Soulʼd (Narked Records,NAR9380 2014)
Soulʼd is a single by a trio called Soulʼd. The group describes its music as a fusion of funk and smooth jazz, which they also ‘bansuri funk.’ Bansuri refers to the Indian bamboo flute that characterizes the group’s sound.
If you read smooth jazz you’ll immediate think of laid back, sweet melodic jazz. However, Soulʼd play excellent high energy, very lively music with a strong Indian flavor. The lineup includes composer and guitarist Arun Shenoy, flute maestro Ravichandra Kulur and bassist and composer Duke Purisima. The trio added a horn section arranged by Don Hart during the recording.
“We were working on several tracks, but this one really stood out as a perfect example of where we want to go with our music. ʻSoulʼdʼ captures what we are all about, so I suggested we take the name for our new band, too. Youʼve got to feel pretty strongly about a piece to let it stand for you and your band,” says Purisima.
Arun Shenoy is a Singapore based songwriter and record producer whose production style traverses genres as wide as rock and funk, to jazz and world music. His last album, Rumbadoodle, was nominated in 2012 for a GRAMMY. A follow up single titled “Bliss, from his Indian World Fusion project, was launched by the Recording Academy via a Worldwide “Exclusive First Look” at GRAMMY.com in 2013.
www.arunshenoy.com
Ravichandra Kulur is an internationally renowned flutist from India. Kulur has performed extensively around the globe at major concert halls as well as world music and jazz festivals. With his world music background, Kulur brings a unique perspective and sound to this project. www.fluteravi.com
Ramil Maceres Purisima (better known as Duke Purisima) is a bass player and composer from Singapore with over 30 years of experience playing across genres with a versatile and freestyle bass technique. His signature “groove” is based on his love for Soul and Funk music. His bass was featured on Shenoyʼs album Rumbadoodle and his latest single “Bliss.” www.dukepurisima.com
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
A terrific review, thank you. Fans of this fresh sound can sign up for early news on the full album via the e-newsletter at: http://sould.com/about/