Drum master Will Calhoun presents a far reaching mix of jazz, world & urban music featuring:
Pharoah Sanders
Mos Def
Stanley Jordan
Kevin Eubanks
Marcus Miller
Buster Williams
Naná Vasconcelos
Cheick Tidiane Seck
Wallace Roney
Antoine Roney
Orrin Evans
John Benítez
Gregg Marret
The Native Lands package includes a DVD produced by Charles Kliment and Will Calhoun, executive produced by Rob Freda, featuring over ninety minutes of music videos and documentary materials that chronicle the last ten years of Will's life and travels.
For bookings, please contact:
Martine MJ Urbach
LADY U PRODUCTIONS
484 West 43rd Street
Suite 29 F
New York, NY 10036
Tel.: 212/643-1715
Fax: 212/643-2379
e.mail: ladyuprod@aol.com
Will Calhoun, the widely acclaimed drummer from the Bronx, New York, graduated from the Berklee School of Music in Boston, where he received a Bachelors degree in Music Production and engineering. He was also the recipient of the prestigious Buddy Rich Jazz Masters Award for outstanding performance by a drummer.
Special Kudos for Will's drumming virtuosity include:
* Best New Drummer by Modern Drummer Magazine's Readers Poll
* Number One Progressive Drummer by Modern Drummer Magazine's Readers Poll three times
* Best Drummer by Rolling Stone Magazine's Critics Poll
Will Calhoun's unique blend of improvisational and hard rock drumming can be found on each of Living Colour's four Epic releases: the ground breaking multi-platinum debut, Vivid, the critically acclaimed sophomore LP, Time's Up, the Biscuits EP, and Stain, as well as their latest release on Sanctuary Records, CollideØscope. A prolific song writer, Will has co-written many Living Colour compositions and wrote the critically acclaimed song, Pride, on the Time's Up album and Nothingness on the Stain album. As a member of Living Colour, Will received a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance by a group and another Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance. Living Colour also won an International Rock Award for Best Rock Band.
In addition to his work with Living Colour, Will has recorded and/or toured with diverse artists including B.B. King, Mick Jagger, Jaco Pastorious, Harry Belafonte, Pharoah Sanders, Jack Dejohnette, Paul Simon, Lou Reed, The Allman Brothers, Lauryn Hill, Marcus Miller, Dr.John, Carly Simon, Herb Alpert, Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood, Wayne Shorter (on the Grammy-winning CD "High Life"), Lauryn Hill, and recorded with rappers Run-DMC and Public Enemy. As a producer, player, and songwriter, Will has worked on Herb Alpert's Grammy-nominated CD, Colors.
During Will's down time he has managed to record two solo projects Housework and Drum Wave. These discs provide an alternate canvas for his acoustic drumset artistry as well as his push for electronic tonal expressions.
Will, Doug Wimbish, and Vinx joined forces to form the groundbreaking Ambient World Music band JUNGLE FUNK. Their live CD Jungle Funk is available on Zebra Records in the States. The group combines mastery of technology with musicianship. This rare and cutting edge disc was given the Album of the Year mention in Australia.
Will's first jazz CD as a bandleader is entitled The Will Calhoun Quintet: Live at the Blue Note. The disc is an adventurous journey through Will's approach to acoustic Jazz, World and Ambient music. The line-up features Bobby Watson-sax, Terrell Stafford-trumpet, John Benitez-bass and Orrin Evans-piano. Will's song writing, arrangements and drumming on this CD are ground breaking. Although this was Will's first attempt at fronting a jazz group, Down Beat Magazine, Jazz Times, and BillBoard Magazine have given the CD top ratings. Drum Magazine's readers poll voted Will's CD 1st runner up for Drummer/Band leader.
Will has worked with rapper Mos Def, both as a producer and performer. Will brought together an all-star lineup for this project, featuring artists like: Bernie Worrell ..s, Doug Wimbish on bass, Doc Know, the guitarist from Bad Brains, and other special guests. The Band is titled Black Jack Johnson, and several tracks from this band were featured on Mos Def's CD The New Danger. Keep your eyes and ears open for a full length Black Jack Johnson CD. It will be in the usual cutting-edge Calhoun fashion.
For all you Living Colour fans, the band is touring again and working on new material. They have performed regional U.S. tour, as well as tours in South America, Australia and Europe over the past several years. Check the Tour Schedule page often for updates.
One of Will's latest creations is his follow-up release on the Halfnote label: Native Lands. Native Lands can be described as Jazz meets World, meets trance-inducing Urban music. This is a double package - CD/DVD in which Calhoun marries his far reaching interests in a genre-bending collection that taps key expressionists from various backgrounds. Among those contributing are Pharoah Sanders, Mos Def, Buster Williams, Stanley Jordan, Kevin Eubanks, Marcus Miller and Wallace Roney, as well as Nana Vasconcelos from Brazil and Cheick Tidiane Seck from Mali. The album includes a DVD with over ninety minutes of music videos and documentary materials that chronicle the last ten years of Will's life and travels. Will is presently touring in support of this project with his group, variously called "AZA" or "Native Lands", which features various artists from the album and other outstanding musicians.
Not many artists have the vision and artistic energy to be Grammy winners and contribute to so many genres: jazz, rock, hip-hop, ambient, et al, while concurrently producing, touring, creating new projects, working on films, and continually pushing the envelope. Will Calhoun has this creative vision, and he is doing an extraordinary job keeping music a spiritual and motivating force in his life.
Ciao Will ,thank you for the add and the friendship. you are very good, I like your stupendous music a lot,and stupendous voice. you are fantastic ..really. you are one of my prefeitis talk to you soon, and all of my best wishes to always listen to your good music. all the best.. from italy neal
Hello Will, thanks for the add. We all here in the Jazzklub Krefeld like to remember your concerts last year, they really were amazing. Best wishes, Karin
Will, the show in London was warm and spirted...you possess the sunshine..I could see after the show you needed to sleep! And still you were vibrant! Mikki ;)
Some Guys can really put it all toghether...I first knew Will from the outstanding Living Colours releases and performances, but I first had the oportunity to meet him at Musikmesse, april this year...great musician, great person!! Nice meeting you, I hope i can call you friend!!!
hi Will, I recently bought the "Stain" cd again after many years of not having listened to it. Man I forgot what a role you played in my develpoment as a young drummer. Thanks and all the best.
Photography by UK ~ Frankfurt musicmesse 2009
Online Now!
