José James, Vocalist + Lyricist + Songwriter :: 120 Seconds
Critically acclaimed artist, José James shares how taking risks and following his spirit has paved his journey and inspired him to spread love & light through his music.
Critically acclaimed artist, José James shares how taking risks and following his spirit has paved his journey and inspired him to spread love & light through his music.
José James, Vocalist + Lyricist + Songwriter :: 120 Seconds from friendswelove.com on Vimeo.
About Jose:
Since his arrival on the international scene in 2008 vocalist José James has consistently dazzled critics and audiences alike with his deft combination of soul, hip-hop and jazz. Using his musical mentors John Coltrane, Marvin Gaye and Billie Holiday as compasses, he continues to successfully blur the lines between musical genres through his love of connecting to audiences worldwide and in the sheer joy of creation.
Blessed with a warm rich baritone reminiscent of artists of the caliber of Terry Callier, Jon Lucien and Gil-Scott Heron, José has toured internationally at venues such as the North Sea Jazz Festival, the Vitoria Jazz Festival, Billboard Live Tokyo, Centro Cultural Sao Paolo, the Hermitage St. Petersburg, Central Park Summerstage New York and London's Royal Festival Hall.
Signed to Gilles Peterson's Brownswood Recordings, his debut album "The Dreamer" was released in 2008 to worldwide acclaim, including 21 of JazzTimes Top 50 Jazz Albums of 2008. As a recording artist and guest vocalist José has worked with Junior Mance, Chico Hamilton, Gilles Peterson, Bassment Jaxx, Nicola Conte, Toshio Matsuura, Elan Mehler, The Heritage Orchestra, SOIL & "PIMP" SESSIONS, Jazzanova, Flying Lotus, Christian McBride, J.A.M., Robert Mitchell, Jazzy Sport and Simbad.
For more info on Jose: http://www.josejamesmusic.com/
http://www.myspace.com/josejamesquartet
N'Dea Davenport, Singer + Songwriter :: 120 Seconds
N’Dea Davenport of The Brand New Heavies shares her personal journey of overcoming uterine fibroids while raising awareness of the importance of getting proper health screenings.
N’Dea Davenport of The Brand New Heavies shares her personal journey of overcoming uterine fibroids while raising awareness of the importance of getting proper health screenings.
N'Dea Davenport, Singer + Songwriter :: 120 Seconds from friendswelove.com on Vimeo.
About N'Dea:
The soulful voice of vocalist/ songwriter/ producer N'Dea Davenport first emerged in 1991 when she became the front woman for the Acid Jazz British funk band, The Brand New Heavies.
But long before worldwide notoriety was present, she fell in love with music, dance, performing and the arts. "I think I got involved in almost everything creatively I could do when I was in school, to keep my mind busy to try and stay out of trouble. From sports to theater, you name it. I probably did it." A regular routine of piano and dance studies were the core of her development. Ironic as it is, singing would later be the focus of her affections.
As soon as it was possible to "break out" as she calls it, she left her home town of Atlanta, with little more than 300 dollars on route to Los Angeles with the primary goal of just going somewhere she had never been to alone. Little did she know, that early sense of adventure would begin a chain-of-events that would change her life forever.
After landing in Los Angeles, she became inspired and apart of the burgeoning underground "club warehouse scene." Within the flourishing community of artists, fashion designers and musical talents, it was such as celebration of funk, hip-hop, rock, punk, graffiti, performance art and everything between. Meeting the late Keith Herring, Jean-Michel Basquiat and the very much alive Fab Five Freddy, was really special." And after a reluctant impromptu song for Fred, he quickly got word to his dj-club owner friend that happened to be one-half of the newly formed record label, Delicious Vinyl. Soon after, she found herself recording and planning for her debut CD.
As fate would have it, a British group called The Brand New Heavies, were signed to the label shortly after. With no lead vocalist, and N'Dea's love of collaborating, the tone was set for a magical combination. She relocated to London with the Heavies, where they gave birth to an international movement known as Acid Jazz. Fusing funk, soul and RnB, the term Acid Jazz has also been known as "The second coming of soul" re-establishing legacy, and opening the doors to Neo-classical soul.
In 1995, after years and at the height of their commercial success, N'Dea simply packed up heading back to the U.S. leaving London and her former bandmates. After returning, she continued to develop her solo cd, and collaborate with various artists including, Mos Def, Everlast, DJ Krush, Dallas Austin, Guru (Jazzmatazz), Natalie Merchant and Daniel Lanois to name a few. Her self-titled debut, the effort she put on the back burner for several years, was released on V2 Records in 1998, boasting the funky flavor that listeners have come to expect from her. It takes you back to the day when music wasn't lumped into preconceived, easy to digest categories. And personally leading her on to the experience of musical freedoms and self-exploration producing and orchestrating the mass majority of her projects. Her songs are often laced with social commentaries meant, not to provoke, but to trigger thought and inspire dialogue. She is continuing that process, by developing, and performing new material for a forth-coming cd.
Links:
http://www.myspace.com/ndeadavenport
Athena Robles + Anna Stein, Artists :: 120 Seconds
Athena Robles and Anna Stein, the two artists behind the "Free Store," describe the generous systems working in our society in the form of alternative currencies and bartering, as well as in our personal lives through giving and accepting thoughtful gifts.
Athena Robles and Anna Stein, the two artists behind the "Free Store," describe the generous systems working in our society in the form of alternative currencies and bartering, as well as in our personal lives through giving and accepting thoughtful gifts.
Athena Robles + Anna Stein, Artists :: 120 Seconds from friendswelove.com on Vimeo.
About Athena Robles & Anna Stein (Doube A Projects):
We (artists Athena Robles and Anna Stein) began working in collaboration in 2007, bringing together our sculptural practices using historical and cultural references, public space and paper media. Recent projects have examined counter culture systems and expanded upon forms of public art and installation. In our work, key elements of public art are combined with conventional forms of sculpture and installation. For each project, we take into consideration content (what dialogue and messages are expressed), communication (how the ideas are presented visually and spatially), and context (taking into account the site and its history and pre-existing meanings where the work occurs), in order to explore the many ways possible to convey ideas, re-invent visual vocabularies, and encourage audience engagement with art.
Links: