Bio:

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A band born to change society through music, Thousands of One core members' first gig was in a maximum security youth prison. At one point Jhakeem gave the mic to one of the inmates who let his voice be heard. It was a defining moment for the band.

Conscious music, revolution sounds, liberation time!

Something deep happens when dedication to social change meets the burning desire to make amazing music. We give thanks for being alive! We give thanks that we can travel this beautiful road! We give thanks for a million things, and do our human best to put it into music.

This is the essence of Thousands of One - to build connections between people and live inspired lives, striving to bring that inspiration into the world around us.

Thousands of One have released their second CD "SoulForce" on I-Town Records. Featuring a vocal collaboration with Speech of the Grammy-award winning group Arrested Development and production and performances by Elliot Martin of John Brown’s Body, SoulForce captures the spirit and energy of the band’s live performances while adding a subtle layer of space age sound and rhythm. The result is a work of art that explores a new musical identity—a defining statement from a group whose sole purpose in creating music is to reflect the process of social improvement by starting from within, hence the title SoulForce.

Collaboration with Speech from Arrested Development began at the 2007 Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance, where the band met Speech and shared their love of promoting cultural unity, ending racism and imperialism, and working with youth through the creation of socially conscious, uplifting music. Speech says of working with Thousands of One, “I love supporting people who are doing good works. You’re doing good things … Let’s be family.”

In the spirit of the "Funk Movement", the edutainment of real Hiphop and the firm belief that music can move mountains, this album is "the message" of Thousands of One - it speaks of ending racism, growing food, and creating unity. Turning heads with intense lyrics, incendiary politics, spiritual tenacity, wit and dope phrasing - the soul and voice of Jhakeem Haltom bolstered by a rocking and raw band cutting a deep original groove that pays tribute to the roots of soul, funk and reggae... Thousands of One mixes all these influences in a truly unique fusion with Hiphop, gospel, electronica, afrobeat, rock and dub. Lead vocalist Jhakeem Haltom can turn a phrase whether singing falsetto a la Marvin Gaye or spitting verse like KRS-One. He has been easily compared to Stevie Wonder, Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen, Talib Kweli and none other than Bob Marley. Heavy drum and bass buoy socially conscious lyrics, while the saxophone performances of Mark Wienand evoke pristine soundscapes. Guitar player Safak Ozkan, born and raised in Turkey, spent his youth playing in a rebel rock band, as well as playing the Oud (a traditional middle eastern stringed instrument). Safak has brought an incredible vibe to the crew as they venture into new fields of sound. The album features intricate and subtle Hammond B3, Rhodes, piano and Clavinet musicianship from the maestro of the boards Chad Lieberman, who has recently signed on with the TOO orchestra.

Thousands of One has made 4 national tours in 2 years that all hit the west coast. They flew to Hawaii in 2006 for 8 incredible concerts that are still in the memories of fans who, to this day, request a return trip. Thousands of One recently began a national radio campaign with the album "SoulForce" through the Planetary Group that has caught the attention of hundreds of radio stations throughout the U.S. National Distribution of "SoulForce" is being managed by Leeway's Homegrown Network who will see that the album reaches the hands of countless people.

All agree that seeing Thousands of One perform live is where it's at, though they say it isn't about "seeing" the band... When you attend a Thousands of One concert, it's more like "being" the band.

Member Since:

May 10, 2005

Members:

JHAKEEM HALTOM - vocals, congas, flute
BRENT EVA - bass
JOEL BLIZZARD - drums
MARK WIENAND- Saxophone, flute
JAKE ROBERTS - guitar
CHAD LIEBERMAN - keyboards
WILL SAPP - Back up vocals

Auxiliary members:
WILL PATTERSON - Percussion
TOM SAYERS - guitar, writer

Influences:

Stevie Wonder, Max Roach, Blackstar, Red Hot Chili Peppers, LTJ Bukem, Bad Brains, Kanye West, Thomas Mapfumo , Questlove, John Coltrane, Fela Kuti , Philip Glass, The Clash, Nina Simone, Grateful Dead, Deftones, Jamiroquai , Inayat Khan, Burning Spear , Parliament Funkadelic, bell hooks , Nusrat Fati Ali Khan, Bob Marley, J.S. Bach, Rage Against The Machine , Wayne Shorter, Tosca, Erykah Badu, Scotty Palmer, Ravi Shankar, Watts Prophets, Radiohead, Lee Perry, Dave Mathews Band, Wu-Tang Clan, Cody Chestnut, Daft Punk,

Sounds Like:

soulfunkdub Hiphop

Record Label:

I-town records / itownrecords.com