Groove Collective

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Groove Collective
Origin New York City Flag of the United States
Genre(s) Acid jazz
Years active 1990–present
Website groovecollective.com

Groove Collective is a Grammy nominated Contemporary Jazz group formed in 1990. In 2007 they were nominated for a GRAMMY award for best contemporary Jazz album of the year for the release People People, Music, Music on the famed Savoy Jazz label. They scored two minor dance instrumental and adult contemporary hits in 1996 with a cover of The Beatles' "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" (US Dance/Club Play #45, US Dance Maxi Singles #23) and "Lift Off" (US R&B/Hip-Hop #73).[1]

Contents

[edit] Style

Groove Collective's musical style reflects the wide-ranging backgrounds and interests of its individual members. Commenting on the group's 1996 release, We the People, critic Michael Casey referred to the numerous influences at work in Groove Collective's sound, specifically the presence of Afro-pop, Latin jazz, hip-hop, and traditional jazz stylings. This mix is born of the members' varying influences, including bebop jazz, funk, old-school hip-hop and classic soul.[2] The group is also noted for its incorporation of a DJ into its sound. Bassist and co-founder Jonathan Maron has acknowledged the importance of the DJ in the mix, stating that "(Groove Collective's) goal has always been to emulate the range of music a DJ plays during the course of the night at a packed club....A great DJ knows the songs that can ignite the room and fill the dance floor. Some of my favorite musical experiences have been in clubs, where you listen and realize how well all of these styles blend together into one big idiom of its own."[3] Central to the group's ethic is its insistence on live instrumentation and its ability to create and sustain grooves for a dance floor audience.

[edit] Discography

  • Groove Collective (Reprise Records, 1993) US Jazz #20[4]
  • We the People (GRP Records, 1996) US Jazz #20
  • Dance of the Drunken Master (Shanachie Records, 1998) US Jazz #22
  • Declassified (Shanachie, 1999)
  • It's All in Your Mind (Shanachie, 2001)
  • Brooklyn, NY 04.20.02 (live album) (Kufala Records, 2002)
  • People People Music Music (Savoy Records, 2006)
  • PS1 Warm Up:Brooklyn, NY, July 2nd, 2005 (live album) (Kufala, 2007)

[edit] Current Members

  • Genji Siraisi - drums
  • Jonathan Maron - bass
  • Jay Rodriguez - saxophone
  • Chris Ifatoye Theberge - percussion
  • Barney Mcall - Keyboards
  • Curtis Fowlkes - trombone
  • Fabio Morgera - trumpet

Past Members

  • Richard Worth - flute
  • DJ Smash - turntables
  • Nappy G - rapping
  • Itaal Shur - keyboards
  • Bill Ware - vibraphone (ex-Steely Dan)
  • David Jensen- tenor saxophone
  • Josh Rouseman - trombone

Current Subs

  • Ben Stivers
  • Reut Regev
  • Etteine Stedgwick

[edit] References

  1. ^ Billboard Singles, Allmusic.com
  2. ^ Michael Casey, "The Range Finders: Groove Collective Defies Labels," Bergen Record May 23, 1997, ProQuest Platinum, Online (November 13, 2007).
  3. ^ Chris Jisi, "King of Clubs: Jonathan Maron & Groove Collective Create Dance Floor Delirium," Bass Player April 2001: p. 39, ProQuest Platinum, Online (November 13, 2007).
  4. ^ Billboard, Allmusic.com, passim.