| Roots Music That Rocks! The Cultural Heritage Choir is a Grammy © nominated, percussion driven, vocal ensemble whose mission is to help preserve and share the rich musical traditions of African-American roots music. Their music is rooted in the deep south and strongly connected to their West African and Caribbean origins. Performing together since 1992, the Cultural Heritage Choir creates dynamic rhythms and sparkling energy on stage. Their vocals are lush and vibrant, their performances are poignant and uplifting. The groups first collaboration with veteran performers Taj Mahal and Eric Bibb entitled "Shakin' A Tailfeather," was nominated for a Grammy [1997] and their second collaborative effort "Hippity Hop," was awarded a Parents Choice Award (2000). The group's most recent recording entitled "Say Yo' Business", was nominated for a California Music Award. (2003) Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir, have become world renowned for their breathtaking performances and commitment to the authenticity of African-American roots music. In addition to live performance, the group has conducted vocal workshops and residencies with the Oakland Youth Chorus, the MIT Concert Choir. Utah State Univ.(Logan), Kulturama (Stockholm Sweden), Festival 500 in St. John’s Newfoundland, One Voice Choir (Klagenfurt, Austria), Berkeley Unified School District, Spelman College, and Univ. of Maryland. If you would like to delve deeply into the diverse resources of African-American roots music and learn the tradition of call and response and the rhythms that drive this music and give it vitality, the Cultural Heritage Choir will teach you how to approach singing with the ears, eyes and the heart. Learn to sing Work Songs, Spirituals, Children's Play Songs, Field Hollers, Moans, Ring Shouts and Plantation Dances. Linda Tillery Native San Franciscan Linda Tillery, is a Grammy © nominated vocalist, producer, arranger, speaker, and self-taught ethno-musicologist. For the past 16 years she has dedicated her artistic life to the research, teaching, and performance of the great African-American oral tradition of song, stick, and story - the ancestor of today’s American popular song. In 1992,Tillery founded the Cultural Heritage Choir to carry out this important mission. She and the CHC tell the story of slavery and its lingering effects from the point of view of the slaves for whom music was often their only voice. An articulate and provocative speaker, Linda has given lecture-demonstrations on the history of African-American Sacred and Secular music throughout Canada, Europe and the United States. For the Winter quarter of 2007, she was a resident artist at Stanford University and also conducted a residency at Williams College during August of that same year. At the age of 19, Tillery became lead singer of the Berkeley based soul/rock band Loading Zone and later was a founding member of Bobby McFerrin’s Voicestra. She also shared lead vocals as a member of Bay Area club bands Zasu Pitts Memorial Orchestra, Rhythmus 21 (with Ray Obiedo ) and the Solid Senders (Monday night house band at Boz Scaggs’ club, Slim’s). Her first solo recording, Linda Tillery (1977), won a Bammy (Bay Area Music Award) for “Best Independently Produced Album” and Tillery was twice named “Outstanding Female Vocalist” at the Bay Area Jazz Awards (1983-1984). Other awards include: Oakland Business Award (2001 and 2003), BAM Magazine - Musician of the Year (1998) and San Francisco Chapter of NARAS, Governors Award (1998). Linda has shared the stage with Carlos Santana, Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal, Sheila E., Kelly Joe Phelps, Vicki Randle, Narada Michael Walden, Boz Skaggs, Ensemble Tartit, Regis Gizalvo, Eric Bibb, Pauline Oliveiros, Odetta, Richie Havens, Wilson Pickett, Arlo Guthrie, Boz Skaggs,Tom Scott, Danny Glover, Angela Davis, Alice Walker, ODC Dance Company, Tandy Beal Dance Company, Dimensions Dance Theater and Zaccho Dance Theater. She has also appeared on more than 70 recordings. Rhonda Benin is a native of Los Angeles, CA. She has worked with such artists and producers as Paul Jackson, Jr., Ronnie Laws, Holland-Dozier-Holland an Michael Bolton. She later branched into Bay Area theater working with ACT, Oakland Ensemble Theatre and Dimensions Dance Theatre with Hugh Masekela. Rhonda and her band Soulful Strut, appear regularly at Bay Area night spots, festivals and special events in promotion of her self produced, debut CD, "A Matter of the Heart". Rhonda performs with other popular Bay Area bands such as The Johnny Nocturne Band, Kent Strands, Starlight Orchestra, Mal Sharpe and Big Money in Jazz, and The Bill Travis Orchestra and recorded with Maria Muldaur, Mickey Hart, Carlos Santana, Eric Bibb and television and radio ads. Elouise Burrell is a vocalist, percussionist, dancer, and actress performing in various world music and jazz projects. She was co-founder of a 10-piece South African world beat band - Amandla Poets. Burrell has performed throughout the USA, Canada, Western Europe and the USSR and shared the stage and/or recorded with the Neville Brothers, Etta James, McCoy Tyner, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Lucky Dube, Eddy Palmieri, John Handy, Eric Bibb, Santana, Taj Mahal, Al Green, Etta James, The Meditations, Buddy Miles, Hugh Masekela, Third World, Stevie Ray Vaughn. She co-produced two full CD's of Amandla Poets "Makube Njalo" & "Khawulexa" on her label Scintilla Records.as well as co-producing three of her billboard charted singles. Valerie Troutt, a remarkable singer-songwriter, fuses R&B, soul, funk, hip-hop and jungle in her unique approach to jazz and original compositions. Her ability as a jazz vocalist and soul composer has inspired the hearts of many listeners. Valerie's accomplishments include performing for the Jazz at Lincoln Center 1999-2000 Season Kick-off Party, successfully accompanying the Marcus Strickland Quartet. Rodney Whitaker calls her, "innovative and fresh with the ability to set a room in motion." Valerie earned her BFA in Jazz studies at the New School University in New York. Fusing together a diverse palate of Jazz, Folk, Rock, Electronic and Soul music. Valerie Troutt is one of few young modern singers creating stylistic change in the Vocal Jazz Tradition. For years Ms. Troutt has been under the mentorship of jazz vocalists Kevin Mahogany and Dianne Reeves. Commenting on her first musical encounter of Valerie, Mrs. Reeves states, "energetic, spontaneous and ready." Valerie Troutt is certainly a fearless force to watch for in the years to come. When 6 musicians are traveling the core group is joined by: Simon Monserrat resides in Uppsala, Sweden and is a multiple percussionist as well as a flautist, songwriter and arranger. Simon currently heads his own Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble Djele, in support of his self produced CD "The Messenger". He has studied extensively with "el maestro" Bebo Valdes and in Cuba at Centre Nacional de Escuelas de Arte and his father, Marcos Vincent Chappotin. He has performed with these masters: Maximo Jimenez, Svante Thuresson, Claes Jansson, Magnus Lindgren & the Radio Jazz Group, Charlotte Nilsson, Gladys del Pilar, Anders Ekborg, Gustavo Bergalli, Elio Villafranca, Calixto Oviedo, Rafael Sida, Alfredo Chacon, Umberto Resales, and Jose "Cheo Conga" Perez. |