Last Friday, Soul Cycle had the opportunity to perform in front of a capacity audience at the 2010 NYC Winter JazzFest, a watershed event that featured over 40 jazz groups showcasing in 5 venues over two days. Headliners included Vijay Iyer, Chris Dave, Nicholas Payton, Lionel Loueke, Gretchen Parlato, and many other amazing artists! Here are some highlights from our set:
Special thanks to Meghan Stabile from Revive Da Live and Brice Rosenbloom for making this event happen! We are so grateful to share the stage with so much talent.
What an amazing time we had at the release party! Rogiérs blessed us with his sexy spin on “Blue in Green,” we performed new material from Mosaic including the first single, “Lagos”, and we flipped fan favorite “Empty Pockets” with a go-go feel! There was even an impromptu jam session at the end featuring a bunch of heavy-hitters who came out to support. Check it out now and leave comments!
Thu Nov 19 2009
Doors 8:30 - Showtime 9:30 - Two sets
Tickets $10 ($8 with RSVP to events@revivedalive.com)
ZINC BAR
82 W 3 St (Sullivan/Thompson)
New York, NY 10012
(212) 477-8337 - zincbar.com
Featuring: JESSE FISCHER keys BRIAN HOGANS sax JOSH DAVID bass COREY RAWLS drums SHAWN BANKS percussion
With special guests: ROGIÉRS vocals SUPA DJ KING JAMES turntables
plus other surprise guests you don’t want to miss!
About Mosaic:
Soul Cycle brings an infectious blend of jazz, funk, and world music to Mosaic, their eagerly awaited third release. Featuring guest vocals from Rogiérs as well as the core lineup of keyboardist Jesse Fischer, saxophonist Brian Hogans, bassist Josh David, drummer Corey Rawls, and percussionist Shawn Banks, Mosaic captures the intimate energy of a live perfomance, resulting in honest music that ranges broadly from contemplative to joyous, from searching to playful. Overflowing with memorable compositions, dynamic group interplay, and raw soul, Mosaic is a bold statement in support of real music.
Just got back from playing at NJPAC for their Sounds of the City outdoor festival. We had a blast being on stage in front of several hundred people; the weather was great and we couldn’t have asked for a more enthusiastic audience! We decided to do Miles Davis and Bill Evan’s classic ballad “Blue in Green”, but I wanted to make it into a nice soulful summertime jam. Here’s what we came up with:
There’s nothing quite like playing music outside in the summer!
Soul Cycle makes its Nublu debut, bringing you another memorable evening of raw funk and intergalactic soul!! Special guests to be announced. Don’t believe the hype - see for yourself!
THU 07.23.09
11pm - $10 cover
NUBLU
62 Ave C
(betw E 4 St and E 5 St)
F/V to 2 Ave
Hey everyone!! I’m just coming down off of the high of last night’s show at Groove. We had a wonderful audience and the energy in the room was electric. Our featured artist was Rogiérs, and he blew everyone away with his soulful vocals and jazzy runs. In addition, I was so happy to welcome Louis Cato to the group on bass (fresh off a European Tour with Idle Warship), as Josh had a previous engagement with A Tribe Called Quest. Everyone on stage was really listening to each other and I think we all were excited to create some brand new music together!
I’ve always wanted to perform Al Green’s “Simply Beautiful” and last night was the perfect opportunity; the warm weather had everyone feeling peaceful, and Rogiérs channeled Al Green’s intensity and spirit like I’d never seen. This is Grown Folks’ Music - don’t open at work!
Check us out vibing on D’Angelo’s “Chicken Grease” later in the same set:
Here’s another song I’ve always wanted to play: Isaac Hayes‘ “Bumpy’s Lament”, from the Shaft soundtrack. You probably know it from Erykah Badu’s “Bag Lady” and Dr. Dre’s “Xxplosive”, but here’s our version of the original (it’s a slow burner!):
And finally, my original composition “Sun Stream”, which will be featured on the new record. James takes a blazing solo! Check it out:
Last night was a special night; I felt blessed as always to share the stage with such talented and creative musicians, and just as importantly, to share the room with such enthusiastic fans! I can’t wait for our next performance. Stay tuned, Soul Cycle listeners……….
Our first Tasty Treats show was an unqualified success! Groove was packed with friends, family, and music lovers, and we all enjoyed a diverse night of music from the soul. Most importantly, many of us who were fans of one the groups performing were introduced to the others for the first time; I hope we all walked away from the night feeling more enlightened and optimistic about music and life!
Soul Cycle tried out something new from our upcoming album, called “Above the Clouds”:
Saunders Sermons performed “In a Sentimental Mood” again, but this time we flipped it gangsta-stylee:
And we revived the old Sam Cooke classic, “You Send Me”:
Looking forward to the next time we can mix and match styles at Tasty Treats Vol. 2!
Hey Soul Cycle fans! I’m really excited to present this show next Tuesday. Soul Cycle is partnering with Lee Hogans and Pursuance and Saunders Sermons for an evening of raw soul and hip-hop-flavored jazz. All three artists have different textures and different flavors but we’re all on the same page in terms of creating dope music from the soul. Hope you can come out and spread the word!
Jesse Fischer and Lee Hogans present:
Tasty Treats An Evening of Raw Soul and Hip-Hop-Flavored Jazz
featuring Soul Cycle
Saunders Sermons
Lee Hogans and Pursuance
Tuesday May 12 2009
Doors 9:00 Showtime 9:30
Free Admission
Groove
125 MacDougal St (at W 3rd)
New York, NY 10012
A/B/C/D/E/F/V to W 4th
We had a great time at Groove last Friday! The band was killing and the audience was on fire. They say that a live band requires a live audience, so I send a special thank you to all those in attendance; your energy made it all possible! Shout out to my Aunt Bette who came from out of town to see us. Saunders Sermons (from Jay-Z’s band) came and blessed us on vocals and trombone, performing one of my favorite Duke Ellington songs, “In a Sentimental Mood“:
Saunders just released his debut album, Classic Delight. Check him out on iTunes!
We also got to play the wonderful Kenny Garrett composition, “Sing a Song of Song“. I love how simple the melody is and how haunting the harmony is. James takes a beautiful solo and if you watch to the very end, you see Corey bring the house down on drums:
Finally, we put a different stank on our fan favorite, “Empty Pockets“. The live remix is called “Fat Pockets”! Check it out:
Thanks again to all our fans. We’re so grateful for your energy and support!!
Just got back from Atlanta, GA! What a wonderful experience. It was my first time taking the band on a trip this far from home, and also the first time we played the same club two nights in a row. Since the travel budget for this outing was very small, Corey, Josh and I decided to drive from NYC to ATL — rock-band road-trip style! I was happy because we got to listen to lots of great music (Bob, Jimi, Herbie, Kenny, Meshell, etc), watch the country go by, and have some solid, in-depth conversations.
I had no idea what to expect, but the shows at Churchill Grounds ended up being huge successes! The audiences were warm, attentive, and enthusiastic, and we even sold out both sets the second night. Corey’s sister Misha Fair joined us on vocals for a couple covers and two originals — she killed it, and the whole band sounded ridiculous! Here’s a clip of Corey’s tune “Porcelain Funk” (with burnin’ solos from Brian on alto and Corey on drums):
