Ushering in a New Age of Jazz With Phony Ppl

The Blue Note Jazz Club in New York’s Greenwich Village is a small venue with old, Art Deco decor and a long history. It’s played host to some legendary musical acts since opening in 1981: Dizzy Gillespie played there; Ray Charles played a full week at the Blue Note every year in the Nineties; Sarah Vaughan was a regular act. And now, the club is home to Phony Ppl — a quintet consisting of vocalist Elbee Thrie; keyboard player and pianist Aja Grant; his brother, the bassist Bari Bass; drummer Matthew Byas, and guitarist Elijah Rawk. For the last two years, the band has played a total of three residencies at the Blue Note, taking the late-night slot at the club and getting on stage close to 1 a.m. In 2017, talent buyer and artist manager at the venue Alex Kurland wanted to change up the late-night slot and bring in a more energetic environment. Enter Phony Ppl — whose sound has been described by music publications as everything from progressive r&b to art rock, to new-age soul and hip-hop, even pop. But the band insists its roots stand firmly in jazz. They are, as individual musicians and collectively, ushering

Follow WWD on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

Read More...

from WWDWWD http://bit.ly/2J50Xp6