La Forza del Destino

Fanfare Ciocarlia on Myspace: The wildest brass orchestra on the planet and a musical phenomenon from the remotest corner of Romania. A band of speed demons, laughing their way across the roughest musical terrain. They rave, they roar, they rage!

New York Times : The history of Verdi’s “Forza del Destino” is almost as convoluted as its sprawling plot. Verdi completed the vocal parts for the premiere in St. Petersburg in 1861, but when the soprano scheduled to sing Leonora became ill, he returned to Italy, orchestrated the opera and made structural changes.

Nippop : Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, or “Suka Para” as they are usually referred to, were formed as party band in the late 80’s, by a group of young musicians. After over one thousand live shows, and numerous ups and downs, the band continues strong, and today enjoys a substantial international following. The band’s first record was an indie 12 inch single released in 1989, followed in 1990 by their debut album on Sony Sukapara Tojo. T

Euge Groove : Born 2 Groove : The album debuted at #1 and spent 18 months (the limit before being put into recurrent) on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz chart. The songs B2G and Religify both were #1 at radio, Mr. Groove peeked at #2, and Slow Jam broke the top 10.

Jazz Jamaica on MySpace : In 1991, inspired by the rhythms of traditional Jamaican music and largely improvisational nature of jazz, original Jazz Warrior, and veteran jazz double bassist, Gary Crosby turned a musical concept into a joyful reality. Crosbys concept was to create a quintessential fusion of mento, ska, reggae and jazz, playing classic and modern jazz standards alongside Jamaican folksongs. The result was Jazz Jamaica.

Funky Virginia : The 35th Street Gang, also known as Raw Soul, did extensive work for Lenis Guess during the 70’s. As the house band at the Brockington-Guess Recording Studio on 35th Street in Norfolk, this insanely tight trio appeared (credited & uncredited) on a slew of outstanding tracks.

Tempo Blues : Rockie Charles’ music career began in mid ’50s, when the 13 year old moved to the Ninth Ward of New Orleans. Charles cut his teeth with a neighborhood four-piece, the Eagles, and attended Houston’s School of Music on North Claiborne. By 18, Charles was both a tugboat captain and leader of his own band, the Gauges, best known for providing the entertainment at Tulane frat parties.

Freddie & The Dreamers : A bespectacled young man bearing a resemblance to Buddy Holly, Freddie looked like a bookish nerd with a cackling laugh, and performed with comic, acrobatic, exagerrated dancing meant to elicit a smile.

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