Tag Archives: Miguel Atwood-Ferguson

Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble DVD Filming APRIL 24 + 25 at The Blue Whale


Come hear the debut of Miguel Atwood-Ferguson’s new legendary ensemble!!

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These shows will feature new original music by Miguel as well as exploring new takes on the music of Madlib and J Dilla among others.

$20 presale for both sets / $25 at the door / 21+

TICKETS:

NIGHT ONE (APRIL 24):

https://eventbrite.com/event/16512471246/

NIGHT TWO (APRIL 25):

https://eventbrite.com/event/16512470243/

in addition to the presale tickets, there will be approximately thirty $25 tickets available the night of at the venue

http://bluewhalemusic.com/

8pm: Doors
9pm: Set One
10:30pm: Set Two

DJ Sets: Carlos Niño

The Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble:

Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, band leader/arranger/composer/5 string violin
Dwight Trible, Voice
Josh Johnson, Alto Sax
Kamasi Washington, Tenor Sax
Marcel Camargo, Guitar (night #1 only)
Jeff Parker, Guitar (night #2 only)
Nick Mancini, Vibes
Dennis Hamm, Piano
Sam Barsh, Keyboards
Gabe Noel, Bass
Jonathan Pinson, Drums (night #1 only)
Jamire Williams, Drums (night #2 only)
Carlos Niño, Percussion, DJ Sets
Travis Flournoy, Visuals
Alex Chaloff, Documentation

—————————————————

Miguel Atwood-Ferguson is a very unique and special force in today’s world of music. Having recorded on close to 400 albums already by the age of 34, he effortlessly bridges diverse genres and generations of musical and cultural elements into cohesive and magical presentations.

One of Miguel’s greatest achievements to date was in 2009 when he composed and conducted the historic ‘Suite for Ma Dukes’ concert in LA leading over 60 musicians in tribute to the transcendent modern Hip-Hop producer J Dilla.

Having diligently studied classically since the age of four and being exposed to cultures and art from all around the world, Miguel is now able to enjoy a very diverse career collaborating with many amazing artists. Miguel has had the great fortune to perform or record with giants such as Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, Henry Mancini, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Wayne Shorter, Billy Higgins, Ray Brown, Brad Mehldau, Flying Lotus, Hubert Laws, Seu Jorge, Dr. Dre, Will.i.am, Madlib, and many others.

While performing on violin and viola and arranging highly
personal arrangements are Miguel’s main pursuits, he also is an educator, dj, producer, music director and composer. Miguel leads many of his own ensembles and has had incredible artists like Seu Jorge, Sly Stone, George Clinton, Shuggie Otis, Flying Lotus, Stephen ‘Thundercat’ Bruner, Chris ‘Daddy’ Dave, Zap Mama, Jose James, Bilal, Meshell Ndegeocello, Aloe Blacc, Pharoahe Monch, Quadron, Karriem Riggins, Talib Kweli and Posdnuos as his special guests.

In 2011, Miguel had the honor of providing Oprah Winfrey with a one man orchestra of himself as the music behind the main promo of her new TV Network ‘OWN’ courtesy of Miguel’s intro to his duet with Will.i.am off of the Black Eyed Peas 2010 album ‘The Beginning’. Miguel has plans to release his very first album in 2016 on the Los Angeles indie label ‘Brainfeeder.’

http://miguelatwoodferguson.com/
https://twitter.com/MiguelAtwdFrgsn
https://www.facebook.com/miguelatwoodferguson

Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble Live DVD Filming | LA Dec 19th, 20th, 21st

MIGUEL ATWOOD FERGUSON ENSEMBLE FLYER 03

“so far, in addition to those mentioned on the poster, i have planned to perform music by john coltrane, joão bosco, hermeto pascoal, the jackson 5, wayne shorter, woody shaw, tupac, lauryn hill, and bel biv devoe! different music each night!” MAF

Featuring: Miguel Atwood-Ferguson – band leader, arranger, composer, 5 string violin, Chris Lea – flute, Zane Musa – alto saxophone, Randal Fisher – tenor saxophone, Mike Rocha – trumpet, Lemar Guillary – trombone, Woody Aplanalp – guitar, Brandon Coleman – keys, Gabe Noel – bass, Jamire Williams – drums, Carlos Niño – percussion, DJ sets, and Jesse Gilbert – visuals.

Special Guests: Coco (Quadron), Codany Holiday, Daedelus, Destani Wolf, Dwight Trible, Inara George, Jimetta Rose, Joey Dosik, Marcel Camargo, Mia Doi Todd, Moses Sumney, N’Dambi, Sara Gazarek, Vardan Ovsepian and more. Filmed and recorded by Alex Chaloff.

Friday, December 19th
Saturday, December 20th
Sunday, December 21st

8:00pm
21+

blue whale
123 Astronaut E S Onizuka Street #301,
Los Angeles, California 90012
http://bluewhalemusic.com/

Limited Space Available, Reserve Your Tickets Now:

Friday, December 19th TICKETS:
PRE-SALE SOLD OUT –  Limited tickets available at the door. 8pm

Saturday, December 20th TICKETS:
PRE -SALE SOLD OUT – Limited tickets available at the door, 8pm

Sunday, December 21st TICKETS:
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-miguel-atwood-ferguson-ensemble-live-dvd-filming-night-3-tickets-14238262025?aff=es2&rank

MdCL’s CHURCH : Live Launch LA

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the countdown is on! just over two weeks until my new album CHURCH will be released worldwide on CD+digital, with double vinyl coming a month later. it’s been a super fun process getting the album together, and now i can’t wait to unveil it to ears far and wide 🙂 

to celebrate the new album, i’m doing TWO nights of live launch shows at our favorite LA spot, THE BLUE WHALEMAY 24 + 25, memorial day weekend. there’s a great cast of guests joining me, and as well as pre-sale discount tickets, you can pre-order the CD now and pick it up and get it signed at the show – before it even gets released.

invite your friends and be ready for two great nights of music – see you there!

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MdCL

MARK de CLIVE-LOWE’s CHURCH

LIVE ALBUM LAUNCH

SATURDAY 24 + SUNDAY 25 MAY @ THE BLUE WHALE

123 Astronaut E S Onizuka St #301, Los Angeles, CA 90012

doors 8pm / first set 9pm (seated) / second set 11pm (standing)

guest DJs J Rocc, Jeremy Sole + Ghost

$15 discount presales / $20 at the door / $12 pre-order CDs

DISCOUNT PRESALE TICKETS LINK

FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE

featuring MARK de CLIVE-LOWE with guests:

MIGUEL ATWOOD-FERGUSON (Suite for Ma Dukes) | JOSIEL PEREZ HERNANDEZ (Orlando ‘Maraca’ Valle) | JOSH JOHNSON (Thelonious Monk Institute) | BEN SHEPHERD (Kendrick Lamar/ScHoolboy Q) | JAMIRE WILLIAMS (ERIMAJ/Robert Glasper) + NIA ANDREWS (Janelle Monae/Common) | LOW LEAF (Fresh Selects) * Saturday only | DJ JEREMY SOLE (KCRW/TheLIFT) *Saturday only | DJ J ROCC (Stones Throw) * Sunday only | DJ GHOST (Paris, France)

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celebrating the launch of Mark’s new album CHURCHout worldwide on CD+digital May 27  (Mashibeats/Ropeadope Records)

digital pre-sales from May 13 via iTunes

2LP vinyl out in July

Syndromes, LIVE | Sunday, Nov3rd!

ArtDontSleep wants to make sure that everyone understands how special Sunday nights show is going to be. To our knowledge, this has never been done and we couldn’t be happier about who we chose to present such an amazing and incredible project. Get your tickets here: https://syndromes.eventbrite.com

Here is a sneak peak of some of the sounds you will be hearing:
https://soundcloud.com/artdontsleep/j-rocc-syndromes-remix

Here is a great example of The Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1dCWYyyEw8

SYNDROMES_HI-RES_WEB

Sunday, November 3rd, 2013
ArtDontSleep presents: Syndromes, LIVE
The Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble feat J.ROCC

Ensemble:
J.ROCC (turntables)
Miguel Atwood-Ferguson (Viola)
Chris Lea (flute)
Mike Rocha (trumpet)
Gavin Templeton (alto)
Kamasi Washington (tenor)
Garrett Smith (trombone)
Woody Aplanalp (guitar)
Cameron Graves (keys)
Gabe Noel (bass)
Gene Coye (drums)
Dexter Story (percussion)

21+ | Doors Open at 6pm
Tickets: https://syndromes.eventbrite.com

The Mayan Theatre: 1038 South Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA., 90015, 213) 746-4674

In 1996, J.ROCC released a mix tape called Syndromes. We didn’t come across it until 2001, but once we did it forever changed our lives. ArtDontSleep has been profoundly influenced by The Funky President of the Beat Junkie collective known as J.ROCC. Fast forward to 2013 and we thought it would be amazing to bring this mix tape experience to life by one of our favorite arranger composers today, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson. Miguel is one of the few people on planet Earth that can take a masterpiece like syndromes, a piece that is un-conventional in nature, and elevate it to the next level. Bear witness to one of the freshest concerts happening in all of 2013. Something so unique and original that we actually don’t have a precedent to show you as an example.

SYNDROMES_4x6_B

J.Rocc was kind enough to edit a portion of the Syndromes mix tape and allow us to pass it on to you for free download. Please spread it around as far and wide as you would like: https://soundcloud.com/artdontsleep/j-rocc-syndromes-remix

That 70s Soul! 12/16/12 in Los Angeles ~

http://www.artdontsleep.com

Soul music is timeless, but if there was one decade when it defined the times that would be the seventies. The style was born in the mid-sixties at a time when its creators were struggling to establish their place in American society. Sam Cooke, Lou Rawls, Solomon Burke, Curtis, Otis, Smokey, Marvin, James, Sly and Bobby Womack among countless others, sketched out a blueprint for a new, modern Black music that would soon sweep the nation from Harlem’s 125th street to rural Virginia’s Tobacco Road and as far as Watt’s 103rd street. Ironically, it took some Brits and Bob Dylan’s endorsement to hip whitestream America to what they were missing out on in their own blackyard. As the sixties turned into the seventies, and all but the Panthers deferred their dreams of racial revolution, soul music matured and flourished as if all the hopes, dreams, anger and disappointment of a generation of young Blacks found expression in the music of Stevie, Curtis, Marvin and Minnie.

We almost lost Detroit, but from this and many other cities’ ashes emerged a beautiful and bold music – a more personal, and therefore universal, expression – that evolved into one of the most dominant culture expressions of the decade. By the dawn of the seventies, soul music was mainstreaming with the crossover success of artists like Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers, Marvin Gaye, Isaac Hayes, Minnie Riperton, Al Green and Michael Jackson. Just about everyone was getting in on the new trend of socially conscious lyrics, fatback drums and stop-on-a-dime horn sections. The popular and critical response to this music blew open the doors for a whole family of styles. Soul music was appropriated and incorporated into just about every other genre imaginable: soul-jazz, soul-rock, psychedelic soul, latin soul, and blue-eyed soul are just a few of the more popular hybrids.

And then there’s Funk. Like Metal is to Rock ‘n Roll, Funk is an extreme manifestation of Soul music that emerged in the late sixties and early seventies from the bold rhythmic experiments of Soul music’s pioneers like James, Sly, Curtis & Stevie. Soul music was the foundation and Funk was the attitude, the secret spice to get the people moving and it was applied liberally to songs by new and established artists alike. Some musicians, like Parliament-Funkadelic founder George Clinton, started their careers in the sixties singing Soul, but after Sly and James took their music to faster, funkier and blacker places, they followed headlong into uncharted funkmospheres, further expanding the sonic, social and sexual boundaries of Soul music. Herbie and his Headhunters, Donald Byrd, Roy Ayers to name but a few respected jazz musicians were helpless against this powerful new sound, giving us jazz-funk.

Sadly, America’s soul obsession wouldn’t last forever. Like a salesperson that didn’t understand its product or consumer, the music industry forced the soul into extinction by forcing it into platform boogie shoes and a rigid 4-4 dance beat. Some survived, but most artists’ careers tanked or they were forced to radically change their game. Forty years later, soul music is more popular than it’s been for decades with new talent and audiences gravitating to its sincere sentiment, heartfelt harmonies, and bad-ass beats.

ArtDontSleep will bring over two dozen timeless tunes and hi-fi highlights from 1970-1979 to life for one night only with That 70s Soul featuring Seu Jorge, Zap Mama, Alice Russell, Spacek, Coco O. (Quadron) and others. An all-star cast of musicians, including legends Ndugu Chancler and Derf Reklaw along with future legend Kamasi Washington, lead by multi-instrumentalist and arranger/composer Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, will breathe new life into these seventies soul masterpieces. These are many of the same creative and fearless musicians and promoters that brought you the recent East Side Story Show as well as the 2009 Timeless series featuring the music of J. Dilla, Mulatu Astake and Arthur Verocai.

On this special night some of the under-sung musical heroes that are still alive and with us today, like Leon Ware, James Gadson and others be honored through their music and presence.

Leon Ware is best known for the songs he’s written, Marvin Gaye’s “I Want You”, Quincy Jones or Average White Band’s “If I Ever Lose This Heaven” or Minnie Riperton’s “Inside My Love”, though he has no fewer than ten albums recorded under his own name for Motown, Elektra and most recently for the revived Stax record label. His sophisticated and sensual style of soul helped to define the influential quiet storm style.

James Gadson is a living legend behind a drum kit. He’s played behind everyone from Bill Withers and Charles Wright and the 103rd Street Band to Justin Timberlake and Norah Jones, with Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin and countless others along the way. Far from a one-trick pony, he’s also written, produced and sang on hundreds of records from the Doo-Wop era to the present day.

  • Allen Thayer

presale tickets ~ http://artdontsleep.com

ArtDontSleep presents: That 70’s Soul

Celebrating the music of:
Al Green, Bill Withers, Bob James, Curtis Mayfield, Donny Hathaway, Eugene McDaniels, Gil Scott-Heron, Isaac Hayes, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Minnie Riperton, Roy Ayers, Shuggie Otis, Sly Stone, Stevie Wonder & More.

Performances by:
The Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble:
Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Ndugu Chancler, Derf Reklaw, Kamasi Washington, Brandon Coleman, Evan Francis, Philip Dizack, Sam Gendel, Elizabeth Lea, Marcel Camargo, Gabe Noel, Destani Wolf, I Ced, Joey Dosik, Jimetta Rose, Codany Holiday, Novena Carmel & More.

Featuring Special Guests:
Seu Jorge
Zap Mama
Alice Russell
Spacek
Coco O. (Quadron)

Guests of Honor:
Leon Ware, James Gadson, & More

Hosted By:
Garth Trinidad

DJ Sets by:
Quest Love (The Roots)
&
The Umoja Sound System (Daz, Jun, Destroyer & Monalisa)

Promotional Partners:
KCRW, LA Weekly, Wax Poetics, Fusicology

Sunday 12/16/2012 :: 6pm :: 21 + Wiser

The Mayan Theatre: 1038 South Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA., 90015, 213) 746-4674

Presale Tickets: www.ArtDontSleep.com
25$ Early Bird | 30$ Pre Sale | 35$ Day of Show

Presale Ticket Location: http://theartformstudio.com/
701 E. 3rd St. Los Angeles, CA. 90013
213) 613-1050

That 70’s Soul Playlist:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXAmCl5l1pRqgiODcnpN6QIFA6XIpVWQ8&feature=view_all

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/events/404431069625368/

East Side Story Rehearsal Day 1 | Knobworld

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Miguel Atwood-Ferguson by TQoL*

visit TQoL on Vimeo by clicking on the image below*

2010 comes 9 days early to L.A! – 12/22/09*

presale tickets: http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=796505

presale tickets: http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=796505

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Madlib +more!

VTech and Mochilla present:
Friday November 6th, 2009

Live Performances by:
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble

DJ Sets from:
Madlib
Coleman
B+

The Echoplex
1154 Glendale Blvd.
Los Angeles Ca 90026

$15 presale :: $20 at the door
Presale tickets available online at: http://www.ticketweb.com
21 + wiser | 9pm-2am

*for more information please visit: http://music.vtechphones.com

Dig Deeper…

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble are a family, literally. They are the heirs to the great musical tradition of Chicago. Their father Phil Cohran trained them from aged three to play hard, fast and together. They boast a fan base as wide and eclectic as Barack Obama, David Byrne, Q-Tip, Jay-Z, Erykah Badu, Jools Holland and thousands more. Now with the news that they along with Mos Def and drummer extraordinaire Tony Allen will form the new Gorillaz outfit, you realize that this is no ordinary collective.

The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble (HBE), a band comprised of eight brothers, all sons of Sun Ra trumpeter and songwriter Phil Cohran, have been playing since they were three years of age and have inherited a lineage deeper than most bands will ever attain. Raised on the south side of Chicago, their musical heritage is rooted in their genes. They have brothers and sisters that are professional musicians, their mothers are singers and their father, Phil Cohran, a legendary visionary and teacher has music experiences from the 1940s in St. Louis to his seminal role with Sun Ra in Chicago in the 1950s.

As Sun Ra moved to the east coast in 1960, Cohran stayed behind in Chicago to be with his family. As his children grew, Cohran worked as a musical activist and educator, which led to the establishment of the Sun Ark in a warehouse behind their family home. At night while the children slept, they would hear their father rehearsing with his band the ‘Circle of Sound.’ At six in the morning, they were awoken to practice music for several hours before going to school. From an early age they were a central part of their father’s Youth Ensemble. At night they listened to NWA and Public Enemy, and Ice Cube and Eazy-E were their heroes.

By the end of the nineties, with everyone out of school, they concentrated on their music full time. With a mix of their jazz roots and their hip-hop sensibility, they made a living for themselves on the streets of Chicago. While performing on a subway platform, they stumbled upon their name when a man who watched them for hours, missing train after train, proclaimed that he has been “hypnotized” by their music. With their composer skills aiding them to create a sound wholly their own, the group moved to New York City where they played with Mos Def and Erykah Badu.

From a chance encounter in November of 2005, and support from numerous artists, the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble has released an album brimming with musical magic. Recorded on the back of the Africa Express trip to Lagos last October, during a three-day stop-over in London, with the drummer’s stool shared by Malcolm Catto from the The Heliocentrics, Sola Akingbola from Jamiroquai, and the one and only Tony Allen, and other musical luminaries Flea and Paul Simenon, this album is all that is cracked up to be and more.

In May 2009, Blur and Gorillaz’s frontman Damon Alburn’s Honest Jon label dropped the Hypnotic’s first official full length studio album to accolades the music world over. With the sound, form, and structure in their musicianship and songwriting, the HBE have the ability to put on live shows that would put veteran bands to shame.

Video: Hypnotic Underground: http://vimeo.com/3010228
Video: Mercury (War) http://vimeo.com/1418890
The New Yorker: Hypnotic Brass Ensemble Documentary:
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/sashafrerejones/2009/06/hypnotized.html


Miguel Atwood-Ferguson
Born into a highly intellectual and creative family that exposed him to everything from classical to Motown to Jazz, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson has been dedicated to music literally his entire life. At age four while on a visit to a Suzuki Program Institute his brother was attending, Miguel was introduced to the violin and immediately developed an affinity towards it. He began composing at 12 and after high school studied classical viola performance at USC.

Taking an unusual route for a string player, Miguel has been adamant about pursuing deeply involving and creative roles in the music making process such as composing, writing and producing original pieces. He has recorded with a vast array of legendary musicians from Ray Charles to Billy Higgins; he has performed with Stevie Wonder and at the Grammy’s, on MTV and BET.

In 2008 he took on the daunting task of adapting the late J Dilla’s music to the orchestral format and made his debut as a conductor at the Timeless: A Suite For Ma Dukes concert where he directed an orchestra performing his Dilla-inspired compositions. One of the most unique qualities about Miguel is his inherent need to challenge himself and master new terrains, he has various different groups he performs with and one day he hopes to build his own orchestra.


Madlib

Madlib is one of the most ambitious and engaging figures in modern hip-hop history. An enthusiastic crate-digger and multi-instrumentalist with a deep reverence for jazz and soul, Madlib has an expansive style and deft touch for composition that makes him one of hip hop’s most sought-after producers.

He began his career with hip-hop trio Lootpack, who debuted on Tha Alkoholiks’ 1993 album 21 & Over; but, it is through his decade-long relationship with Stones Throw Records that he diversified his musical output. Often shying away from the limelight, many of his releases have been under various aliases.

In 2000, he released The Unseen under the guise of his alter-ego, Quasimoto. He followed up a year later with Yesterdays New Quintet, a project that infused his exploration of jazz with electronic style and hip-hop substance.

Since 2003, Madlib has put out several releases reflecting his growing versatility: Shades of Blue, a jazz remix project for Blue Note; Champion Sound with J Dilla under the name Jaylib; and Madvillainy, his partnership with MF Doom. In 2008, he released Sujinho under the name Jackson Conti—a collaboration based around Brazilian percussionist Ivan “Mamão” Conti on Mochilla.

*for more information please visit: http://music.vtechphones.com
visit the event on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=200724042032