THE BABOONS are: MAJICA on sultry vocals, percussion & gong; MANO PILA on drums, percussion & vocals; MIGUEL REGA on congas, timbales & percussion; ISAAC RODRIGUEZ on guitar & vocals; MATT SCHULER on Bass & vocals and DOMINICK CAMA on Sax, Flute and EWI
Influences
All the greats of Funk, Latin (especially Cuban/Brazilian), Afro-Beat, World Beat, Blues, Rock, Jazz, Reggae, Middle Eastern, Classic Soul and New Orleans R&B. The list of musicians is too long to list...
Snapshot of influences include Elvis Costello, Fela Kuti, Cachao, Daniel Lanois, Miles & Diz & Bird & Coltrane, Daniela Mercury, Irakere, Ella & Billie, The Meters, The Band, The Ronettes, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Duke Ellington, Kanda Bongo Man, Michel Camilo, Sly & the Family Stone, Santana, Angelique Kidjo, Toots & the Maytals, Natacha Atlas, Tania Maria, P-Funk, Paul Simon, Sun Ra, Yerba Buena, War, The Beatles, Tito Puente, Gil Scott Heron, Manu Dibango, U2, Professor Longhair, Joni Mitchell, Fishbone, Ojos de Brujo, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Pucho & his Latin Soul Brothers, Marvin Gaye, The Kinks, Bobi Cespedes, Paco de Lucia, Miriam Makeba, Peter Tosh, The Neville Brothers, Radio Tarifa, Otis Redding, The Pretenders, Lila Downs, Allman Brothers Band, Bollywood Brass Band, Yoko Kanno, PRINCE...the list is endless, let's just leave it at that for now.
THE BABOONS SPECIALIZE IN SPONTANEOUS RHYTHMIC COMBUSTION. Ranging from Afro-Cuban descargas to big-bottomed funk, from the laid-back grind of righteous reggae to syncopated New Orleans blues, from rock 'n' roll to primal percussion with a left turn at free jazz, THE BABOONS have been known to concoct a spicy rhythmic gumbo designed to drive the party into a frenzy anywhere on the planet. We call it URBAN TRIBAL FUNK, and we serve it up hot. THE BABOONS are children of South Florida's multicultural urban jungle. Combining influences culled from the region's rich mix of cultures, THE BABOONS genre-busting sound is a contemporary take on the city's unique accent. Wild, raucous, turbulent, joyous, it's the sound of a new generation coming of age in paradise. Miami's New Times has called it "ultra-rhythmic," "multicultural" and "eclectic," while Ft. Lauderdale's XS Magazine has labeled the band's live shows "notorious" and "infectiously percussive." THE BABOONS were also honored by Miami New Times when it named Evolution Miami's "Best Album 1999," and JAM Magazine lauded the band early on with a Florida Jammy Award for 1994's Best Worldbeat Band.
Miami's own Conjunto Progreso has been nominated for a 2005 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Tropical Latin Album for their CD "Masters of Cuban Son" on Pimienta Records dist. by Universal Music. Ever since its inception, the traditional Cuban Son ensemble Conjunto Progreso has taken audiences back in time to the nostalgic era of early Cuban popular music. Conjunto will now be playing on the last Friday of every month right here at Transit Lounge.
Hey nice to see the Baboons back together again, & thanks for the friend's add. It's always a pleasure to meet cool, new people. Remember, D Guitars Miami is always there to take care of any guitar or bass repair/modification/customization situation!! Check out the custom crafted 47 piece Brian May Red Special in the picture, built by Doron Markowitz of D Guitars Miami!! Rock on!!
