Soulive

Lettuce, the seven-person all-star collective originally formed in 1992, returns to the funk jazz forefront with its third album, RAGE!, a hyper-charged outing of tunes that are equal parts artsy and party. The CD is a tantalizing tribute to funk music — paying homage to all stripes of funksters, including James Brown, Sly Stone, Herbie Hancock, Tower of Power, the Meters, Earth Wind & Fire, Parliament Funkadelics, J Dilla—music that reflects “our way of life,” says bassist Erick “E.D.” Coomes, who is joined in the groove onslaught by his co-ragers: keyboardist Neal Evans, saxophonists Sam Kininger and Ryan Zoidis, guitarists Eric Krasno and Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff, and drummer Adam Deitch.

Lettuce sprouted in the fertile environment of Berklee College of Music in Boston where all members met at a summer music program when they were in their teens. “I hate to sound cheesy, but I fully feel it was destiny that this band came together,” says Krasno. “We were all in the same place, all the same age. None of the friends I grew up with were into music like I was. Then I went to Berklee that summer, and all these guys were into music the way I was, and it happened that we were all playing the right instruments to put together a band.”

All the members brought to the group different funk-styled influences. For example, Krasno was into the new jazz funk of Herbie Hancock, Deitch was raised on Tower of Power and Earth Wind & Fire and introduced that sound through his compositions to the band. Zoidis recalls, “We all lived in the same dorm and we each brought music to the table that the others hadn’t heard before. There was an ensemble room downstairs that we began playing in.” Krasno adds, “We did a lot of jamming after we did a lot of listening.”

Two years later, in the fall of 1994, all Lettuce members, who had remained in contact with each other, returned to Berklee as full-fledged undergrads and picked up right where they left off. They were fond of showing up with their instruments at underground jazz clubs like Wally’s (usually at other musicians’ gigs) and asking, “Will you let us play?”— hence the birth of the name Lettuce. “We never thought that name would stick,” says Krasno, “but we just never got around to changing it.”

Since their formation, Lettuce has grown immensely, paying tribute to all types of funk along the way while developing their own flavor. Lettuce is an outlet for the band members from their side-projects. They say, “It’s all about good friends getting together to play the kind of music that made us all want to become musicians. We don’t have any real expectations. DJs can play this. Jazz fans will like it. People will hear it and hopefully dig it. We’re just hoping that Rage! will appeal to a lot of different kinds of people, and the funk will live on.”

Queens NYC native Pharoahe Monch first bursted into the scene part of the legendary group Organized Konfusion with Prince Poetry in 1991. Shortly after the duo disbanded, Monch stunned critics and fans with his debut solo album, 'Internal Affairs,' in 1999 spawning the breakout hit "Simon Says." Decades before Drake, Monch sang his choruses with soul driven melody on songs like “Queens” which chronicled the tragic life of an aspiring athlete taken under by the mean streets. “Simon Says”, the crowd moving hit powered by a Godzilla movie sample, itself became a monster single, propelling Monch to commercial success. The song appeared in the block-buster movie Charlie's Angels, and well as Boiler Room, which also featured “Right Here.” Monch took a break from album crafting following the dissolution of Rawkus, but he wasn't totally gone. In 2001 he appeared on the soundtrack to the Denzel Washington Oscar winning vehicle Training Day with the unapologetic “F**k You”. He also played the role of ghostwriter for Sean “Diddy” Combs on his 2006 well-received album, 'Press Play.' Monch's hand is evident on tracks, “The Future” and Havoc of Mobb Deep-featured track “The Holdup.” After a label bidding war, he resurfaced 8 years later with another universally lauded album, 'Desire,' (2007) garnering attention from mainstream media and song placement on the highly popular Madden NFL 08 video game. This time, Monch spread the production out and focused on his delivery, again crafting verses of variable speeds, deliveries, rhythms and concepts like very few have ever done. Now in 2011, Pharoahe Monch stands with his recently released 'W.A.R. (We Are Renegades),' taking a stand for higher thought and for the love of the art in Hip-Hop culture; standing firm against the commoditization of the music and so many lowbrow approaches to the art form. “This is a science and it filters into our being. This is what W.A.R. is about. This record is my truth as it was written when I made it,” says Monch. “I would like this album to be on a frequency to let you open the doors to your God-self. I want this harmony to give you goose bumps and raise the hairs on your arms. W.A.R. is a coat of arms against the destruction of art” Armed with an enormous array of skill, talent, and most important, love and soul, Pharoahe Monch sets out to wage war under the flag of his newly created company W.A.R. Media in a partnership with Duck Down Music.

The undisputed "Godfather of Noyze" has re-defined the beat box. A self-defined "vocal percussionist," Rahzel (rhymes with ‘gazelle') has perfectly mastered this quintessential hip hop art form and has emerged as a "true virtuoso." To hear him is to be converted.
Billboard Magazine proclaims : "Everyone should experience his fascinating rhythms…using just his lips, cheeks, gums, and Adam's apple he (recreates), with amazing accuracy and detail, tracks from the magic mixing desks of Pete Rock…and others." His mockery of instruments/arcade of sounds leaves audiences captivated, wondering "is he for real?"
Rahzel is best known as a member of The Roots, hip hop's cutting-edge live band. Over the past several years he has emerged as the one to watch. His eagerly anticipated debut album on MCA Records, entitled The Fifth Element: Make the Music 2000 boasts guest performances by Aaron Hall, Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest on "To The Beat," and Black Thought of The Roots on the R&B flavored "Suga Sista." Brandford Marsalis and Me'Shell N'Degeocello guest star on the psychedelic jazz/funky track "My Soul" and Pete Rock lends his production skills on the first single, "All I Know." Rahzel's band mates The Roots also produced and performed on several tracks on The Fifth Element: Make the Music 2000. The project is drenched with an urban eclectic edge/uniqueness that rejects categorization. A collage of almost every musical genre, it is well-positioned for classicism. A glance at Rahzel's musical influences speaks to his appreciation for the art of making music. He draws from the line of Doug E. Fresh/Biz Markie, of Bobby McFerrin, and of Al Jarreau. He explains: "With my vocal percussions, I want to bridge the gap among various musical genres. I want the beat box to be respected as a true art form."
Though his tastes do run far and wide, Rahzel is quick to acknowledge first and foremost his hip-hop origins. Growing up as a youngster in New York, Rahzel admired his cousin Rahim, a founding member of the pioneering Furious Five. "I remember watching Grand Master Flash before I could even see over the gate," recalls Rahzel. "Having that influence alone was incredible." Later, Rahzel roadied for Ultramagnetic MCs. "In every important phase of hip-hop, I was there," he says, "absorbing everything that was going on."
Rahzel grew up in Queens, New York and recalls that "not having" was never an excuse for "not doing." Just as in its most organic state the essence of hip hop is ‘ making something out of nothing,' Rahzel learned how to feed his need to be creative. "We didn't have the turntables inside the locker room and we couldn't bring our boom box in there. Either we were banging on the locker, or somebody was (making music) with their mouth. I was the one who made the beats with my mouth. I worked hard so that if you closed your eyes you would swear that you were hearing a record, a radio, or a band." Over time, Rahzel's own gifts for vocal percussion led him to seek his own career as an artist. Others, like Biz Markie, Doug E. Fresh, and the Fat Boys' Buffy had made strides in the form, but Rahzel possessed a talent so great, he was soon recognized up and down the east coast as the premiere human beat box artist. He already had a thriving solo career when The Roots asked him to join their group. "Being with The Roots enhanced what I was doing even more," says Rahzel. "We're colleagues, and we have tremendous respect for each other. They respect my history, I respect theirs." So how has this "Super DJ" maintained a raw, artistic integrity amidst the wave of commercialism that has conquered the hip hop scene? And how does he expect to keep us interested in what some might call an out-moded form of entertainment?
Perhaps The Source Magazine says it best: "Rahzel's vision of hip hop, as with his sound, is poly-chromatic. (He) is the movement, the bridge where hip hop ffusions can meet." Nay-sayers not yet initiated to the mystery of sound best prepare. A new wave reverberates the existing sound barrier. Rahzel "The Godfather of Noyze" has emerged as the new triumph.
Probably best known in the semi-mainstream world as a member of the Roots, Rahzel is an MC that specializes in the "fifth element" of hip-hop culture -- beatboxing (which comes after graffiti spraying, DJing, MCing, and breakdancing). He actively discourages classification of his sound, attempting to remain on the eclectic edge of the commercial music. According to the artist, his influences include Biz Markie, Doug E Fresh, Buffy of the Fat Boys, Bobby McFerrin, and Al Jarreau. His goal is to gain respect for beatboxing as a true art form on its own merits. Growing up, Rahzel looked up to his cousin Rahim of the Furious Five, and went to Grandmaster Flash's shows regularly. He later became a roadie for the Ultramagnetic MCs. Rahzel has in fact mastered the art of beatboxing, able to recreate full songs, with accompaniment by himself without instrumentation, able to sing a chorus and provide a backing beat simultaneously, able to invoke impressions of singers and rappers on a whim. Any fan of hip-hop should definitely invest in his Make the Music 2000 album.

Singer/guitarist Raul Midón is a contemporary soul singer whose impassioned acoustic guitar playing -- a mix of rock, classical, and flamenco -- has gotten him just as much attention as his smooth voice. Blind since birth, Midón was born in Embudo, NM, to an Argentine father and American mother. He began playing drums early in his childhood before switching to guitar, taking in flamenco, jazz, and classical styles on his chosen instrument. He relocated to Miami for college in the '90s and while there moonlighted as a background vocalist for Latin pop recording sessions. A remarkable talent even then, word quickly spread of Midón's talent as a singer and guitarist. Eventually he relocated to New York, where he concentrated on a solo career. His major-label debut, State of Mind, featuring guest appearances from Stevie Wonder and Jason Mraz, was released by Manhattan Records in June 2005. World Within a World followed in 2007. ~ Wade Kergan, All Music Guide