her craft to a higher ground. She channels her unstoppable creativity into music that is commercially viable but does not lose sight of her essence as an artist who challenges the norm.

tracklisting:
1. Indeed
2. Doobie Down
3. Simple Advice
4. Kings Ballad
5. R.I.P
6. Thrones
7. Summer Love
8. Shang-A-Lang
9. The Ooh Wee Show
10. Can’t Stand Yo Love
11. To The Stage
12. March For Africa
13. Chocolate Reign
14. Baby Dee
15. Live
16. Room Punk!
17. Thatch
18. Industrial Bap
19. Morena Del Ray

http://www.ubiquityrecords.com

BEI BEI & SHAWN LEE

INTO THE WIND (UBIQUITY)

Into the Wind marries a unique blend of ancient tradition with studio trickery. Eschewing all notions of superficial « Asian-fusion, » this uplifting, genre-bending sound clash, recalls the afro centric harping of Dorothy Ashby and hypnotic spiritual jazz of Alice Coltrane. With Lee adding equal doses of hip hop, electric jazz, and soul sensibility to the backing tracks, the captivating sound of Bei Bei’s Guzheng (a 2000 year old Chinese string instrument) comes alive on peaceful mellow joints as much as it does on Kung-Fu flavored funk tunes.

1. Into The Wind
2. Hot Thursday
3. East
4. Make Me Stronger feat. Georgia Anne Muldrow
5. Little Sunrise
6. Bei’s Bossa
7. Whiskey Waltz
8. Willingness feat. Georgia Anne Muldrow
9. The Tiger
10. The Master Room
11. The Ambush
12. The Blue Grotto

http://www.ubiquityrecords.com