Groove Collective
Encyclopedia
Groove Collective is a contemporary jazz
group. 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 Savoy Jazz label.
, and produced their eponymous debut album in 1993.
In 1994, they appeared on the Red Hot Organization
's compilation album, Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool, alongside other prominent jazz artists, Herbie Hancock
and Roy Ayers
. The album, meant to raise awareness and funds in support of the AIDS epidemic in relation to the African American community, was heralded as "Album of the Year" by Time Magazine.
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).
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
, funk
, old-school hip-hop and classic soul
. Bassist and co-founder Jonathan Maron has acknowledged the importance of a DJ
aesthetic in the music, 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." 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.
Past members
Collaborators
Current subs
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
group. 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 Savoy Jazz label.
Style
Groove Collective was formed in 1990. The original members were Itaal Shur (who later went on to co-write the #1 hit Smooth for Santana), percussionist/MC Gordon "Nappy G" Clay, flutist Richard Worth, drummer Genji Siraisi, bassist Jonathan Maron, saxophonist Jay Rodriguez, percussionist Chris Theberge, trumpeter Fabio Morgera, Vibraphonist Bill Ware and trombonist Josh Roseman. After witnessing an early show, producer Gary Katz negotiated the band's signing to Reprise RecordsReprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
, and produced their eponymous debut album in 1993.
In 1994, they appeared on the Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization is a not-for-profit, 501 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture.Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilation albums, related television programs and media events to raise...
's compilation album, Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool, alongside other prominent jazz artists, Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
and Roy Ayers
Roy Ayers
Roy Ayers is an American funk, soul, and jazz composer and vibraphone player. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure at Polydor Records beginning in the 1970s, during which he helped pioneer jazz-funk .- Biography :Ayers...
. The album, meant to raise awareness and funds in support of the AIDS epidemic in relation to the African American community, was heralded as "Album of the Year" by Time Magazine.
They scored two minor dance instrumental and adult contemporary hits in 1996 with a cover of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' "I Want You (She's So Heavy)
I Want You (She's So Heavy)
"I Want You " is a song by The Beatles, from their album Abbey Road. It was written by John Lennon, although credited to Lennon–McCartney....
" (US Dance/Club Play #45, US Dance Maxi Singles #23) and "Lift Off" (US R&B/Hip-Hop #73).
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
Latin jazz
Latin jazz is the general term given to jazz with Latin American rhythms.The three main categories of Latin Jazz are Brazilian, Cuban and Puerto Rican:# Brazilian Latin Jazz includes bossa nova...
, hip-hop, and traditional jazz stylings. This mix is born of the members' varying influences, including bebop
Bebop
Bebop differed drastically from the straightforward compositions of the swing era, and was instead characterized by fast tempos, asymmetrical phrasing, intricate melodies, and rhythm sections that expanded on their role as tempo-keepers...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, old-school hip-hop and classic soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
. Bassist and co-founder Jonathan Maron has acknowledged the importance of a DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
aesthetic in the music, 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." 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.
Discography
- Groove Collective (Reprise RecordsReprise RecordsReprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
, 1993) US Jazz #20 - We the People (GRP RecordsGRP RecordsGRP Records is an American jazz record company, owned by Universal Music Group and operates through its Verve Music Group. The company's name has had different meanings. In its early days, it stood for "Grusin/Rosen Productions," after the founders...
, 1996) US Jazz #20 - Dance of the Drunken Master (Shanachie RecordsShanachie RecordsShanachie Records was founded in 1976 by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins. According to Harvey Pekar , it is one of the largest independent record labels in the world, and is currently distributed by E1 Music. Starting as a label that specialized in fiddle music, they began releasing work by Celtic...
, 1998) US Jazz #22 - Declassified (Shanachie, 1999)
- LIVE and Hard to Find (2000)
- It's All in Your Mind (Shanachie, 2001)
- Brooklyn, NY 04.20.02 (live album) (Kufala Records, 2002)
- People People Music Music (Savoy RecordsSavoy RecordsSavoy Records is an American record label specializing in jazz, R&B and gospel. Starting in the mid 1940s, Savoy played an important part in popularizing bebop.Savoy Records is an American record label specializing in jazz, R&B and gospel. Starting in the mid 1940s, Savoy played an important part...
, 2006) - PS1 Warm Up:Brooklyn, NY, July 2, 2005 (live album) (Kufala, 2007)
Current members
- Genji Siraisi - drums, guitar vocals, production
- Jonathan Maron - bass, keyboards guitar, production
- Jay Rodriguez - saxophone, flute, vocals
- Chris Ifatoye Theberge - percussion, vocals
- Barney McAllBarney McAllBarney McAll is a jazz pianist and composer.Barney McAll completed a Bachelor of Music at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, studying with pianists Paul Grabowsky, Tony Gould and Mike Nock and with guitarist Doug Devries.He moved to New York City from Australia in 1997 to join...
- Keyboards - Curtis FowlkesCurtis FowlkesCurtis Fowlkes is an American jazz trombonist. In 1987 he founded, together with saxophonist Roy Nathanson, The Jazz Passengers, an eclectic group dedicated to putting entertainment and humor back into jazz. The two had met performing in John Lurie's The Lounge Lizards, a group that shares a...
- trombone - Fabio Morgera - trumpet, vocals
Past members
- Richard Worth - flute, kalimba, vocals
- Nappy G/ Gordon Clay - percussion and rapping
- Itaal ShurItaal ShurItaal Shur is an American composer, producer and musician. He has written songs for a number of musicians, including Maxwell, Jewel and Enrique Iglesias, and has produced records for various artists, including Kronos Quartet, The Scumfrog and Lucy Woodward...
- keyboards, vocals, production. - Bill WareBill WareBill Ware III born William Anthony Ware III is an American jazz vibraphonist.Ware played bass and piano early in his career, playing at the Harlem Jazzmobile. After spending several years playing Latin jazz, he formed his own Latin Jazz group, AM Sleep...
- vibraphone, vocals (ex-Steely DanSteely DanSteely Dan is an American rock band; its core members are Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, with the release of seven albums blending elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop...
) - David Jensen- tenor saxophone
- Josh RosemanJosh RosemanJosh Roseman is an American jazz trombonist.Roseman was born in Boston, and studied at the New England Conservatory of Music. Roseman toured Jamaica with The Skatalites and in Australia with the Christopher Hale Ensemble...
- trombone
Collaborators
- Adam RogersAdam RogersAdam Rogers is an American guitarist specializing in post bop, contemporary jazz, and classical music. Rogers has had a prolific and extensive session history as a recording guitarist having played on over 150 commercially released recordings...
- guitar - Mark Anthony Jones - guitar, vocals
- Etienne Stadwijk - keyboards
- Victor AxelrodVictor AxelrodVictor Axelrod aka Ticklah is a Brooklyn native and independent music producer and artist, who has been a continual and integral part of the NYC music scene for over a decade. As an artist he is a founding member of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, and the Easy Star...
- keyboards
Current subs
- Ben Stivers
- Reut Regev
- Etienne Stadwijk