Alternative Facts

“The theorem of turntablist as musician has been long proven in the capable hands of DJ LOGIC, whom with jazz as his foundation has become a wax innovator by crossing genres and sprinkling his sound across the map. As one of the world’s most accomplished turntablist’s, DJ LOGIC is widely credited for introducing jazz into the hip – hop realms and is considered by most as a highly respected session musician and an innovative bandleader.

Since his emergence in the early nineties amidst the Bronx hip-hop scene, the New York City based deejay has been amassing a veritable mountain of collaborations ranging from the likes of: MEDESKI MARTIN AND WOOD, CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE, VERNON REID, CHARLIE HUNTER, JACK DeJOHNETTE, JOHN MAYER, BEN HARPER, MOS DEF and THE ROOTS, to name but a few.

These days, DJ LOGIC is focusing on studio endeavors, producing notable projects such as: Re-imagination with jazz piano phenomenon ELDAR ; collaborating with VERNON REID on a project he co-founded called the Yohimbe Brothers ; touring with CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE in support of Live at Tonic ; participating in a side project called SOLESIDE (featuring KYLE HOLLINGSWORTH from STRING CHEESE INCIDENT and SPEECH from ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT) and co-anchoring a rock band with JOHN POPPER (The John Popper Project featuring DJ Logic) .

LOGIC’S body of work also includes three highly accomplished solo albums (Zen of Logic; The Anomaly; Presents Project Logic), all released on Ropeadope Records.

DJ LOGIC and his role as an electronic-music ambassador keeps him at the top of his game. Whether the scratch artist instructs tablas to flirt with drum ‘n’ bass (such as on his NINA SIMONE and BILLY HOLIDAY remixes found on Sony Legacy’s Remixed and Reimagined volumes) , or while meshing free styling MC’s with Afro-Cuban rhythms (such as on ‘Share Worldwide Funk’ – a remix produced for JACK DeJOHNETTE and Golden Beams Collected, Volume 1 ) , LOGIC can always be found paying homage to his predecessors while contributing his vision to the deejay genre. While the context of his work may vary, DJ LOGIC’S spinning skills are definitely beyond reproach.

He works with a phenomenal roster of invited guests, and he knows how to pick his collaborators as well as his samples. With a growing catalogue of recordings under his belt, DJ LOGIC’S supreme musicianship and catholic tastes will allow him to journey wherever an infectious groove may take him.

Few musicians share the ability of alto saxophonist/composer Rudresh Mahanthappa to embody the expansive possibilities of his music with his culture. What has materialized is a sound that hybridizes progressive jazz and South Indian classical music in a fluid and forward-looking form that reflects Mahanthappa’s own experience. His latest project Bird Calls (2015), was named #1 album of the year by both Downbeat and NPR Music’s Jazz Critics Poll. Mahanthappa has been awarded a Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and numerous commissions. He has been named alto saxophonist of the year many times by Downbeat Magazine’s International Critics Polls.

David Gilmore has performed and recorded with many of today’s most influential artists including Wayne Shorter, Steve Coleman, Christian McBride, Dave Douglas, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Randy Brecker, Lenny White, Stanley Clarke, Sam Rivers, and many others. Gilmore’s first CD, Ritualism, was nominated for the 2001 Debut CD of the Year, by the Jazz Journalists Association. Voted a rising star by Downbeat Magazine, Gilmore’s playing has been compared to guitarists as diverse as George Benson and Jimi Hendrix. Gilmore has been the receipient of numerous grants, including two Chamber Music of America, New Jazz Works Composer Grants. Committed to an improvisational approach that reflects a global awareness, he conducts master classes around the world, and is an Associate Professor at the renowned Berklee College of Music in Boston. His last recording, Energies of Change, received 4 1⁄2 stars in DownBeat, and he was recently featured in their Artist Spotlight column. His forthcoming release, Transitions, was released in February 2017 on the Dutch Criss Cross Label.

An all around drummer who cut his teeth on funk and jazz. Gene Lake embodies the contradictions of modern music. His resume reflects his passion for the great funk icons of the 1970s and 1980s such as Parliament/Funkadelic and the Time, as well as his longstanding ties to the jazz world. Gene Lake has been playing for almost 10 years with a stunningly diverse range of artists: from r&b group Surface in the 1980s to the “new wave” of r&b acts such as Me’shell NdegeOcello, Maxwell, and D’Angelo in the 1990s; from jazz innovators Steve Coleman and Henry Threadgill, to fusion legends Joe Zawinul and Marcus Miller; from jazz/rap group Opus Akoben to acts that defy categorization, such as the wildly original rock/funk/jazz fusion group Screaming Headless Torsos.