- 2009 NM MIC AWARD WINNERS for Best Hispanic - Contemporary with GENTE MI GENTE! THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE!! The new album SLANGIN DIRT is out NOW!! One of New Mexico's finest acts!
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******LAW OF*****
***ATTTRACTION***
- Nominated for 2 MIC Awards in 2009, this NM All-Star Band brings FIRE to the stage! come get a li'l taste of that down home, feel good, Gumbo Music!!
Cannonball Adderly, "Kidd" Jordan, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Hal Shermann, Venice Beach Street Musicians, Maceo Parker, Miles Davis, Rick James, Bootsy Collins, George Clinton, Michael Jackson, Outkast, Scarface, Kool and the Gang, The Commodores, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Andrew Gross, Bryan Dickerson, Jason Slats, Lyle Dockendorff, Sandy Clack, Don Hildie, Tim Reynolds, Mom n Pops!! the list goes on, but hell, it's only a MySpace page.
- Tagged as "the next MACEO PARKER," breaking the mold of your average horn section, hittin with 2 bad ass bands! LA JUNTA and LAW OF ATTRACTION!! PLEASE ADD THEM FROM THE "TOP FRIENDS." thanx!
The hype is rising about the new kid on the scene, CHEF DDT!! A scrappy little country boy from Fairbanks, Alaska by way of Seoul, South Korea, trying to find his way to Enlightenment. He's "been learning the saxophone for the past 22 years, and i still feel i have a long path ahead of me.... but i'm enjoying every step along the way!!"
His story is slightly misleading as his appearance and overall mastery of the horn does not reflect the pre-conceived idea of the typical Alaskan native, but he will be the first to tell you, "Alaska is full of RIDICULOUS musicians! What else can you do at 50 below weather and 7 feet of snow?!" The CHEF first fell in love with the saxophone when he was 7 years old, visiting his mother's family in the lower 9th ward of New Orleans, Louisiana. Under the gentle wing of Ellis Marsalis' Saxophone player, New Orleans' Legend, Mr. KIDD JORDAN, the CHEF quickly caught onto the concepts, and the rest is simply history.
Besides the teachings of Mr. Kidd Jordan, CHEF DDT has studied closely under, shared stages, and recorded with other legends such as Arrested Development, Linda Ronstadt, Slide Hampton, Wynton Marsalis, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Bobby Shew, Ernie Watts, Chris Calloway, Hal Sherman, Rob McConnell, Sunny Wilkinson, reggae sensations, MIDNITE of St. Croix, Yellowman, Carlos Santana's son Salvador Santana, Norah Jones, Bill Clinton, Tim Reynolds of DAVE MATTHEW's Band, The Godfather of New Mexico, Al Hurricane and his son Al Hurricane Jr., ranchera and country sensation, Tobias Rene, Poncho Sanchez, New York Philharmonic Lead Trombonist, Joe Alessi, Fishbone, Jewish Hip Hop breakthru Matisyahu, Native American Hip Hop Artist and Motivational Speaker, Litefoot, Platinum Producer of BEYONCE and B2K, DomBeatz, over 40 local bands throughout New Mexico...just recently, OZOMATLI, and the list goes on and on.
DDT now hides and resides in Albuquerque, NM, the new mecca of movie industry. He moved to the desert on a promise to his parents to obtain a college education. Putting his professional career on the back burner, he took one last rendevous, touring Europe for his 19th Birthday. The CHEF made an early brand for himself on the International Market, playing at notable venues such as the NORTH SEA JAZZ FESTIVAL at the Congress Centre in The Hague, The Netherlands, and also rocking the BIGGEST venue in the World, THE MONTREUX JAZZ FESTIVAL in Switzerland. After returning back to the states, he quickly switched gears to earn his Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education at the University of New Mexico in May of 2005. In those years, he was blessed to play Flyhalf and Fullback on UNMs Rugby team, and become a FOUNDER of the Tau Sigma Chapter of the oldest, boldest and coldest fraternity on the planet, ALPHA PHI ALPHA, INC. This kid is a Machine!
Since graduation, The CHEF opted not to follow his degree to "Just be another high school band conductor. I didn't feel right, making my students practice their instruments, love their instrument, DIE for their instrument, then when they graduate high school, they ask, 'Well, how do I make a living and support a family with this instrument you taught me to love??' ...And I just sit there with a blank look. the only response was, 'just go to college, and let your professors deal with that question.' My dream is to persevere to making it as a "real" professional musician, then when I retire from being on the road, I can put my degree to use and open up my own TAYLOR MADE SCHOOL OF MUSIC. There, I can truly answer my student's questions and keep their dreams alive of making a career in music." A lofty dream it is, but through the obstacles he has already overcome, CHEF DDT is well on his way to achieving that goal!
The CHEF continues to make leaps and bounds in the music industry, managing to stay independent in his 22 year career. As CEO and Founder of TAYLOR MADE RECORDS, LLC, and TAYLOR MADE REAL ESTATE, LLC, this young entrepreneur is laying down the foundation of the likes of his long time hero Quincy Jones. "Many people don't know that Mr. Jones was a MASTER trumpet player. He played with all the living legends of his time, from jazz, to soul, to R&B....he did it all! Becoming a producer was just his next natural step, but he ripped stages a long time before he moved on to producing... I'm just trying to follow suit."
DDT has spent many years, refining his sound and studying various cultures to improve his woodwind knowledge. "Music is the universal language. The ONLY variable which connects ALL cultures around the world. even the deaf love music!! Many people believe that since I play saxophone I must be a jazzer. But that's a TERRIBLE stereotype! Yes, I can play jazz, but I want to be remembered as a TRUE saxophonist that could adjust his sound to ANY genre of music, not limited to just Jazz saxophone. Michael Jackson is known as THE KING OF POP, James Brown, the Godfather of Soul... I wanna be remembered as THE DUKE OF HORN LINES!! [laughs} ...or something like that" The Chef is well on his way as his unforgettable horn lines have earned him 22 nominations at the New Mexico MIC Awards! 4 of those nominations came with victory, including: 2 with his previous band Felonious Groove Foundation in Best Hip Hop and Best Remake, 1 with Skinnyfat in Best Rap, and recently added at this year's 2009 awards, Best Hispanic-Contemporary with his current outfit, LA JUNTA. They were nominated for 3 awards this year, and his other band, LAW OF ATTRACTION was nominated for 2 awards as well. We expect many more on bigger stages from this future superstar.
CHEF DDT has put in some serious wrench time as he can almost taste his goal. This young saxophone recording artist can not be tied down to any particular style of music, which is why you can catch him performing pretty much anywhere in the world at a moment's notice. The CHEF's versatility allows any music lover to possibly catch him rocking some Reggae festival w/ an international act on Friday; sitting in on some cover band fun at the world famous VILLAGE UNDERGROUND in Brooklyn, NY on Saturday; catching the spirit at your church on Sunday morning; 2-stepping w/ the "King of New Mexico Music," Tobias Rene, on Monday, popping in a local jazz venue to sit-in a couple tunes on Tuesday; recording radio Hip Hop and R&B beats with Platinum Producer DomBeatz on Wednesday; and finishing out his week teaching your kid how to pass his 8th grade scales test Thursday nite! As you can see, this kid is EVERYWHERE!! One can only wonder how he STILL manages to find time for, not one, but TWO of New Mexico's most popular bands, LA JUNTA!! And his own group on the side, New Mexico's ALL-STAR band, LAW OF ATTRACTION. you can find both bands in his TOP FRIENDS which are quickly winning over the hearts of the whole SouthWest region and overseas. Please stop by their pages and show some love! You DO NOT want to miss CHEF DDT live in performance!! "I would like to personally thank you for stopping by. Please feel free to download my music and burn it for everyone you know. Thanx, have a blessed day!"
