CINDY BLACKMAN
Cindy Blackman Drums Born in Ohio and raised in Connecticut, Cindy began her musical career as a New York street performer. She spent three semesters at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts and also studied with legendary teacher Alan Dawson. Cindy moved to New York City in the 80's and since that time, she has been seen and heard by millions of people all over the world performing with her own group and during her 11 year stint with retro funk rocker Lenny Kravitz, since 1993. In 1998, Cindy released her first drumming instructional video entitled, “Multiplicity” through Warner Brothers publications. Cindy has been touted as “one of the hottest drummers in the business, by the Star-Gazette and is regarded as one of the top drummers in the world. She is a solid, dependable drummer who can easily move from straight-ahead jazz to rock to funk and back again. She's upheld the backbeat and created texture for a veritable “Who's Who” in jazz: Jackie McLean, Joe Henderson, Don Pullen, Hugh Masekela, Pharaoh Sanders, Sam Rivers, Cassandra Wilson, Angela Bofill, Bill Laswell, Buckethead. In early 2000, Cindy released the latest of her several acclaimed solo albums entitled “Works on Canvas.” She released her seventh solo release “Someday” in 2004. “Some drummers act, some react. Some keep time, others create it. Cindy Blackman is among the few who can....” says Mike Zwerin of the International Herald Tribune. One listen to her latest release, Works On Canvas (featuring J.D. Allen-Tenor Saxophone, Carlton Holmes-Piano/Fender Rhodes, George Mitchell-Bass) and you'll agree. Talking Drum said, “You can be assured that Ms. Blackman will be around for a long time to come..” She is thunder. She is fire. She is energy. She is passion. She is Cindy Blackman. According to Cindy herself, “The life of music is bigger than all of us.”...
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CINDY BLACKMAN
Cindy Blackman Drums Born in Ohio and raised in Connecticut, Cindy began her musical career as a New York street performer. She spent three semesters at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts and also studied with legendary teacher Alan Dawson. Cindy moved to New York City in the 80's and since that time, she has been seen and heard by millions of people all over the world performing with her own group and during her 11 year stint with retro funk rocker Lenny Kravitz, since 1993. In 1998, Cindy released her first drumming instructional video entitled, “Multiplicity” through Warner Brothers publications. Cindy has been touted as “one of the hottest drummers in the business, by the Star-Gazette and is regarded as one of the top drummers in the world. She is a solid, dependable drummer who can easily move from straight-ahead jazz to rock to funk and back again. She's upheld the backbeat and created texture for a veritable “Who's Who” in jazz: Jackie McLean, Joe Henderson, Don Pullen, Hugh Masekela, Pharaoh Sanders, Sam Rivers, Cassandra Wilson, Angela Bofill, Bill Laswell, Buckethead. In early 2000, Cindy released the latest of her several acclaimed solo albums entitled “Works on Canvas.” She released her seventh solo release “Someday” in 2004. “Some drummers act, some react. Some keep time, others create it. Cindy Blackman is among the few who can....” says Mike Zwerin of the International Herald Tribune. One listen to her latest release, Works On Canvas (featuring J.D. Allen-Tenor Saxophone, Carlton Holmes-Piano/Fender Rhodes, George Mitchell-Bass) and you'll agree. Talking Drum said, “You can be assured that Ms. Blackman will be around for a long time to come..” She is thunder. She is fire. She is energy. She is passion. She is Cindy Blackman. According to Cindy herself, “The life of music is bigger than all of us.”
DJ LOGIC
“The theorem of turntablist as musician has been long proven in the capable hands of DJ LOGIC, whom with jazz as his foundation has become a wax innovator by crossing genres and sprinkling his sound across the map. As one of the world's most accomplished turntablist’s, DJ LOGIC is widely credited for introducing jazz into the hip - hop realms and is considered by most as a highly respected session musician and an innovative bandleader. Since his emergence in the early nineties amidst the Bronx hip-hop scene, the New York City based deejay has been amassing a veritable mountain of collaborations ranging from the likes of: MEDESKI MARTIN AND WOOD, CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE, VERNON REID, CHARLIE HUNTER, JACK DeJOHNETTE, JOHN MAYER, BEN HARPER, MOS DEF and THE ROOTS, to name but a few. These days, DJ LOGIC is focusing on studio endeavors, producing notable projects such as: Re-imagination with jazz piano phenomenon ELDAR ; collaborating with VERNON REID on a project he co-founded called the Yohimbe Brothers ; touring with CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE in support of Live at Tonic ; participating in a side project called SOLESIDE (featuring KYLE HOLLINGSWORTH from STRING CHEESE INCIDENT and SPEECH from ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT) and co-anchoring a rock band with JOHN POPPER (The John Popper Project featuring DJ Logic) . LOGIC’S body of work also includes three highly accomplished solo albums (Zen of Logic; The Anomaly; Presents Project Logic), all released on Ropeadope Records. DJ LOGIC and his role as an electronic-music ambassador keeps him at the top of his game. Whether the scratch artist instructs tablas to flirt with drum 'n' bass (such as on his NINA SIMONE and BILLY HOLIDAY remixes found on Sony Legacy's Remixed and Reimagined volumes) , or while meshing free styling MC's with Afro-Cuban rhythms (such as on 'Share Worldwide Funk' - a remix produced for JACK DeJOHNETTE and Golden Beams Collected, Volume 1 ) , LOGIC can always be found paying homage to his predecessors while contributing his vision to the deejay genre. While the context of his work may vary, DJ LOGIC’S spinning skills are definitely beyond reproach. He works with a phenomenal roster of invited guests, and he knows how to pick his collaborators as well as his samples. With a growing catalogue of recordings under his belt, DJ LOGIC’S supreme musicianship and catholic tastes will allow him to journey wherever an infectious groove may take him.
JAY RODRIGUEZ
Jay Rodriguez Jay Rodriguez began his musical studies at the age of seven on clarinet and was playing lead alto with the late great Tito Puente by the age of fifteen. He graduated with the highest honors from New York City’s renowned High School for the Performing Arts (as featured in the film Fame). He went on to continue his studies at the Manhattan School of Music and the New School, but more importantly he studied life through music and music through life. When asked about his childhood, he recollects how, “My saxophone guru, Mark Friedman tried to teach me how important it was to be a kid. Of course, I didn’t listen, so I was playing gigs constantly. I’d be coming home at 6 o’clock in the morning, then going to school. That was my childhood and I don’t regret it.” It is with this focus and determination coupled with his natural prodigal abilities that Jay has been nominated twice for a Grammy under the best jazz solo category. He has performed or recorded with a diverse list of talent, all of whom represent the best in their respective genres. Improvising with Miles, rocking with Widespread Panic, grooving with Prince or jamming with his local NYC downtown peers Medeski, Martin and Wood, Jay is on the scene performing over 200 gigs a year. Jay is also the musical director/founding member of New York City's phenomenon Groove Collective. In recent years, the band has opened for and jammed with James Brown, backed Tupac Shakur (voted #2 all time live Hip Hop performance on MTV), and shared the stage with Isaac Hayes, Erykah Badu, The Roots and BB King among others. Groove Collective just returned from a 2002 tour of Europe featuring JB trombonist Fred Wesley, and a trip to Moscow with guest artist P-Funk Co-founder Bernie Worrell.
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