PA's J.D. and the Sons of Rhythm -
Maybe it's something in the water...
…maybe it's just the creative imperative, but Erie, PA's J.D. and the Sons Of Rhythm keep up their prolific ways with the release of two more double CDs
Smoke Shadows and
Imagination Doctors. This extends the band's catalog to six double CD's in half as many years.
The group is fiercely loyal to their home base on the shores of Lake Erie, recording in a local studio and using local vendors for every element of production, from the printing of back trays to the reproduction of the discs themselves. They're dedicated to reaching a broader audience, though, with a national print advertising program in magazines including
Downbeat,
Relix and
Modern Drummer.
As their name implies, the root of the band is in their rhythm, and the rhythm section is a family affair, featuring drummer J.D. Hopkins and his sons Rickie and Jayson on a variety of traditional, electric and hand drums. The trio builds a foundation for jams that are enhanced on the new releases by Joel Polacci's congas, a quartet of guitarists, Frank Singer, Mike Ohm, Joe Popp and Sheldon Peterson, and a pair of bassists, Tony Stefanelli and Kenny Cornelius. The combination provides all the elements needed for the group's groundbreaking improvisations, which incorporate elements ranging from jazz to classical, with stops along the way for rock, fusion, reggae, Latin, funk and hip-hop.
Smoke Shadows is typical of the group's output, offering twelve of their trademark jams, recorded live in the studio and edited only for length. Imagination Doctors is a departure from their previous efforts, with guitarists Frank Singer and Mike Ohm demonstrating their studio skills by creating multi-tracked overdubs to complement improvised rhythms on disc one, with the second disc devoted to a 46 minute jam presented in its entirety.
More information is available through www.jdhopkins.com, where all of the band's releases can be found, along with recordings by the members in other performing and recording combinations, a combined discography of over 20 releases. The music is distributed nationally through CDBaby.com, TowerRecords.com and tracks are available in iTunes.
Smoke Shadows and Imagination Doctors are great places to get started, but don't wait too long. Three more double discs are slated for release, one featuring a live performance. There's no doubt that J.D. and the Sons of Rhythm have energy equal to their considerable talents.
Or maybe it's something in the water…
For More Information Please Visit:
https://jdhopkins.com
