| rad
feat. Eric Leeds, Ray obiedo, Billy Johnson
& Marc v. Wageningen
Rhythm and Blues Stage - Sunday
- 4pm
Joined by a tastefully chosen
cast of top notch musicians, her electrifying
performances effortlessly ease through R&B,
Brazilian, Afro-Cuban and Jazz styles topped
with incredibly pumping funk jams. A rad.
live show is always a truly musical experience
fueled with the depth of the individual
players in the band and of course rad.'s
own hair raising piano solos. Rad. is steeped
in the tradition of the San Francisco Bay
Area music scene of Santana, Tower of Power
or Herbie Hancock's Headhunters. rad. follows
this tradition of blending Jazz and Funk
with the Latino and Chicano influences of
Northern California. Dubbed by a fan as
an "out of body experience" rad.
live always delivers a unique show that
many consider to be among the best the West
Coast has to offer at the dawn of the new
millennium.
www.radmusic.com
Eric Leeds
Eric Leeds is an American jazz and funk
musician who plays the saxophone and other
woodwind and brass instruments. He is best
known for his work with Prince. Eric Leeds
played Saxophone in Prince's band for over
20 years.
Ray Obiedo
Smooth jazz guitarist Ray Obiedo was born
and raised in Richmond, CA, where as a child
he frequently traveled to nearby San Francisco
to take in free concerts from the likes
of the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Cream.
At the outset of his career, Obiedo regularly
shifted between jazz and R&B, working
with a variety of artists including Herbie
Hancock, Julian Priester and Sheila E.;
he also led the fusion unit Kick as well
as the rock outfit Rhythmus 21. 1999 saw
the release of The Modern World, a hybrid
of R&B, pop, and Latin jazz.
www.myspace.com/rayobiedo
Billy Johnson
Billy Johnson was born in Philadelphia and
was the beneficiary of the mentoring of
fine players like Gerry Brown and Cornell
Rochester on the local scene. He spent a
lot of time traveling back and forth between
Philly and New York, playing at one time
in a band with guitarist Kevin Eubanks and
his brother, trombonist Robin Eubanks. It's
easy to see why the guitarist Carlos Santana
enlisted Billy Johnson on three different
occasions to man the traps for tours and
albums. He did his first tour with Santana
in 1990 and '91, then rejoined the band
in the summer of '94 for about two-and-a-half
years. Johnson is fleet around the kit,
but his most spectacular quality might be
his grounding. He throws his roots deep
into the music, keeps the drive going while
leaving room for the percussion to breathe
around him. There's always a connection
to the funk in Johnson's grooves. Johnson
performed on Santana's Milagro album in
1992, and the Brothers record featuring
Carlos and Jorge Santana. He plays the opening
cut on Santana's smash, Supernatural, the
spirited romp "(Da Le) Taleo."
Billy has provided a hot rhythmic bedrock
-- a steady pulse on "Put Your Lights
On," the powerful tom work on "Migra,"
some slinky funk on "Love Of My Life,"
and the upbeat Latin-infused rock on "Maria
Maria" and "Smooth." He has
played on four albums with Frankie Beverly
and Maze, including "Joy and Pain",
"Live In New Orleans", "We
Are One", and "Back To Basics".
Marc v. Wageningen
Bassist Marc VW plays it all--funk, jazz, afro-cuban, world--and all equally well. He was enlisted by the likes of Pete Escovedo and Tower of Power. You might hear strains of Jaco and Rocco but Marc has developed a sound all his own, one with a quiet ferocity and impeccable taste. |
