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!

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!

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!

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!!

Peace,

Jesse