SOLIDARITY by THE SOULJAZZ ORCHESTA

Canada's group, The Souljazz Orchestra, return 'Solidarity', a new collaborative album featuring a range of unique artists from their country's vibrant underground groove scene.After the success of their last record, the all-acoustic, instrumental outing, 'Rising Sun', the Orchestra returns to electric, vocal-driven compositions on 'Solidarity', inviting in a selection of singers with whom they have collaborated at different times over the last decade. The album's cast includes singer, percussionist and songwriter El Hadji "Élage" M'baye, songwriter and guitarist Rômmel Texeira Ribeiro, vocalist and songwriter Slim Moore, brilliant jazz trumpeter Nicholas Dyson, versatile singer Amelia Leclair on backing vocals, and the full Souljazz Orchestra core complete the line-up, with vocal contributions by drummer / conguero Philippe Lafrenière and baritone saxophonist Ray Murray. The compositions that arose from the sessions are in a variety of Afro, Latin and Caribbean styles, all connected by a consistent thread of North American soul and jazz sensibilities, featuring lyrics sung in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Wolof. The plugged-in direction of the new album also provided the band with an excuse to dig out some of their dusty, forgotten electric instruments from the attic: an ancient transistor organ, pawn shop hollow-body electric guitars, & even an old Italian-made Elka electric piano rescued from a garbage can.