Brass sensation The Soul Rebels started with an idea - to expand upon the pop music they loved on the radio and the New Orleans brass tradition they grew up on. They took that tradition and blended funk and soul with elements of hip hop, jazz and rock all within the style of a modernized and contemporary brass band. The Soul Rebels built a career around an eclectic live show that harnesses the power of horns and drums in a party-like atmosphere. The eight-member collective frequently appear on major record label releases with star artists including Sony Music artist G- Eazy’s single ‘When You’re Gone” featuring Lil Wayne, Def Jam artist Dave East and Nas’ “Godfather 4”, Big Freedia and Icona Pop’s “Pipe That” and Warner Music Group artist Phony Ppl’s new album. The Soul Rebels have scored original music for Walt Disney’s 2023 movie Haunted Mansion and appeared on the official soundtrack for Universal Pictures' hit comedy Girls Trip. The Soul Rebels have impressed viewers with two appearances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, featured on NPR's Tiny Desk series with Wu Tang Clan front man GZA, and headlined the global TED Conference. The Soul Rebels are riding high in 2024 after receiving national attention following the release of their new album, Poetry In Motion. The Soul Rebels continue to expand their international reach touring four continents including Europe, Australia, China, South Korea and Japan. Their explosive stage presence has led to live collaborations with the likes of Katy Perry, Nas, G-Eazy, DMX, Robin Thicke, Macy Gray, Portugal. The Man, Robert Glasper, Pretty Lights, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Matisyahu and most notably their new supergroup with the legendary Wu Tang Clan. The Soul Rebels continue to chart new territory and are respected for their ability to combine topnotch musicianship with songs that celebrate peace, love and soul.  

In many ways, Louis Cato began growing toward the role of bandleader on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert when he started playing drums at the age of 2. His love of music evolved into an appreciation of gospel and contemporary Christian music from his native North Carolina and continued into his education at the Berklee College of Music. Since then, Cato has become a Grammy-nominated and internationally acclaimed multi-instrumentalist, producer, singer and songwriter. He has an undeniable ability to craft sonic landscapes into timeless masterpieces and has worked with an array of artists including Bobby McFerrin, Snarky Puppy, Jon Batiste, Q-Tip and A Tribe Called Quest. After two decades of lending his talents to other creators Cato released his first solo record Starting Now in 2017 and more recently released Reflections in the summer of 2023. True to form he played every instrument on each of those albums, which leads to his next original endeavor – a compendium of his infamous Cato Covers – a weekly cover series made popular on his Instagram. Music is Louis’s lifeblood and it brings him unbridled joy to share his gifts, feelings and energy with those around him.

RAY ANGRY is a pianist, producer, composer and arranger who is one of the most in-demand artists today. Classically trained with roots in gospel, Ray’s resume includes names such as Jeff Beck, Wynton Marsalis, Mark Ronson, Q-Tip, Yolanda Adams, Daniel Winans, Joss Stone, Sting, Me’Shell Ndegéocello, Esperanza Spalding, Terri Lyne Carrington, Cindy Blackman, a duo of Mick Jagger & Dave Stewart, Estelle, Richard Smallwood, Dionne Warwick, Dianne Reeves, Queen Latifah, D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, Kelis, Christina Aguilera and ongoing associates, The Roots. New projects include Ray’s solo piano album, Ray Angry Three; a trio album with David Murray and Questlove entitled, Plumb, and an album of Ray’s weekly NYC live show, Producer Mondays. Ray’s film and television work includes composing music for Amy Schumer’s Life & Beth Seasons 1 & 2 on Hulu; Seasons 1 - 5 of Inside Amy Schumer on Paramount+; the award-winning short film Aisle 2; Expecting Amy on HBO; the documentary film, Why Is We Americans?; the critically acclaimed award nominated documentary film, Descendant on Netflix; the feature film, The Lockdown; the feature documentary, Out of Breath, Amy Schumer’s comedy special, Emergency Contact on Netflix, and the sports documentary series, Up for Debate on ESPN. Ray can be seen weekly on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as a member of the house band, The Roots. Ray’s symphonic debut, Black Athena ~ Power recently premiered with the Lexington Symphony. He is being commissioned to compose several new orchestral works that will premiere in 2025.

James Carter - Baritone and Tenor Saxophones Sharp Radway - Piano Hilliard Greene - Bass Kahlil Kwame Bell – Drums “Music and life do not separate” says saxophone virtuoso James Carter, “my elders have taught me that music is a culture and a way of life.”    Detroit native Carter shared his childhood home with five musically inclined siblings in “a house filled with all manner of sounds, from The Beatles to Funk and Hendrix.”    The Jazz influence came from Carter’s mother who “brought the voices of greats like Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald into my life.”It was his mother who in 1980 took young Carter to see the Count Basie Orchestra at the Detroit Music Hall, where the big-band sound made a lasting impression, but it was a World Saxophone Quartet concert two years later that would set music as a path for life. “To watch four saxophonists individually and collectively, literally shred the stage” recalls Carter, “it sparked a furnace inside of me that won’t quit to this day.”   At the tender age of seventeen the young prodigy shared a stage with the great Wynton Marsalis and at 23, released his landmark debut album JC On the Set, hailed by many as the arrival of a new Jazz master. Over the decades that followed, Carter has cemented his reputation as one of this generation’s most charismatic and versatile soloists, boasting collaborations with Lester Bowie, Julius Hemphill, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kathleen Battle, Frank Lowe &Saxemble, the world Saxophone Quartet and Wynton Marsalis among other Jazz greats.   2019 sees Carter release his eighteenth original recording, marking the Jazz master’s debut as a band leader for Blue Note records. Captured live at the 2018 Newport Jazz festival, the celebrated James Carter Organ Trio: Live From Newport Jazz, pays homage to the legendary Django Reinhardt and is a return of sorts to the 2000 Chasin’ the Gypsy album where Carter first paid tribute to the swing-guitar icon for whom he carries great affection.   Honing his craft to a jaw-dropping technical level, Carter is the master of a family of saxophones, flute and clarinet. His is a powerhouse virtuosity likened by composer Roberto Sierra to the great Paganini. It was in fact this astounding instrumental flexibility, coupled with an eclectic body of recordings that inspired the Spanish maestro to write the celebrated Concerto for Saxophones and Orchestra for the 31-year-old. Written expressly for Carter and mixing Jazz, Latin and classical elements, the work showcases the multi-instrumentalist’s outstanding technical virtuosity whilst allowing him “the freedom to improvise.”   The four-movement piece sees Carter take center stage throughout, executing swift instrument transitions between Tenor and Soprano and employing a full gamut of musical expression, from furiously-fast Coltrane like tempo to a quiet ballad.    The concerto premiered in 2002 with NeemeJärvi conducting the Detroit Symphony to three sold out performances, followed by four additional sold-out shows a year later. Carter went on to perform the concerto to captivated audiences worldwide earning critical praise and meriting standing ovations. Notable performances include the 2016 Leipzig MDR, Berlin Rundfunk the same year with Kristjan Järvi conducting, and 2019 when he collaborated with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Wilkins conducting.   The concerto’s unfading charm was to have carried Carter into 2020 and the Tanglewood Music Festival for a performance of Sierra’s piece with the iconic Boston Symphony, conducted by Ken David-Masur; however, COVID necessitated a rescheduling TBA shortly.   Early 2023 brought Carter to the NYC Blue Note as special guest with DJ Logic and with Galactic. His capacious ability to cross boundaries, mesh genres, and deliver it all with mindboggling energy, clarity and that “special something” that brings audiences to their feet clamoring for more.   It could be genius, but those in the know, call it James Carter!                                                                           Hannah Gal 2023