CC Booker III featuring Will Scruggs is a SoulJazz tribute to the music of three great artists: Ray Charles, King Curtis, and Booker T and the MGs. In this dynamic project, the big, swinging sound of the tenor saxophone meets the super funk of the Hammond B3 organ for an exciting, soulful jazz experience. CC Booker was founded as a collaboration between Atlanta native Will Scruggs and Brooklyn organist Nate Shaw. After three highly successful East Coast tours in 2007 and 2008, Scruggs stepped out front as bandleader in order to spearhead a self-titled studio recording. Drawing on Shaw’s connections in Brooklyn as well as his own Atlanta network, Scruggs crafted a sound which incorporates the best elements of down-home Southern flavor and sophisticated New York jazz stylings. The Atlanta band features drummer Marlon Patton, guitarist Dan Baraszu, and organist David Ellington, a veteran of the New Orleans jazz community who relocated to Atlanta after Hurricane Katrina. In New York, CC Booker’s rhythm section features Nate Shaw on Hammond B3 organ, Matt Kane on drums, and guitarist/arranger Tony Romano. CC Booker III usually performs as a quartet, often mixing NYC and ATL musicians, but the project can also expand to include a full horn section with Wes Funderburk on trombone and Ken Watters on trumpet, or add guest vocalists like Nashville legend John Cowan or Atlanta’s Audrey Shakir.
Although CC Booker III is still a relatively new band, the critics have already taken notice. According to Michael J. West of the Washington City Paper, “Every solo, every tune, and occasionally even a few lonely riffs generated screams and mighty ovations. Twins has a reputation for filling seats with the avant-garde, but even the edgiest listeners need some good old funky fun now and then. CC Booker only plays DC about once a year, but they never fail to generate that fun.”
Will Scruggs – Vocals and Saxophone
Founding member and current leader, Will Scruggs has a love for old soul music.
Atlanta Band Members:
Dan Baraszu - Guitar
Detroit born Guitarist/Composer Dan Baraszu started playing guitar at the age of 9. Early in his career, he explored many different styles of music. However, when he first heard the genius of Jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery, Dan devoted himself to becoming a die-hard Jazz artist. His major influences include guitarists Joe Pass, Pat Martino, Pat Metheny and John Scofield as well as other instrumentalists like Bill Evans, Horace Silver, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins and Charlie Parker.
In addition to listening and transcribing the works of the”masters of the Jazz idiom”, Dan has been formally educated in music as well. He received his Bachelors degree from the renowned Berklee College of Music, where he majored in Jazz Composition and Arranging. In addition, Dan also received his Masters degree from the University of Miami with a major in Jazz Pedagogy.
Dan currently resides in the Atlanta area where he leads his own groups and works as a freelance guitarist. In November 2005, he signed with Blue Canoe Records and released his debut CD as a leader entitled “Nightfall”. Featuring 9 explosive jazz originals, this recording will surely raise some eyebrows as this young gun’s guitar and compositional skills are those of an old master.
http://www.danbaraszu.com
David Ellington - Organ
After studying at the Berklee College of Music in Boston from 1980 – 1982, David Ellington moved to New Orleans in 1983 and quickly became a player in its extraordinary music scene. In 1988 he began a three-year stint as pianist/organist for legendary New Orleans guitarist, Walter “Wolfman” Washington, traveling the world and recording for Rounder Records. This led to another three years of study at the University of New Orleans under the tutelage of Ellis Marsalis, Steve Masakowski, Ed Petersen, and Harold Battiste, where his composition, “Armando” won the prestigious composer’s award in UNO’s “Svenson Composition Competition” in 1996.
David’s work as a versatile sideman, versed in Funk, Jazz, R&B, and Latin styles, led to the formation of his own group “Chevere” and the release of “Baila Mi Ritmo,” a CD of Ellington originals. Chevere made its New Orleans Jazz and Heritage debut in 2000 and has been a standout at the Festival ever since, returning each year to excellent revues.
Hurricane Katrina forced Ellington to abandon a busy musical career in New Orleans as bandleader, valued sideman, and church music director. David landed in Atlanta, near his parents and quickly became a first-call pianist/organist, in demand for many of Atlanta’s best groups and performers.
Marlon Patton was born in Atlanta, Georgia, raised on music. He began playing his brother’s drum set at age 1. His love for drums continued to grow, picking up other instruments such as bass and guitar along the way. After studying at the University of Georgia’s school of music, he received his bachelors degree in music performance. Currently, Marlon’s weekly agenda is a continental divide of performances featuring modern and straight ahead jazz to rock, hip hop, latin, salsa, and afro-cuban influenced music. Marlon is involved in many different projects that keep him performing and recording year round and all over the world. He is the first call for so many musicians not just because of his impeccable time, but because of the incredible musicality of what he delivers. He plays within a huge dynamic range, making him the perfect match for quiet piano jazz performances to hard-hitting hip-hop and rock gigs. Marlon has performed with some of the finest musicians including recent concerts and/or recordings with Marcus Printup, Rufus Reid, Wycliffe Gordon, Mike Wofford, Ryan Waters of Sade, Keizo Nakanishi and TOKU.
Rick Lollar, a native of Tallahassee, FL, who currently resides in Atlanta, is a 24-year-old guitarist who was already spent a decade performing throughout the Southeast with his own group and as a sideman. A strong affinity for the blues, a jazz pedigree, and a creative spirit have allowed Lollar to commune with a variety of artists including BB King, Buddy Guy, Dianne Reeves, Marcus Roberts, Jason Marsalis, Martin Bejerano, and many more. Lollar was featured on trumpeter Scotty Barnhart’s 2009 release Say It Plain, alongside Wynton and Ellis Marsalis, Clark Terry, Marcus Roberts, Herlin Riley, and Todd Williams. In support of the album, Lollar appeared with Barnhart at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York and the 2009 Monterey Jazz Festival. Lollar has also toured with acclaimed Sacred Steel gospel group The Lee Boys, performing at the Chicago Blues Festival, Wanee Fest, and Magnoliafest. He appears on their 2005 debut recording Say Yes! as well as their most recent release with the Travelin’ McCourys, 2010’s Meetin’ In The Middle. In 2009, Lollar graduated with a Jazz Studies degree from the Florida State University College of Music, where he studied on scholarship with Rodney Jordan, Leon Anderson, world-renowned jazz pianist Marcus Roberts.
NYC Band Members:
Born and raised in Hannibal, Missouri, seasoned in Kansas City and honed in New York, Matt Kane is a drummer who plays with purpose, urgency and musicality. He has performed with Norah Jones, Sasha Dobson, Jovino Santos Neto, Charles Blenzig, Vic Juris, and is a member of Steve LaSpina’s New Quartet. He is comfortable in Jazz, Brazilian, R&B, hip-hop, rock and wherever there is a groove. Matt is also an educator, working with kids of all ages to help them along their journey in music.
Tony Romano has been active in the New York music scene for many years as a guitarist, music directior, and teacher. With a wide range of tastes and playing styles, Tony has performed around the world with diverse artists such as Cleve Douglass, Loe Bataan, Randy Brecker, Stanley Jordan, Debbie Gibson, Alex Gemignani, Chuck Cooper, Frank Wright, Dave Valentine, Yomo Toro, Thomas Chapin, Antonio Hart. He can also be heard on various television shows and commericals.
Tony is adjunct faculty at Five Towns College and Long Island University, as well as a Teaching Artist for the Kupferberg Center at Queens College. He has an MA in Jazz Performance from the Aaron Copeland School of Music at Queens College, CUNY.
At the age of 18, Nate Shaw headed to Hong Kong where he truly began his exploration of jazz piano. By day, he listened to Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, and his militant Mandarin language instructor. At night, he played Eric Clapton and Muddy Waters covers in an ex-pat blues band that entertained sailors on 24-hour shore leave. After returning stateside, Nate soon began to tour extensively at Midwestern college towns to play jazz piano with the Motion Poets, a be-bop sextet that ultimately released three CDs on the IGMOD recording label. The call of New York proved too loud to resist, and he eventually moved back East and formed a world music group, The New Power Trio, with Mark Suter (Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Project). During this time, Nate traveled to Senegal to study Sabar hand drumming, and upon his return, his passions for jazz keyboards and percussion finally fused.
He currently lives in Brooklyn and works predominantly out of his basement studio and the Manhattan Producers Alliance. Jazz still figures prominently in his life, and he play gigs around the city several nights a week. Nate has also ventured into the world of television and film. As he develops his voice and applies it to picture, many nuances of his personality are surfacing. Specifically, the content of each new television show or film challenges him to stretch his view of beauty and to determine how he can create music that will support that vision.