Groundation
Encyclopedia
Groundation is an American roots reggae
band with jazz
and dub
influences from Sonoma County in Northern California
.
.) In 1999, Stafford teamed up with Kris Dilbeck to found Young Tree Records and release Groundation's debut album of the same name. "Groundation" comes from the Rasta term "Grounation". Grounation Day
(April 21) is an important Rastafarian holy day, and second after Coronation Day (November 2). It is celebrated in honor of Haile Selassie's 1966 visit to Jamaica.
In 2000 they added to the line up David Chachere, a San Francisco based jazz trumpeter, and Kelsey Howard, a North Bay trombone player. Saxophonist Jason Robinson was a member of the band for a time, and has since gone on to become the head of the jazz
program at UC San Diego. Drummer Paul Spina (Les Claypool
, Will Bernard
's Mother Bug) has been with the group since taking over for James Stafford in December 2001; he left the group in summer 2008. Kim Pommell and Kerry Ann Morgan (both graduates of Kingston's Ashe performing arts school) joined in 2006, and are featured lead vocalists on Groundation's 2009 release Here I Am.
The 9-piece band creates an altogether new reggae sound, featuring swirling, jazz/funk inspired horns, stout Latin and African based poly-rhythmics, and soulful harmony vocals. Their concerts utilize live improvisation, in classic jazz fashion, and are renowned for their high energy, communion-type atmosphere. Having gained international notoriety for their progressive fusion style, Groundation regularly plays at major international festivals like Summerjam
.
Roots reggae
Roots reggae is a subgenre of reggae that deals with the everyday lives and aspirations of the artists concerned, including the spiritual side of Rastafari and with the honoring of God, called Jah by rastafarians. It also is identified with the life of the ghetto sufferer, and the rural poor...
band with jazz
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...
and dub
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
influences from Sonoma County in Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
.
History
Formed in the fall of 1998 by Harrison Stafford, Marcus Urani, and Ryan Newman, Groundation began on the campus of Sonoma State University's Jazz Program. (Between 1999 and 2001, Harrison Stafford taught the first course on the History of Reggae Music at Sonoma State UniversitySonoma State University
Sonoma State University is a public, coeducational business and liberal arts college affiliated with the California State University system. The main campus is located in Rohnert Park, California, United States and lies approximately south of Santa Rosa and north of San Francisco...
.) In 1999, Stafford teamed up with Kris Dilbeck to found Young Tree Records and release Groundation's debut album of the same name. "Groundation" comes from the Rasta term "Grounation". Grounation Day
Grounation Day
Grounation Day is an important Rastafarian holy day, and second after Coronation Day . It is celebrated in honor of Haile Selassie's 1966 visit to Jamaica.-Visit of Selassie I to Jamaica:...
(April 21) is an important Rastafarian holy day, and second after Coronation Day (November 2). It is celebrated in honor of Haile Selassie's 1966 visit to Jamaica.
In 2000 they added to the line up David Chachere, a San Francisco based jazz trumpeter, and Kelsey Howard, a North Bay trombone player. Saxophonist Jason Robinson was a member of the band for a time, and has since gone on to become the head of the jazz
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...
program at UC San Diego. Drummer Paul Spina (Les Claypool
Les Claypool
Leslie Edward "Les" Claypool is an American musician and writer, best known as the lead vocalist and bassist in the band Primus. Claypool's playing style on the electric bass mixes tapping, flamenco-like strumming, whammy bar bends and slapping.Claypool has also self produced and engineered his...
, Will Bernard
Will Bernard
Will Bernard is a guitarist and band leader from the San Francisco Bay Area, now living in Brooklyn, New York. He has led the Will Bernard Band, Will Bernard Trio, Will Bernard 4-tet, and Motherbug....
's Mother Bug) has been with the group since taking over for James Stafford in December 2001; he left the group in summer 2008. Kim Pommell and Kerry Ann Morgan (both graduates of Kingston's Ashe performing arts school) joined in 2006, and are featured lead vocalists on Groundation's 2009 release Here I Am.
The 9-piece band creates an altogether new reggae sound, featuring swirling, jazz/funk inspired horns, stout Latin and African based poly-rhythmics, and soulful harmony vocals. Their concerts utilize live improvisation, in classic jazz fashion, and are renowned for their high energy, communion-type atmosphere. Having gained international notoriety for their progressive fusion style, Groundation regularly plays at major international festivals like Summerjam
Summerjam
The Summerjam is Europe's biggest reggae festival. It takes places annually in July at the Fühlinger See, a lake in Cologne, Germany. It is visited by 25.000 to 30.000 people...
.
Members
- Harrison Stafford – vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Marcus Urani – b3, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
- Ryan Newman – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- David Chachere – trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
- Kelsey Howard – tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
- Te Kenawa Haereiti aka. Rufus – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(since summer 2008) - Mingo Lewis Jr. – congaCongaThe conga, or more properly the tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum with African antecedents. It is thought to be derived from the Makuta drums or similar drums associated with Afro-Cubans of Central African descent. A person who plays conga is called a conguero...
s, timbalesTimbalesTimbales are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing, invented in Cuba. They are shallower in shape than single-headed tom-toms, and usually much higher tuned...
, percussion (he took a break in 2007) - Kim Pommell – chorusChoirA choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
- Kerry-Ann Morgan – chorus
Former members
- Paul Spina - drums (from December 2001 to July 2008)
- Jason Robinson - saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
(on all albums but is only occasionally on stage with the band during US tours) - James Stafford - drums (on the first two albums)
- Shawna Anderson - chorus (from 1999 to 2004)
- Adaria Armstrong - chorus (2004)
- Jeannine Guillory - chorus (2005)
- Ekua Impraim - chorus (2005)
- Ikesha Johnson - chorus (2006)
- Benjamin Krames - congas, timbales, percussion (in 2007, during Mingo's break)
Studio albums
- 1999: Young Tree (Remastered in 2002)
- 2001: Each One Teach OneEach One Teach One (Groundation album)Each One Teach One is the second album by American reggae band Groundation. The album was released July 31, 2001 on Young Tree Records.-Track listing:-References:...
- 2002: Hebron GateHebron GateHebron Gate is the third release by American reggae band Groundation. The album received a nomination for Germany's coveted World Music Award...
- 2004: We Free Again
- 2005: Dub WarsDub Wars- Personnel :*Don Carlos – vocals*Dave Chachere – trumpet*Kendrick Freeman – percussion, conga*Malika Madremana – backing vocals*Giovanni Maki – artwork, layout design*Ryan "Iron" Newman – bass*Jason Robinson – flute, saxophone*Paul Spina – percussion, drums...
- 2006: Upon the BridgeUpon the BridgeUpon the Bridge is the sixth album by American reggae band Groundation. The album was released October 17, 2006 on Young Tree Records. The album features the voices of Pablo Moses and Ijahman Levi....
- 2008: Rockamovya (Groundation's three founding members' project featuring Will BernardWill BernardWill Bernard is a guitarist and band leader from the San Francisco Bay Area, now living in Brooklyn, New York. He has led the Will Bernard Band, Will Bernard Trio, Will Bernard 4-tet, and Motherbug....
and Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace) - 2009: Here I AmHere I Am (Groundation album)-Personnel:*Harrison Stafford – guitar, percussion, arranger, vocals, producer, nyabinghi drums*Marcus Urani – percussion, piano, arranger, Hammond organ, melodica, producer, engineer, Fender Rhodes, synthesizer*Ryan Newman – bass*Kim Pommell – vocals...
- 2011 Gathering of the Elders
Rockamovya - A Groundation side project
The three founding members of Groundation (Harrison Stafford, Marcus Urani and Ryan Newman) joined with the Jamaican drummer Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace and Will Bernard in June 2008 to form Rockamovya. The name comes from Wallace's Jamaican patois style and is meant to show the unity and power of the music.External links
- Groundation official website
- Young Tree Records official website
- Groundation album reviews at Reggae-Reviews.com
- Rockamovya official website