Bobby Sparks w/ Karen Briggs
EIGHTEEN time Grammy Award Winning, Corsicana, Texas born SPARKCHILD, Bobby Sparks II, is a multi-talented artist, musician, and producer who boasts a long list of career accomplishments. Having recorded and traveled the world with Prince, Tower of Power, Snarky Puppy, Herbie Hancock, Ray Charles, Nelly Furtado, Marcus Miller, Kirk Franklin, St. Vincent and a host of other notable artists and celebrities, his influence on music and personalities is far reaching.“Bobby Ray Sparks II brings a compelling style of story telling and lyrical clarity to the organ that inspires me to create more spaces for him.” -Lizz Wright“Bobby Sparks is one of the greatest [musicians] of this era,” -Don Was (President of Blue Note Records)******Karen Briggs is an American violinist. Briggs joined the Virginia Symphony Orchestra while still in college, but grew discontented with performing classical music and left the orchestra after four years. Since then, she has performed predominantly in the jazz and contemporary instrumental genres.Best known for spending thirteen years on tour with contemporary instrumental musician Yanni, Briggs received the “Lady in Red” moniker while featuring as a soloist on Yanni’s Live at the Acropolis tour. After parting with Yanni in 2004, she toured with other groups including the short-lived jazz fusion group Vertú. Briggs has performed at such locations as Carnegie Hall and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and has performed or collaborated with Dave Grusin, Diana Ross, the Wu Tang Clan, En Vogue, and Chaka Khan.
Jonathan Scales Fourchestra
You’ve heard this before, but the whimsically named Jonathan Scales Fourchestra is really tough to describe. Veering from in-your-face, jaw dropping chops and passion, to those quiet moments when the background noise disappears and you hold your breath to take in a soundscape of solitude, the power trio of electric bass(E’Lon JD), drums (Maison Guidry), and steel pans (Jonathan Scales) combines elements of jazz, classical, and progressive rock, peppered with Latin rhythms and soulful outbursts of funk. From club and festival stages across North America and Europe, and tours of Africa, Southeast and Central Asia as a Cultural Ambassador for the US Department of State, to their NPR Tiny Desk Concert featuring Béla Fleck, the Fourchestra’s live shows make even the most jaded listeners forget where they are… even if just for a precious moment.This may seem an odd thing to say, but on the verge of releasing their eighth studio recording, Jonathan Scales Fourchestra is only now truly embracing their identity as a group. For many years, Jonathan’s live band was a fluid lineup of top-notch musicians, and even included an “all-star” version with bassist MonoNeon (Prince, Nas), drummer Sput Searight (Snarky Puppy, Snoop Dogg)and percussionist Weedie Braimah (Trombone Shorty, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah), as well as a number of other marquee players. Now, however, the Fourchestra is a decidedly indivisible band, and Jonathan is writing for the trio, not just the pans.
Unheard Project
Unheard Project GSO, a 20+ member collective of some of the Piedmont Triad’s best musicians, was born out of hundreds of hours of practice and gigging together in the bourgeoning Greensboro scene. While many of the members are graduates of UNCG’s acclaimed Miles Davis Jazz Studies Program, the collective incorporates in-demand players from diverse genres to form a powerhouse of both original and familiar musical stylings.
Shaun Martin Trio
Shaun Martin – artist, producer, songwriter, performer and multiple GRAMMY® Award winner . . . Shaun Martin is carving his space in the annals of musical history . . . He is widely known for his work with Kirk Franklin, and Snarky Puppy, while leaving his creative stamp on projects with musical legends Chaka Khan, Erykah Badu, Fred Hammond, Yolanda Adams, and God’s Property to name a few. Most recently, Shaun unveiled his genius to us all in his first solo projects – 7 Summers and Focus, and now, Three-O with Michael Mitchell and Matthew Ramsey. Having written, arranged, produced and played the keyboards on both albums, alongside musicians and vocalists from his hometown, Dallas, Texas – we meet the musical genius of Shaun Martin. Shaun’s prodigious gifting noticed and nurtured at an early age led him to begin playing the drums and piano at four years old and his mother placing him under the tutelage of Carolyn Campbell, who taught him to read and write music. At age five he was already playing the piano and organ at church. Later, he learned to play various brass and percussion instruments As a music major at the University of North Texas, he joined fellow student musicians Snarky Puppy, an award-winning, chart-topping jazz fusion band – committed to music performance and education. Shaun is currently working with various artists and music producers on a plethora of projects, and is the owner of Shaun Martin Music, LLC – all while living his creativity.
