I’m looking at the date and no there’s no joke here… just bring on Spring already! Time for renewal, rebirth and for people to come out of their caves and walk down the lane or something like that.

For Grown Folks Music, supporting the arts is one of the pillars of our beliefs. It can be quite contradictory to criticize the present quality of music in the mainstream and not contribute to the roots of education for our youth to counteract the present conditions. So for this reason and many others we could outline, we greatly support the efforts of Jazz Roots and the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre Foundation. The following pictures and video are from the sound check sessions of the Dave Koz & Friends Christmas Tour. It was inspiring to see students learning from the professionals and being educated in other classes on the influence of blues and jazz in music. Here is Shelia E. during sound check of the song “Little Drummer Girl” with Dave Koz and composer David Benoit. Happy Holidays!!!!

Please note, this performance is only rehearsal. Shelia “killed it” during her live performance and if you missed our pictures from the concert, here is your chance!!!

In NYC? Check out Steve Wexler and The Top Shelf at DROM December 6.

The show will spotlight 21^st Century Soul including creative arrangements of Amy Winehouse, Beyonce, Eli “Paper Boy” Reed, and more and the winner of the “Top Shelf Cocktail” will be announced!

For tickets click here

Take a peek at what you can expect from the band in this video of one its performances at DROM:

Dave Koz at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre

Have you ever gone to a great concert, saw an unbelievable show and drove home on cloud nine like you just experienced an exciting first date?!?!? Well, I did when I saw the JAZZ ROOTS jazz series with the Dave Koz and Friends Christmas Tour featuring pianist & composer David Benoit, singer and winner of The Voice television show, Javier Colon, famed percussionist, composer Shelia E. and special guest, singer, songwriter Margo Rey at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. Like any good first date, I couldn’t stop rambling to my friends about all the highlights. Not only were the featured artists incredible but the stage band along with the production/lighting crew were excellent!!! Also, we would be remiss if we didn’t compliment the accomplished musical director, Mr. Brian Simpson for his work on this show. Now, I could go on all day about this concert but why do that when I captured these great photos for you to see and enjoy!

Oh and stay tuned for our upcoming post of the educational sound check session featuring Shelia E.!!!

For us you can’t get a better live experience than Earth, Wind & Fire and when I go to concerts, it’s often hard to describe the emotions, excitement and intimacy between the stage and the audience. So to summon a time when live albums stimulated our imagination in “being there” and helped us appreciate the skill of “live music”, we figured we’d grab some audio footage and our pictures from the Earth, Wind & Fire concert in Atlanta. Here is the classic song, “In the Stone”.  Oh and if you’re wondering if those are “real strings” you’re hearing, that would be the symphonic sounds of the GRAMMY award winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra playing along with them. Yaaaaayyyyyy, live music!!!

Earlier this month we had the opportunity to catch the 1^st Hit Listening Lounge with the incredible DJ Salah Ananse and our beloved host Jodine Dorce with Jordine’s Corner. If you missed this event,  here is the FULL interview with an insightful look at the making of his new project, Afrique Electrique Volume 1 and a few live performances. So sit tight and enjoy the recap from this “grown” affair. Special thanks as always to Harmony in Life, Music Addikts, Jodine’s Corner and Moods Music. (more…)

Grown Folks Music was in the house when Jazz Funk band Incognito and special guest Khari Cabral performed at Center Stage in Atlanta.

Sometimes during an opening act, the audience is less enthusiastic and even inattentive. But that wasn’t the case during guitarist Khari Cabral’s performance.  In addition to “throwin’ down” himself, Cabral pulled some tricks from his sleeve by inviting Anthony David to join him on stage. And as if Anthony David wasn’t enough, he later surprised the crowd again by inviting India.Arie on stage.

According to band leader Jean Paul “Bluey” Maunick, Jazz Funk veteran band Incognito has had more 1,500 members in the 33 years of its existence and later in the show he introduced what he dubbed “The United Nations of Incognito”—the current members of the band who represented several different countries of the world including Portugal, Jamaica, Trinidad, Germany, Italy, Brazil, the United States and England.

One of those past members, Maysa, is a crowd favorite and much to its satisfaction she showed up to bless the fans during “Change”, “Step Into My Life”, “The Less You Know” and “Still A Friend Of Mine” as well as during the encore selections. But certainly the current vocalists, Mo Brandis, Vanessa Haynes and Natalie Williams, aren’t too shabby either. The band also performed selections from the new album Surreal  featuring each of them on lead vocals.

Later in the show Bluey lead the audience down his personal musical journey mixed with a bit of music education of Brazilian funk and there was an outstanding demonstration of talent (and stamina) from the percussionists of the band that was a “give the drummer some” moment.

For the encore selections, the band presented snippets of “Don’t You ‘Bout A Thing” and “Nights Over Egypt”. More than likely, the crowd would have preferred to hear both those songs in their entirety—they didn’t get the attention they deserved, but the band brought it home with “Deep Waters”.  Some 30 years and many members later Incognito is still going strong with no signs of stopping anytime soon and offers up a pleasurable live performance.

Verdine White, Philip Bailey & Ralph Johnson of Earth, Wind & Fire

It’s 6:37pm and the line is already wrapped around Chastain Park Amphitheater. Parking lots are quickly filling up with excited fans and bona fide tailgaters ready to toast the night fantastic. On my way to the gate entry, I meet a gentleman by the name of Mr. Humphrey along with his wife who’ve been long time fans and returning concertgoers of the headlining group. Later, I bumped into seven college friends reuniting for their yearly get together and another couple  celebrating  16 years of wedded bliss. With the air filled with a spirit of celebration and reunion, what other group could inspire this type of anticipation by simply “singing a song”? None other than the six time Grammy Award winning band, Earth, Wind & Fire. (more…)