Cirque du Soul

What happens when half the Ike Turner band gets together to let their ya-yas out? The end result is a smoldering display of seamless musicianship that transcends all boundaries. In the Summer of 2004 between tours with the Father of Rock & Roll, drummer Bill Ray procured a weekly gig at the soon-to-be famous Nautical Bean Coffee Company located in a picturesque setting at the harbor in Oceanside, Ca. The goal was simple- come to the gig with no ideas in your head, no preconceptions of what would transpire. No predetermined arrangements of classic songs; a blank slate if you will. Throughout the 8 or so weeks of doing this, everything was being recorded by one David Henk, sound engineer extrordinare. The music you hear is extemporaneous in nature, crossing genres from Hip-Hop to Latin, making a wide left turn into the depths of Funkiness and then back around to Jazz Fusion. All the while, the band seems to think with a single brain, fueled by loads of great coffee from "The Bean". There are two tracks on this CD, each tune shifting through different movements; in an effort to preserve the continuity of each composition, the tracks are available through compact disc only. Breaking up the tune into different tracks would be akin to putting cheap ketchup onto a fine steak. Not to worry...each slice of improvisation equates to almost a full hour of mindblowing musical "satori". The band itself consists of well-traveled and subsequently world-class players- The guitar wizardry and rap lyrics are provided by one Seth Blumberg, keys and tenor saxophone is handled by "Generalissimo" Leo Dombecki, alto saxmaster Ryan Montana is present, burning holes in your soul, bassist Kevin Cooper puts a whoopin' on the funkiness in the place to be, and drummer Bill Ray keeps, as he puts it, "The lines in the musical coloring book thick and easy to scribble within". Since there is so much of this material on hand, it is currently being combed through and only the best niblets are being thrown on the grill for your musical appetite. Remember, "It's a beautiful day to be alive".