Tag Archives: Phil Cohran

HOMAGE: Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Phil Cohran, Venice Dawn, William Hart, Dj Spinna 2/23 L.A.!

Thursday February 23rd, 2012 :: 8pm-2am

EVFA & ArtDontSleep present:
HOMAGE

Live Performances by:
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble feat Phil Cohran

Opening Performance by:
Venice Dawn feat William Hart (Delfonics)

Main Room DJs:
DJ Spinna & Lefto

Lounge DJ’s:
Anthony Valadez, Expo, Seano, Rani D.

Hosted By:
Azul 213

Exchange LA :: 618 S. Spring Street :: Los Angeles, CA 90014 :: (213) 627-8070

21 + wiser:
Table/Bottle Service Available: ella@exchangela.com

Tickets: www.artdontsleep.com
25$ presale :: 30$ @ the door

FREE Hypnotic Brass Ensemble Track:
http://soundcloud.com/artdontsleep/02-spottie

Fusicology Invite:
http://fusicology.com/events/?event_id=50341&cid=LA&fv=feature

Facebook invite:
http://www.facebook.com/events/368779053138187/?context=create


Dig Deeper:
The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble (HBE) is composed of eight brothers from the south side of Chicago. They come from an extraordinary musical family. Other sisters and brothers are professional musicians; their mothers are singers, and Philip Cohran, their esteemed father. By the time the members of the HBE were growing up, Phil’s work as a musical activist and educator led to the establishment of a space called the Sun Ark in a warehouse behind the family home above a furniture shop. At nightfall when they went to bed, the children would hear their father rehearsing with his band the Circle Of Sound. They were wakened at 6 a.m. for several hours of music practice before going to school. From an early age they were a central part of their father’s Youth Ensemble. By the end of the nineties, with everyone out of school, they brought together their musicianship, their jazz roots and their hip hop sensibility, and made a living busking on the streets of Chicago. They came up with their name after an incident on the El: playing on the platform, a man in a suit watched them for hours, missing train after train, till in the end he approached them and said, “You guys just hypnotized me.”

Kelan Phil Cohran was born in Oxford, Mississippi on May 8, 1927. He is a jazz musician, musicologist, composer, instrument designer, holistic health advocate, and community activist. He is known most for his Affro-Arts Theater, Artistic Heritage Ensemble, trumpet contributions in the Sun Ra Arkestra in Chicago (1959-1961), and as one of the cofounders of the AACM. Cohran (pronounced “co-RAHN”), was born in 1927 and grew up outside of Oxford, Mississippi in an area known to this day as “Coontown.” The family moved to St. Louis when he was about ten. In 1958 Cohran joined Sun Ra’s Arkestra in Chicago and became a lifelong devotee of the charismatic, eccentric bandleader who was either from Birmingham or Saturn, depending on who you asked. Cohran played cornet on some of the Arkestra’s greatest records, including Interstellar Low Ways and Fate in a Pleasant Mood, and became so entangled in Sun Ra’s strict regimen of practice, performance, and inculcation with esoteric ideas that he lost his wife and job. Cohran decided to stay in Chicago when the band moved to New York in 1961.

In 2008, Adrian Younge, founder of The Venice Dawn, would find himself at the center of the Black Dynamite zeitgeist. Instrumental in the film’s development, Younge not only edited the film, but also composed the original score, which was hailed as a modern blaxploitation masterpiece for authentically capturing the cinematic soul of the 1970’s, from Isaac Hayes to Curtis Mayfield. Adrian Younge solidified himself as a force to be reckoned with and soon went to work writing music for the forthcoming Black Dynamite cartoon series on Adult Swim. The new LP, titled Something About April, is a heavy, dark mix of psychedelic soul and cinematic instrumentals with hip-hop aesthetics, touching on influences from Morricone to Otis Redding. Younge is currently writing and recording material for his next project, a Delfonics album with William Hart, founding singer of the legendary soul group.

William Hart, among the first purveyors of the smooth, orchestral sound that would come to typify Philadelphia soul, The Delfonics established themselves as one of the quintessential soul groups of the late 60’s and 70’s and created some of the most notable songs of that era. Formed in the early 1960’s in Philly by brothers William “Poogie” and Wilbert Hart and schoolmate Randy Cain, the Delfonics established a reputation as a solid young vocal group and William Hart as a fine young songwriter. They hit both the Pop and Soul top five in 1968 with the Bell/William Hart composition “La La Means I Love You,” a now-classic soul ballad highlighted by Hart’s plaintive falsetto lead. More hits followed over the next few years, including the memorable “Ready Or Not Here I Come,” “You Got Yours And I’ll Get Mine” and their other top ten Pop hit, “Didn’t (I Blow Your Mind This Time),” which won the 1970 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance.

Turning heads throughout the industry, DJ Spinna’s sonics soon infiltrated numerous genres. Tapped by everyone from George Michael to Mary J. Blige to Motown Records (for his brilliant Michael Jackson homage to “We’re Almost There”). It’s here his production presence would flourish greatly, as Spinna would go on to revive and revise Soulful marvels like Donald Byrd, Eddie Kendricks, Betty Carter, Roy Ayers and Al Jarreau. Visit New York City any given month and find a number of Spinna themed throw-downs in the city’s esteemed venues – each as memorable as the last.

As one the most important tastemakers Europe has to offer, and affiliated with labels Brownswood, Blue Note, !K7 Records and Jazzy Sport, this bearded early riser is consistently a couple steps ahead of your average early adopter. As a leading dj on Belgium’s foremost national radio station Studio Brussel he’s received compliments from Rough Trade Shops and Gilles Peterson. His passion for jazz resulted in a remix album for Blue Note which was well received by the community. Lefto is forever moving forward but always has an ear in the past. Famed for his gloriously eclectic DJ sets, he switches effortlessly between hip hop, funk, breaks, neck-snapping beats, future bass, South-American influences, bruk riddims and some wild African rhythms. He’s not only a deejay and producer but also curates his own stage at the Dour Festival and his own nights in Gent in collaboration with Democrazy.

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