The Souljazz Orchestra is a Canadian musical group based in Ottawa that has toured Canada, the United States and Europe. Their music is a fusion of soul, jazz, funk, Afrobeat and Latin-American styles.
Career The band signed to London-based Strut Records, a UK record label that focuses on dance music and afrobeat. Other musicians signed to Strut include "Ethio-Jazz pioneer Mulatu Astatke, Motown guitarist Dennis Coffey and Ghanaian highlife singer Ebo Taylor, to name a few.""Souljazz Orchestra Headlines First Major US Tour". National Geographic World Music. National Geographic Society. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
According to AllMusic, the band's "overtly political" 2006 single "Mista President," off second album Freedom No Go Die (Do Right!), really increased their audience, [as it was] voted to the number nine spot in the 2006 Top 30 of BBC DJ Gilles Peterson's Worldwide programme.Kellman, Andy. "The Souljazz Orchestra: Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
In 2012, the band completed two US tours that included stops in cities such as Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and Chicago.Detwiler, Ryan A. "The Souljazz Orchestra heads south of the border for first major US tour, heats up mild American winter". Tiny Mix Tapes. Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
Their Resistance album release tour of Europe, all October/November 2015, sees them among others in London, Liverpool, Zurich, Paris, Lyon, Milan, Barcelona, Madrid, Berlin, Cologne, Vienna, Prague, Athens, Marseille.
The band has had three Juno nominations: Instrumental Album of the Year (Rising Sun, 2011), and World Music Album of the Year (Solidarity, 2013, and Resistance, 2016.)
Members Pierre Chrétien – electric piano, clavinet, organ, guitar, bass, percussion, vocals Marielle Rivard – percussion, vocals Steve Patterson – tenor sax, percussion, vocals Ray Murray – baritone sax, percussion, vocals Zakari Frantz – alto sax, flute, percussion, vocals Philippe Lafrenière – drums, percussion, vocals
Discography Uprooted (Funk Manchu, 2005) Freedom No Go Die (Do Right!, 2007) Manifesto (Do Right!, 2008) Rising Sun (Strut, 2010) Solidarity (Strut, 2012) Inner Fire (Strut, 2014) Resistance (Strut, 2015) Under Burning Skies (Strut, 2017) Chaos Theories (Strut, 2019)
References
External links Official site