NPR Weekend Edition Interview
My bandmate Amayo and I were interviewed by NPR’s Scott Simon of Weekend Edition to discuss our latest Antibalas album “Fu Chronicles.” LISTEN:
New Antibalas Single : Amenawon
From the upcoming album "Fu Chronicles" - out February 7th. Pre-order/stream single now: https://daptone.ffm.to/bwav9ee.oyd
New music from Antibalas: ‘Fu Chronicles’
Antibalas releases the 7th LP “Fu Chronicles” on Daptone Records, Feb 7 2020 with worldwide tour dates.
We have a new record coming out in February on Daptone Records! It is called “Fu Chronicles”. It is our seventh full-length album.
Here is the first single “Fight Am Finish”
The album is a suite of songs composed by Antibalas vocalist/multi instrumentalist Duke Amayo. The musicians include the current touring band as well Our extended musical family
We recorded it in the summer of 2018 at the Daptone House of Soul in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Additional studio work and mixing were done at Penrose Recorders in Riverside, CA.
My contributions include baritone saxophone, flute, percussion and background vocals. I prepared the arrangements and co-produced it with Bosco Mann.
Enjoy!
Orquesta Akokán Nominated for a Grammy
Congratulations / felicidades to Orquesta Akokán for the Grammy nomination for their latest release on Daptone records. I was honored to have to privilege of writing the album’s liner notes.
Read / listen here: https://www.orquestaakokan.com
New Collab: "Prisma Tropical" : Balún feat. Antibalas Horns
Congratulations to Balún on the release of their new album "Prisma Tropical" (out 7/20/2018).
I was honored to be invited to the studio with the Antibalas horns, recording arrangements by trumpeter and Antibalas bandmate Eric Biondo for the song "Pulsos."
The rough mixes of the record sounded fantastic and otherworldly. I'm so happy this crew is making music and that this record will be soon out in the world.
Collaboration: Dos Santos new album "LOGOS" feat. Antibalas horns out 6/15/2018
About 15 years ago I was passing through Austin Texas on my way back from México. My man Adrian Quesada introduced me to musician (and at that time grad student) Alex Chávez. I moved to Austin and lived there for several years, and got to collaborate on a few occasions with Alex and the group MITOTE.
The years went by...Alex earned a Ph.D and is now a professor at Notre Dame and a few years back got an exciting new project called Dos Santos up and running out of Chicago.
Last fall, while on tour with Antibalas, we linked up again and recorded two songs for the new Dos Santos album. The session was a trip: we had very little time in between soundcheck and the gig, so they built an impromptu recording studio across the street from Thalia Hall at 606 Records. Amidst the bins of vinyl and sips of very good tequila, the four of us--Jordan McLean and Eric Biondo (trumpets), Morgan Price (tenor sax) and myself (baritone sax) knocked out the two songs with great charts by Nick Mazzarella.
Thanks to Dos Santos for inviting the Antibalas horns to be a part of this beautiful work.
L-R: Pete "Maestro" Vale, Martín Perna, Alex Chavez
The record is officially out 6/15/2018 on International Anthem. Preview/order the record HERE.
Angelique Kidjo's REMAIN IN LIGHT: Album out 6/8/2018
Cover design: Kerry James Marshall
At the end of 2016, Angelique Kidjo asked me to compose and prepare horn arrangements for "Crosseyed and Painless" by Talking Heads.
I had grown up in the late 70s and early 80s listening to Talking Heads (thanks, MOM!!), recorded with David Byrne and St. Vincent a few years ago, and then served as the musical director for "The Music of David Byrne and Talking Heads" at Carnegie Hall in 2015, with Antibalas as the house band.
Little did I know that this would turn into doing horn arrangements for the entirety of Remain in Light, recording on the album with producer Jeff Bhasker, and touring the country and the world with Angelique, her band, amazing guest musicians (including David Byrne and Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads, Nona Hendryx of Labelle, Lionel Loueke, keyboardists Ray Angry and Jason Lindner), and of course, my brothers from the Antibalas horns.
We just finished up a run of shows on the West Coast, and the project will continue to travel the world and beyond after the release of the album on June 8, 2018.
Live at the Theatre at Ace Hotel, Downtown LA. 5/5/2018. Photo: Oz McGuire
For those who got a chance to see the show, THANK YOU!! For those who haven't, brace yourselves! It is powerful and poetic.
New Antibalas Album out 9/15 on Daptone - PREORDER & Tour Dates
Antibalas announces release of 6th studio album, 2017-2018 tour dates.
That's right. We've made another album, our sixth full-length record in 19 (!) years.
This one is called "Where the Gods Are In Peace." Daptone will be releasing it 9/15/2017. Click HERE or on the cover image below to pre-order the album.
We'll be on tour in the fall throughout the US and beyond. Confirmed tour dates below:
New Ocote Soul Sounds 45 out TODAY!
New 45 single release by Ocote Soul Sounds feat. Quantic and Chico Mann. Out 6/17/2016 on Wonderwheel Recordings.
I made some new music with Ocote Soul Sounds! This 45 single with the songs "A Pesar La Vida" and "Not Yet" with Chico Mann and Quantic.
"A Pesar La Vida" featuring Chico Mann on vocals, is dedicated to immigrants, past and present, looking for something better amidst all obstacles.
Thanks to Nicodemus and the Wonderwheel Recordings family for putting this out.
Click on the pic above to buy, or below to listen: