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Earth People

In March 2001, a group of multi-talented musicians and friends premiered Waking the Living, a television broadcast performance, and the free-form music group Earth People was born. Deeply rooted in almost every major musical tradition, ancient and modern, the members of Earth People have combined to form the vanguard of the modern avant-garde.

Earth People's music constantly evolves, taking a new form and direction with every "cosmic offering." They have been dubbed "local legends" in New York City, and All About Jazz New York has praised their latest release, Now Is Rising; "What a CD! ... In this era of war and strife, Earth People stands as a shining example of the beauty and harmony human beings are capable of creating." Sky Readers, their last release was described as "a full-throttle adventure ... the new new music, an up-to-date message from jazz avant-garde: the music is alive and well, and Earth People is one of its strongest contributors." Musical boundaries are crossed with unprejudiced ease: Jazz, Funk, World Music, Rock, Electronic, Free, Classical and the unclassifiable.

At the core of Earth People is André Martinez (former Cecil Taylor collaborator on drums and percussion), Doug Principato (guitars, vocals & synthesizers) and Jason Candler (saxophones and guitar). These three musicians are the chief composers, arrangers, and administrators for the group. Like the planet from which they take their name, Earth People's core is surrounded by the hot magma of three main players ... Sabir Mateen on multi-reeds, Francóis Grillot on contra-bass, and Mark Hennen on grand piano and synthesizers. Elliott Levin (saxophone, flute, & poetry), Karen Borca (bassoon), M (vocals and incantations) and DJ Firehorse (electronics) have also been major contributors.

Calm feelings and mutual admiration prevail among the group. An atmosphere of trust and artistic freedom allows members to travel with the spirit of the music and create a sound that is pure of heart and truly adventurous.

Most compositions begin with preconceived themes that are merely seeds. Rehearsed among the core members, pieces are then presented to the band, who telepathically take it to the next level. "Everyone gets a chance to shine as different combinations of players weave their wares, ascending and submerging." The final product often leaves the players themselves astonished and wondering, "Is this what it's like to participate in a Santeria or Voodoo ceremony? Perhaps like the initiates in a ritual rite, seemingly oblivious to the phenomena that overcome them ... when the Gods descend upon them." Salvador Dali stated what became Earth People's motto, "If you understand your painting beforehand, you might as well not paint it."

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101
Album Review

Earth People: Now is Rising

Read "Now is Rising" reviewed by Florence Wetzel


It's time to welcome another offering from Earth People, one of the most innovative and exciting groups on today's avant-garde scene. The group excels once again with the absolutely fresh Now is Rising, a soulful amalgam of sound that showcases its versatility and formidable gifts. This incarnation includes Andre Martinez on drums and percussion, Jason Candler on alto sax and guitar, Doug Principato on guitar, vocals and keyboards, Francois Grillot on contrabass, Mark Hennen on piano, Sabir Mateen on alto, ...

103
Album Review

Earth People: Simple... Isn't It?

Read "Simple... Isn't It?" reviewed by Rex  Butters


Characterizing themselves as “the psychedelic free music experience,” Earth People formed in 2001 after performing together in what would have been a one-time-only TV appearance. In addition to a core of André Martinez, Doug Principato, and Jason Chandler, the band also includes a who’s who of New York musicians, including Karen Borca, Daniel Carter, Sabir Mateen, Mark Hennen, and Francois Grillot. Vocalist M brings a flexible six-octave range that finds its way through thorny passages like smoke. Reed rioteers Carter, ...

99
Album Review

Earth People: Sky Readers

Read "Sky Readers" reviewed by Florence Wetzel


If the cold weather is keeping you away from the clubs, you can still experience the excitement of a live performance with Sky Readers. The disc captures the art of improvisation, the high wire act that occurs when a song writes itself through musicians and their instruments. And with Earth People, a group composed of skillful and imaginative players, the music is a full-throttle adventure. As the Salvador Dali quote in the liner notes states, “If you understand your painting ...

109
Album Review

Earth People: Simple...Isn

Read "Simple...Isn" reviewed by Terrell Kent Holmes


At one point on the title cut of Simple...Isn't It??, the latest CD by Earth People, the band's enigmatically-named singer, M, purrs, "Would you like...the usual? I didn't think so!" That contempt for the mundane exemplifies this vibrant work of spiritually driven, boundary-busting cadre music. The group's debut CD, Waking the Living, covered some of the same ground but with a slightly larger ensemble. On Simple their roster consists of four members, the music no less potent. ...

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Bang! from New York...

Undivided Vision
2007

buy

Now is Rising

Undivided Vision
2005

buy

Sky Readers

Undivided Vision
2003

buy

Simple... Isn't It?

Undivided Vision
2003

buy

Waking the Living

Undivided Vision
2001

buy

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