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| Omar Sosa U.S. Tour Following his recent GRAMMY and BBC Radio 3 nominations for Mulatos, Cuban composer and pianist Omar Sosa returns to the U.S. with a new Quartet featuring saxophone great Pee Wee Ellis, live-drum-n-bass pioneer Marque Gilmore, on drums, and Mozambican bassist Childo Tomas. This ensemble enjoyed a successful run at Blue Note Tokyo last year, and will arrive in the US fresh from performances at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival earlier this month. Omar Sosa will be adding the rich sounds of the Fender Rhodes to his keyboard set-up for US Tour: April 19-29, 2006, Including Oakland, Santa Cruz, Miami, Seattle & Los Angeles The shows in the US coincide with the release of Omar Sosa's new CD, Mulatos Remix, which features flesh and funky contributions by Paris-based drummer / producer, Doctor L; Brooklyn-based producer / remixer, DJ Spinna; live-drum-n-bass pioneer, Marque Gilmore (who joins Omar for the US tour); Paris-based drummer / producer, Steve Arguelles, who produced Mulatos, and whose mixes include some out-takes from the original Mulatos sessions; and new-to-the-Paris-scene, DJ Basephunk. The dance-jazz vibe of these remixes features Sosa piano and marimba riffs, sultry clarinet riffs, as well as new vocal and flute elements, all enhanced by the cutting edge approaches of the guest remixers. The original Mulatos CD features the artistry of legendary Cuban reedman, Paquito D'Rivera. Saxophonist Pee Wee Ellis was the architect of James Brown's era-defining soul classics of the late '60s, introducing the dynamic arrangements and irresistible rhythms that would define the emerging language of funk. Ellis co-wrote and arranged a series of James Brown hits, including "Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud" and "Mother Popcorn". Following his tenure with James Brown, Pee Wee Ellis worked with Jack McDuff, Esther Phillips, George Benson, Hank Crawford, and Dave Liebman. From 1979 to 1986, Pee Wee Ellis served as musical director, arranger and principal soloist with Van Morrison. Mr. Ellis has also teamed with former James Brown horn alumni Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker (as the JB Horns), and currently leads his own UK-based ensemble, the Pee Wee Ellis Assembly. Drummer Marque Gilmore is a founding member of New York City's Black Rock Coalition, and pioneer of the New York and London live-drum-n-bass scenes. He has worked with an international array of artists, including Joe Zawinul, Steve Coleman, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, and innovative DJ-producer State Of Bengal. Mr. Gilmore is acclaimed for his multimedia performance project, DRUM-FM, and his recent remixes of tracks from Mulatos are featured on the new Mulatos Remix CD. Mozambican bassist Childo Tomas has toured steadily with Omar Sosa for many years on five continents. This will be his first visit to the United States. Mr. Tomas has studied both traditional and popular musical forms in his native Mozambique, and contributes on m'bira (kalimba) and vocals in several languages, in addition to his virtuosity on the electric bass. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |