ARTISTS:
SLIM MOORE & THE MAR-KAYS
THE SOULJAZZ ORCHESTRA
MARLOW BEAT KINGS
When you combine Slim Moore's hot-buttered voice with the honey-glazed horns and the oil-slick rhythm section of the Mar-Kays, you get the kind of deep,
rugged, gut-wrenching soul music that only comes around once in a blue moon. The kind of soul music that can be tough as leather, or smooth as silk. The kind
of soul music that can make you cry, dance, and tear your hair out - all at the same time.
Gary "Slim" Moore was born in 1964, in the urban community of Overbrook, Ontario, his parents having recently immigrated to the area from southeastern Jamaica.
Like many soul singers, he got his start singing in church, belting out hymns with his parents' Pentecostal congregation from the early age of four. While still
in his teens, he moved to Montreal, Quebec, where he began his singing career, performing with local bands and sound systems. However, it wasn't until the
mid-1990s, after moving back to his hometown, that he first met up with members of the Mar-Kays.
The project didn't take flight at the time, but the Mar-Kays continued to hone their chops in the meantime, a few of them even going on to back soul royalty:
Gladys Knight & the Pips, The Temptations, The Coasters, The Drifters, and The Platters, to name a few. Then, in 2009, the Mar-Kays managed to track down Slim
once more, and as luck had it, he was just as itching as they were to get something going again. Soon, Slim Moore & the Mar-Kays were finally a reality, and -
like fine aged Canadian whisky - the wait only made it all the more special.
Official Slim Moore & the Mar-Kays Website
Slim Moore & the Mar-Kays on MySpace
Slim Moore & the Mar-Kays on Facebook
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Since their creation in 2002, the Souljazz Orchestra have become one of the most potent bands in their field. Drawing on the rough, raw grooves of the '60s and '70s and effortlessly fusing soul, jazz, afro and latin rhythms within their music, the group have moved forward the blueprint of Fela, Fania and the funk in entirely new ways, while keeping the vital analogue grit intact. As a live unit, years of relentless touring have formed the band into an in-demand fixture at venues and festivals worldwide.
Having turned heads with two fine records on the Toronto-based Do Right! label, Freedom No Go Die (2006, featuring their breakthrough single "Mista President") and Manifesto (2008), the Souljazz Orchestra have recently released the hotly anticipated Rising Sun album on London-based Strut Records. Drawing on a wider canvas of styles than ever before, touching on spiritual jazz, deep African rhythms, and cinematic soundscapes, the Orchestra take their sound to new heights with stunning musicianship and virtuoso arrangements throughout. In fact, Rising Sun has gone on to be nominated for the 2011 Instrumental Album of the Year Juno Award.
Official Souljazz Orchestra Website
The Souljazz Orchestra on MySpace
The Souljazz Orchestra on Facebook
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As the house band at Marlow Records, the Marlow Beat Kings form the entire backbone of the label's music. But in addition to their formidable skills as a house band, on their own they are one of the top instrumental organ trios of today, with their tight, impeccable grooves and impressive stylistic range. In fact, during a single night, you might hear them jump from greasy rhythm & blues to classy hard bop, from skiddish funk to spicy boogaloo, from hypnotic rocksteady to psychedelic rock, all without missing a single beat.
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