Liquid Soul
Liquid Soul is a jazz, hip-hop, funk, freestyle fusion ensemble formed in 1994 from Chicago, Illinois which helped pioneer the Acid Jazz movement in the United States in the 90's. Coined "Beyond Acid Jazz"[1] by founder Mars Williams of The Psychedelic Furs and The Waitresses, and co-founded by guitarist Tommy Klein, the band's 2000 album Here's the Deal was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Contemporary Jazz Album category.
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[edit] History
Their first regular venue was at Chicago's Elbo Room, where their quickly-growing popularity led to the release of their self-titled, debut album Liquid Soul by Ark 21 Records. A well-popularized appearance at Dennis Rodman's birthday party added to their notoriety. They were the main feature at Double Door in Wicker Park for almost four years (Feb. 1996 to Dec. 1999). Subsequent tours took them across the United States and Canada, plus performances in Germany, Turkey and Japan. They have opened for Sting, played at Bill Clinton's second Inaugural Parade and 21st Century Ball, and appeared twice at the South By Southwest Music Festival. The Austin American-Statesman referred to them as "the single hottest showcase of the festival." They have recorded four more CDs: Make Some Noise (produced by Ark 21 in 1998) and the Grammy-nominated Here's the Deal (produced by Shanachie in 2000), Evolution (produced by Shanachie in 2002) and most recently One-Two Punch (produced by major label Telarc in 2006).
[edit] Notable performance venues
- Double Door Liquid Soul 15th Anniversary Show, Chicago, Jan 18 2009
- Sting opening shows (Central Park, New York City; Blockbuster Pavilion, Charlotte, NC; Alltel Pavilion, Raleigh, NC), Sept. 2000
- Chicago Jazz Festival, Sept. 2000
- Jazz Wind 2000 Festival in Furano, Japan, Aug. 2000
- Newport Jazz Festival in Madarao, Japan, Aug. 2000
- Sioux Falls Jazz and Blues Festival, July 2000
- Ravinia Festival with Isaac Hayes, July 2000
- Cancun Jazz Festival, Mexico (May 2000)
- Music Midtown Festival, Atlanta, Ga. (May 2000)
- New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (May 2000)
- Babylon Club, Istanbul, Turkey (January 2000)
- Jacksonville Jazz Festival, Jacksonville, Fla. (November 1999)
- Aspen Jazz Festival, Snowmass Village, Colo. (September 1999)
- Sweet Pea Festival, Bozeman, Mont. (August 1999)
- Kansas City Blues & Jazz Festival, Kansas City, Mo. (July 1999)
- Lodo Music Festival, Denver, Colo. (July 1999)
- Black & White Ball, San Francisco (June 1999)
- Indianapolis Jazz Festival (June 1999)
- Canadian Jazz Festival Tour: Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Vancouver, Victoria, Edmonton, Calgary (June–July 1999)
- Moers Festival, Moers, Germany (May 1997, May 1999 and May 2004)
- Festival International de Jazz de Montreal (July 1998)
- Montreux-Detroit Jazz Festival, Detroit (September 1998)
- The Cubby Bear, Chicago (February 1998)
- U.S. President Bill Clinton's Inaugural Parade and 21st Century Ball, Washington, D.C. (January 1997)
- The Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York City (opened for two Sting concerts, March 1997)
- A Taste of Chicago, Petrillo Music Shell, Grant Park, Chicago (July 4, 1997)
- JVC Jazz Festival, Newport, R.I. (August 1997)
- Dennis Rodman's birthday party, Crobar, Chicago (May 1996)
- Nationwide club and festival touring (fall 1996 to present) with well over 100 performances per year.
[edit] Band members
- Josh Ramos – Bass
- Brian "MC B" Quarles – MC
- Dirty MF – MC
- Tommy Klein – Guitar
- Boy Elroy – Beatbox/DJ
- Doug Corcoran – Trumpet/Keyboards
- Tony Taylor – Drums
- Mars Williams – Saxophone
Past members include...
- Simone – Vocals
- Race – MC
- Mr. Greenweedz – MC
- Dan Leali – Drums
- Jonathan Marks – Drums
- Bret Zwier – Drums
- Ron Haynes – original Trumpet
- Hugh Ragin – Trumpet
- John Janowiak – Trombone
- Andy Baker – Trombone
- Tom Sanchez – Guitar
- Eddie Mills – DJ
- DJ Logic – DJ
- Ajax – DJ
- Jesse De La Pena – original DJ
- Rick Showalter – original Bass
- Phil Ajjarapu – Bass
- Newt Cole – Percussion
- Frankie Hill – Keyboards
[edit] Discography
- Liquid Soul (1996)
- Make Some Noise (1998)
- Here's the Deal (2000)
- Evolution (2002)
- One-Two Punch (2006)
[edit] References
- ^ http://vermontreview.tripod.com/Interviews/liquidsoul.htm Mars Williams interview with Brian L. Knight of The Vermont Review
