Life Unity Music Amplified
Encyclopedia
LUMA, Life. Unity.Music. Amplified, is a jazz trio from Long Island, New York. The band consists of Daniel Lauter on Soprano
, Alto
, and Tenor
saxophone, Jeff Marshall on fretless electric bass and sampler, and drummer/percussionist Claes Brondal. In addition to their core trio, the band often includes a fourth member, usually a keyboardist
or guitarist
. LUMA's New York City debut was at The Blue Note, Saturday June 2, 2007.
, and the late Nigerian drummer Suru Ekeh, in addition to his own CD releases that have received international airplay. He studied performance at Purchase Conservatory majoring in Clarinet with Charles Russo, NY City Opera and David Weber, NYC Ballet. At San Francisco State University he studied at the Center for Experimental and Interdisciplinary Arts and continued his pursuits on Sax fronting bands that performed at the Filmore, Wolfgangs, Kabuki Theater, I Beam, Keystone, Berkeley Square; he originated Tribal Swing sound at SF nightclubs. Dan draws his influences from Wayne Shorter, 20’s Sidney Bechet
, World and European flavor jazz. He brings his unique style as a melody writer and improviser to this new musical sound. He holds a Masters in Educational Technology and has worked at The Ross School, as Music Director for Morriss Center Schools and currently is the Media & Technology Specialist for the United Nations International School in NYC. He recently founded the EastEnd ‘all star’ Youth Jazz Ensemble, and co-founded LUMA.
bassist
, percussionist and songwriter has been influenced by 70’s funk, acid jazz, and beat/sample based turntableist music. A co-founder of LUMA in the Summer of 2003, he has played with several Long Island bands including work with Erin Doherty, Trina Michne, Jessie Haynes, Cowgirl Extasy, Marianne Leone, and the Nancy Atlas Project.
could submit their own, or their band's original music for review by Hear Music
. Claes Brondal (drummer) is an Assistant Manager at Bridgehampton, New York
, Starbucks
entered LUMA's album. From over 800 submissions, LUMA's jazz single 'Ever So Slow' was selected as one of 15 finalists to be included on the CD "Off The Clock", selling in over 6500 Starbucks across the United States and Canada. This CD sold over 28,000 units and charted 190th place on the Billboard Music Charts for Various Artists. Though the band did not win the secondary competition from the compilation CD, which was a collection based on fans voting on the Hear Music
website for their favorite track, the band gathered a large amount of attention, and played several shows in New York City
supporting the CD including Starbucks Astor Place. Their single was further selected by Starbucks to be the music for their summer 2007 national ad campaign, appearing on XM Satellite broadcast and 21 radio regions nationally.
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
, Alto
Alto
Alto is a musical term, derived from the Latin word altus, meaning "high" in Italian, that has several possible interpretations.When designating instruments, "alto" frequently refers to a member of an instrumental family that has the second highest range, below that of the treble or soprano. Hence,...
, and Tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
saxophone, Jeff Marshall on fretless electric bass and sampler, and drummer/percussionist Claes Brondal. In addition to their core trio, the band often includes a fourth member, usually a keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
or guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
. LUMA's New York City debut was at The Blue Note, Saturday June 2, 2007.
Dan Lauter
Dan has performed on Saxophone and world instruments for the past 25 years with professional credits including world music recordings with Anna Halprin, Gabrielle Roth, Steven HalpernSteven Halpern
-Early career:Halpern played trumpet and guitar in the New York City jazz scene of the 1960s, but became disenchanted with it and moved to California. There he began exploring the idea of creating music entirely for the purpose of relaxation, which he called "anti-frantic alternative" music...
, and the late Nigerian drummer Suru Ekeh, in addition to his own CD releases that have received international airplay. He studied performance at Purchase Conservatory majoring in Clarinet with Charles Russo, NY City Opera and David Weber, NYC Ballet. At San Francisco State University he studied at the Center for Experimental and Interdisciplinary Arts and continued his pursuits on Sax fronting bands that performed at the Filmore, Wolfgangs, Kabuki Theater, I Beam, Keystone, Berkeley Square; he originated Tribal Swing sound at SF nightclubs. Dan draws his influences from Wayne Shorter, 20’s Sidney Bechet
Sidney Bechet
Sidney Bechet was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer.He was one of the first important soloists in jazz , and was perhaps the first notable jazz saxophonist...
, World and European flavor jazz. He brings his unique style as a melody writer and improviser to this new musical sound. He holds a Masters in Educational Technology and has worked at The Ross School, as Music Director for Morriss Center Schools and currently is the Media & Technology Specialist for the United Nations International School in NYC. He recently founded the EastEnd ‘all star’ Youth Jazz Ensemble, and co-founded LUMA.
Claes Brondal
Born in Denmark in the mid 1970’s, and has played drums for over 20 years. He studied with drumming greats such as Ed Thigpen and (currently) Dom Famularo. Claes is versatile in many styles of music - especially funk, jazz second line and world music. He has played with many groups over the years ranging from rock and jazz to Turkish and Latin. Claes has professional credits that include recording sessions with musicians such as James Genus and Randy Brecker. His latest CD is with his quartet LUMA. He has worked with the Ross School Jazz Ensemble with Hal McKusick, and as a mentor for the East End ‘all star’ Youth Jazz Ensemble. Claes joined LUMA in 2005.Jeffrey Scott Marshall
An Eastern Long IslandLong Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
, percussionist and songwriter has been influenced by 70’s funk, acid jazz, and beat/sample based turntableist music. A co-founder of LUMA in the Summer of 2003, he has played with several Long Island bands including work with Erin Doherty, Trina Michne, Jessie Haynes, Cowgirl Extasy, Marianne Leone, and the Nancy Atlas Project.
Starbucks/Hear Music Recognition
This competition began in 2006, when any employee of StarbucksStarbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
could submit their own, or their band's original music for review by Hear Music
Hear Music
Hear Music, also known as StarCon is the brand name of Starbucks' retail music concept and record label. Hear Music began as a catalog company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1990 before being purchased by Starbucks in 1999.-Concept:...
. Claes Brondal (drummer) is an Assistant Manager at Bridgehampton, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
entered LUMA's album. From over 800 submissions, LUMA's jazz single 'Ever So Slow' was selected as one of 15 finalists to be included on the CD "Off The Clock", selling in over 6500 Starbucks across the United States and Canada. This CD sold over 28,000 units and charted 190th place on the Billboard Music Charts for Various Artists. Though the band did not win the secondary competition from the compilation CD, which was a collection based on fans voting on the Hear Music
Hear Music
Hear Music, also known as StarCon is the brand name of Starbucks' retail music concept and record label. Hear Music began as a catalog company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1990 before being purchased by Starbucks in 1999.-Concept:...
website for their favorite track, the band gathered a large amount of attention, and played several shows in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
supporting the CD including Starbucks Astor Place. Their single was further selected by Starbucks to be the music for their summer 2007 national ad campaign, appearing on XM Satellite broadcast and 21 radio regions nationally.
Recording
The band recorded their first album, Life. Unity. Music. Amplified, in 2005. It was received well, with strong reviews stating the band as a "concoction of world rhythms, catchy sax-based melodies, and a liberal dash of funk", with "a strong debut effort." They announced plans to record another album either this summer or winter of 2007.Performances
- July 28, 2007: Central Park Summerstage, NYC
- July 21, 2007, The James Beard Chef's & Champagne at Wolfer Estates, Southampton, NY
- June 2, 2007: The Blue Note Jazz Club, NYC
- April 13, 2007: Starbucks Astor Place, NYC
- July 21, 2006: The James Beard Chef's & Champagne at Wolfer Estates, Southampton, NY
- November 14, 2005: Guild Hall, East Hampton, NY
External links
- LUMA's review on AllAboutJazz.com: Elliott Simon's Review on All About Jazz
- LUMA on HearMusic.com: Hear Music