Funk

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A Taste + View of The Du-Rites’ Greasy Listening

In case you don’t know by now, The Du-Rites are:

J-Zone: Drums, Organ, Percussion & Turntables + Pablo Martin: Guitar, Bass & Synthesizer. We both do low key vocals.

Here’s the cover art for The Du-Rites’ upcoming sophomore LP, Greasy Listening.

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Here’s a brief Instagram clip of me running the test pressing of Greasy Listening. A lil’ Blaxploitation funk for ya. Album drops on vinyl (via ReDefinition Records), CD (+ our debut album from last year both on one disc) and digitally for both download and streaming at some point in September. A short run of cassette tapes will follow. #GreasyListening

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New Music! J-Zone + Pablo Martin are The Du-Rites: “Woody The Wino”

My funk band with badass multi-instrumentalist and my long time mastering engineer, Pablo Martin, is called The Du-Rites. The Du-Rites are my pride and joy, so whenever we throw down, we make sure the grease is burning. Our sophomore LP, Greasy Listening, drops in September. The lead single, “Bite It” b/w “Bocho’s Groove” is out now (buy it here). We figured we’d post another example of what’s on Greasy Listening on SoundCloud today, so here’s “Woody The Wino,” an album cut. Enjoy:

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New Release: J-Zone presents…The Zone Identity!

My first musical output of the year, The Zone Identity, is out now! A collaboration with Fraternity Music Group. The line-up is me (drums, bass), Ed Littman (guitar, bass), Ray “Conga Dog” May (Percussion) and Bennett Paster (Hammond B-3 organ). We gave a pair of 1969 songs the 2017 treatment – Warm Excursion’s “Funk-I-Tus” and Kool and the Gang’s “Let The Music Take Your Mind”. My first attempt at covering some of my favorite songs. Listen, and if you dig it, buy the 7″ on

BANDCAMP!

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J-Zone presents…The Zone Identity

Along with the new Du-Rites 7″, May will see the release of the debut single from one of my other instrumental funk projects, The Zone Identity. For now, it’s basically me teaming up with different musicians to put a twist on funk, soul and jazz classics. The line-up for this one is percussionist Ray May, organist Bennett Paster and guitarist Ed Littman. Bennett and Ed are forces in the jazz scene and part of Fraternity Records’ house band, The U.B.’s. I’m on drums and Ed and I split the bass duties. Our first attempt is a nod to a Kool and the Gang classic (“Let The Music Take Your Mind”) and a rarity from 1969 (Warm Excursion’s “Funk-I-Tus”). The record should be out later in May (you never know with the vinyl plants) on Fraternity Music Group. Catch a sneak preview of both cuts on the Instagram video above.

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The Du-Rites Prepare Album #2!

The funk tandem of  The Du-Rites (guitarist/bassist Pablo Martin and yours truly on drums, organ and turntables) has been hard at work on our sophomore LP since November. With the album about 90% complete, we’re on pace to be mixed and mastered by early May. The album title? Greasy Listening.

Till then, we’ll be dropping the lead off (7″) single, “Bite It” b/w “Bocho’s Groove” in April. Here’s a teaser promo for the album, featuring “Du The Twitch” – a little something to nibble on for now.

 

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J-Zone Begins DJ Residency At The Tuck Room, NYC

After years of “you never spin when I’m in town” and “you don’t spin consistently,” I’ve finally landed my first official weekly DJ gig at The Tuck Room, NYC (at iPic Theaters – 11 Fulton St.) I do my usual transporting of a few hours worth of funk and soul records to lay it down in a time warp every Thursday from 7:30-11:30. Come by after work for a drink, dinner, to catch a game, hear some deep soul or all the above.

In addition to my monthly at Robert Bar and random drumming gigs, I’ll always be somewhere trying to keep the groove going. Promo video above. Stop by.

Speaking of Robert Bar, may as well put the flyer for the March gig here.

Presents... (1)

 

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Gigs!

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Here’s what I’ve got leading up to and in March thus far. Both DJ and drumming gigs. Things sometimes pop up, so I’ll add them as they do.

02.27 – Mobile Mondays Pisces Party @ Bowery Electric, NYC with my fellow Feb. 26ers, Big Winst and Natasha Diggs + The Mobile Mondays All-Stars. DJing 45s all night. (Flyer above).

03.06 – w/Lulu Lewis @ Black Rose Bar, NYC. Low volume, low key rock gig.

03.09 – The Tuck Room @ iPic Theaters, NYC. Funk & Soul.

03.16 – The Tuck Room @iPic Theaters, NYC. Funk & Soul.

03.18 – Soul Vibrations @ Robert Bar

03.23 – The Tuck Room @iPic Theaters, NYC. Funk & Soul.

03.30 – The Tuck Room @iPic Theaters, NYC. Funk & Soul.

 

 

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J-Zone’s (Early) 40th B-Day Bash @ Robert Bar, NYC

SOUL VIBRATIONS! (1)

I’m not an Aquarius – it’s just an unofficial, 8 days early 40th birthday party. 40 is a controversial birthday, but for all the fear around it I still have a full head of hair. I’m not big on celebrations, so figured I’d just invite folks down to my monthly gig for some good funk and soul. I’ll be working, but come help me celebrate this jump into the land of quadruple OGs.

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January Gigs

Soul Vibrations!

Wrapped up in expanding my Red Bull Music Academy drummer series and preparing three funk 7″ releases for the spring, so January’s quiet on the gig front. But I have my monthly Soul Vibrations throwdown at Robert Bar (Jan. 21) and a drumming gig with rock band, LuLu Lewis (Jan. 19 at Fat Baby, NYC. 10PM).

See flyer above for Soul Vibrations info. Flyer design ©2017 The Bad Flyer Bandit (me)

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Give The Drummer Some: J-Zone’s RBMA Interview with Dwight Burns of TSU Toronadoes & Archie Bell & The Drells

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After a three month hiatus, I’m back to my Give The Drummer Some column at Red Bull Music Academy. For the current installment, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dwight Burns, drummer for late ’60s funk band TSU Toronadoes, who happened to also be the band playing on Archie Bell and the Drells’ “Tighten Up.” Dwight is one of the founding fathers of the drum break and an important musician from an important band that never quite got its due. We talk about not getting credit/payment for the million selling (and game-changing) “Tighten Up” and the shadiness of the music business, but also about drumming and the TSU Toronadoes’ contributions to funk. Any collector knows this if you’ve tried to buy some of the band’s 45s and any drummer knows what Dwight brought to the set. I was honored to interview him, so check it out…

RBMA Interview with drummer Dwight Burns

And go get some TSU Toronadoes in your library.

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