Results for "Funk"

Clemens Köhler

Born: October 8, 2002

Clemens Köhler – Saxophonist, Flutist, Composer

Clemens Köhler (born 2002 in Kandel, Germany) is a New York based Jazz musician. He began playing piano at age 6. In 2013, he also started playing saxophone. He was a member of the Landesjugendjazzorchester RLP (Rhineland-Palatinate Youth Jazz Orchestra), the Bundesjazzorchester (German Federal Jazz Orchestra), as well as the Orchestre des Jeunes de l'Orchestre National de Jazz.

After graduating from high school (Abitur), he completed a Bachelor's degree in Jazz/Pop from 2022 to 2026 at the HfMT Köln (Cologne University of Music and Dance) under Claudius Valk and Hubert Nuss, graduating with top honors.

Sebastian Mueses

Born: April 20, 1998

Sebastián Mueses Selig (Santo Domingo, 1998) is a double bassist and electric bassist with a continuous career in the Dominican professional jazz scene since 2018. Trained at the National Conservatory of Music and the International School of Contemporary Music of Pedro Henriquez Ureña University (UNPHU) in Santo Domingo and with advanced studies at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg (Germany), he combines the rigor of acoustic jazz with the flexibility required by popular and commercial formats.

His calling card is the volume and variety of his work as an accompanist. He has been the trusted bassist for directors and soloists on the Dominican circuit—Oscar Micheli, Eddy Alba, Carlos Mota, Carlos Marcelo, Jordi Masalles, —and the musician called upon to support international artists visiting the country, from Berklee graduates to instrumentalists based in Boston, New York, and San Juan. This role demands a specific and difficult skill: preparing other artists' repertoire in a short time and sustaining it live without extensive rehearsal.

Tokyo Skinny Boys

Tokyo Skinny Boys is a Japan-based jazz fusion project founded by guitarist, songwriter, and producer Tom Ishizuka.

Blending jazz fusion, funk, soul, blues, and city-pop influences, the project creates a distinctive sound that combines sophisticated musicianship with contemporary urban grooves inspired by modern Tokyo.

Tokyo Skinny Boys has collaborated with internationally acclaimed musicians, including Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Bob Mintzer of Yellowjackets. The project's recordings feature rich harmonic textures, memorable melodies, and a fusion of traditional jazz sensibilities with modern production approaches.

Jason Kruk

Born: January 19

Jason Kruk is a New York City-based drummer, composer, and educator with over 30 years of experience. Known for his versatility and technical depth, Jason’s career spans a vast musical landscape—from the precision of jazz, fusion, and big band to the groove of funk, Afro-Cuban salsa, and rock.

His academic foundation includes a B.A. in Psychology from Lawrence University and an M.M. in Jazz Studies from the University of North Texas. Throughout his development, he has studied under legendary masters such as Ed Soph, David Garibaldi, and Ignacio Berroa.

Jason’s international footprint includes tours across Europe and North America, with performances in France, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and the Caribbean. In New York, he has performed at iconic venues like The 55 Bar, Nublu, The Living Room, The Brooklyn Bowl, and The Bitter End. His collaborative resume is a “who’s who” of modern music, having worked with Grammy-winning members of Snarky Puppy (Mike League, Bob Lanzetti, Mike Maher, Jay Jennings),  Tom Luer (Gordon Goodwin Band), Sean Nowell, Art Hirahara, Isamu McGregor, Dan Arcamone, Mike Nunno, FRO, Linda Oh, Pascal Le Boeuf, Remy Le Boeuf, Josephine Ancelle, the Bryan Hilton Quintet, Mojo Perry, Todd Parsnow, Shelley Carrol, Jeff Eckels, Ken Peplowski, Kim Richmond, Fima Ephron, Kelly Sill, Randy Sabien, Galen Abdul-Zarrahk, Chris Hoffman, Matt Turner, Marlin McKay, Mark Urness, Tom Washatka, Emilie Cardinaux, A.J. Mallory (Rebirth Brass Band), Dave Sullivan, Jon Harmon, Michael Spiro, Gene Bertoncini and many other gifted artists.  

Darrin James

Darrin James is a multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, composer and producer known for his distinctive gravelly voice, thoughtful lyrics, soulful guitar playing and funky, eclectic musicianship.  In Ann Arbor, MI he owns a recording studio and independent label, Ravine Records, and his wide-ranging productions include rustic Americana, gritty rock n'roll, greasy funk, jazz fusion, free improvisation, artful electronica, and increasingly more influences from around the globe.

As Darrin James Band, he has released four critically praised albums of his original songs: Thrones of Gold (2006),  The Lovely Ugly Truth(2009) Strange Storm (2016) and See Right Through (2024).  James' songs  have  found their way into TV  and film such as the Emmy nominated  season of Deadliest Catch and the 2019 film, Peel, starring Emile Hirsch.  James provided the soundtrack to the documentary film, Meet Me at the Lindell, The Story of America's First Sports Bar, which premiered at Detroit's Freep Film Festival in 2017 and aired on PBS.    

Disaster Relief

Active since: 2018

Disaster Relief is a joyful jazz-funk ensemble designed to remedy the negative vibes in the world today. Led by Ann Arbor, Michigan based guitarist/composer/producer Darrin James, the ensemble boasts a big horn section and showcases many rising stars of the Michigan and Detroit music scenes.  They have a reputation for exciting live performances that balance tightly composed arrangements with open, free improvisation, always with a deep danceable groove and loads of soul. 

Travis Hall

Born: January 23, 1994

Travis Hall (b. January 23, 1994) is an Atlanta-based vocalist, composer, and Recording Academy Voting Member whose work exists at the intersection of jazz tradition, soul expression, and contemporary Black American Music. He holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Georgia State University, where his graduate studies included advanced jazz theory, harmonic analysis, and improvisation alongside classical and operatic training.

Hall’s compositional voice is grounded in extended harmony, modal interchange, altered dominants, and jazz-informed voice leading — elements that shape both his writing and performance approach. Though widely recognized as a Soul and R&B artist, his music reflects a deep engagement with jazz structure, ensemble interplay, and improvisational phrasing.

Zack Varner

     Multi-instrumentalist and composer Zack Varner remains in constant demand on the stage and in the studio. His quartet has performed at the international Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Santo Domingo Jazz Festivals. In his home city of Austin, Texas, he has performed showcases at the Uplift Jazz Festival and the South by Southwest Music Festival. Varner’s solo album release Blues in the Nude features eleven original compositions and has garnered excellent reviews from several established music critics. The Austin Chronicle’s Jeremy Steinberger writes: “Varner expertly honors tradition with hard bop and swing themes while simultaneously exploring and building on the genre's evolution through tango, bossa nova, and samba-infused textures.

Lazy Californians

Lazy Californians are a jazz and brass band, that mixes San Francisco funk and soul with New Orleans inspired grooves. 

wessmithjazz

Born: 1984

Wes Smith is an in-demand musician who has performed with legendary names like Stevie Wonder, Justin Timberlake, Booker T Jones and Poncho Sanchez.  He has recorded commercially for artists like Pharrell Williams, Robin Thicke, Jennifer Lopez and Zendaya.  His woodwinds can be heard frequently in the Film/TV world.

Smith’s musicianship has taken him around the globe - from the Hollywood Bowl, to palaces in Udaipur, to the beautiful Gold Coast of Australia.  One of his noted career highlights was performing at the White House in Booker T Jone’s band with President Barack Obama and the First Lady Michelle Obama in attendance.  He was also featured in the finale of the Academy Award winning feature film, ‘Whiplash.’