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Dean Bowman
Dean Bowman, a vocalist, is well-known for his “rumbling baritone” and “heart-peeling falsetto… a showstopper” (Village Voice). He was also praised by the Guardian for being a “vocal-mentalist”, “tone poet,” and “jazz singer with the soul of a rocker” for his work with Don Byron and “Do The Boomerang”, which features the music of Junior Walker (Blue Note/EMI), and for Ray Charles and John Scofield. Dean Bowman is grateful to traditional Black spirituals as well as gospel for their influence on his creativity. Bowman was a student of Dr. James Mumford and John Paxton, and later studied with Barry Harris and David Baker. Dean was the voice of two characters in “Parrappa The Rappa” for Sony PlayStation. He also sang as a featured singer for Quebecite, an operetta by D.D. Jackson with a libretto written by George Elliot Clarke, a Canadian poet-laureate. http://thehester.com
He has been described by Madonna as “the voice of a God” and by critics “the new Demetrio Stratos.” The great Deborah Harry of Blondie fame describes him as “A force of nature,” and legendary rock guitarist Vernon Reid of Living Colour describes him as “Arthur Prysock meets Leon Thomas meets Robert Plant.” A definitive vocalist of rock-funk-fusion genres he has long-standing collaborations with Don Byron, John Scofield, D.D. Jackson, Me’Shell NdegeOcello, Jane Bunnett, Uri Caine, Dewey Redman, Stanley Cowell, Charlie Hunter, Lester Bowie’s Brass Fantasy, the Mingus Big Band, Reggie Workman’s Africa Brass orchestra, Elliott Sharp, Gary Lucas, Pete Seeger, and Ambrose Akinmusire. Each collaboration is noted by his extraordinary energy, pathos, and feeling.
