Sonelius Smith is the greatest pianist you’ve probably never heard. A truly unique artist, his ideas are more incendiary than the staunchest avant-gardist (though the avant-garde can’t claim him). He can also be straight-ahead or even in the pocket (but the straight-aheaders wouldn’t touch him). Living the music for more than seven decades and hailing from Hillhouse, Mississippi, he plays with a soul and spirit that are intangible. Infused with tradition and history, he rejects the expected at every measure. He may be inclined to play a well traveled standard, but then approach it in such a way that sounds alarm bells for the Jazz Police. On any given night he’ll play the most beautiful unimagined music you’ll ever hear, produce puzzling even confounding passages, and patiently give space and silence their due.
The list of greats Sonelius has played with is both long and impressive - Kenny Dorham, Charles Mingus, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Elvin Jones, Rashied Ali, Archie Shepp, Freddie Hubbard, Shamek Farrah – to name just a few.
His compositions have been recorded by greats such as Ahmad Jamal, David Murray, Stanley Cowell, Robin Kenyatta and others.
When not making music, Sonelius is a prolific painter. Amongst the three pianos in his house, electric keyboards, upright bass, guitar, drums, scores of music… are endless canvases he’s painted over the years – portraits of Jazz greats such as Monk and Trane, abstracts, nudes, still lifes, musical notes, you name it.
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Adam Kahan is a bass player and filmmaker living in Brooklyn. He has been collaborating with Sonelius Smith over many years and in many different forms. They first started working together, with saxophonist/flutist Claire Daly, when they recorded the soundtrack for the short film My Eileen. Following the recording, the three started working as a trio playing regularly in New York. Adam then formed and led the Lo-Fly sextet which featured Smith on piano, Daly on baritone, Ray Scro on baritone and soprano, Nana Sakomoto on trombone and Dwayne Cook Broadnax on drums. Adam also worked with pianist David Durrah for multiple years, up until his death earlier this year.
As a filmmaker, Adam has made documentaries on Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Buster Williams, Andres Serrano, Fred Tomaselli, narrative and experimental shorts as well.
A true Gemini living a double-life; as a musician Kahan has a forthcoming recording with Smith which will be released in 2023, and as a filmmaker he is working on a new film about Sun Ra.
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Rodney Chapman aka “Godfather Don” is a tenor saxophonist playing free jazz, re-imagined standards and other forms. Chapman has performed with such figures as Ronnie Barrage, William Parker, Reggie Nicholson, Daniel Carter, Sam Newsome and many others. In the 90’s as an underground MC/beatmaker, he produced and performed on records featuring Chubb Rock, NAS, Fat Joe, Ultra Magnetic Mc’s, Screwball, Mobb Deep, Kool Keith, Cormega and others, and is still in demand today creating new music within the Hip Hop community.
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Dan Kurfurst will be joining the group on drums.