Biography
FUMOSONIC BIO
Fumosonic, a collaboration between trumpeter John Fumo
and his wife singer-songwriter Kelly Fumo, is a truly
unique group, one whose music is both explorative and
very accessible. “Our music has a very positive
message and is groove-oriented without being
predictable,” says John. “Throughout my career, I have
always been open to other musics beyond jazz. I have
spent my life playing parts in a wide variety of
settings. In this situation with Fumosonic, we have
songs, lyrics, rhythms and grooves. I find my part and
I get to solo and be creative. We hope that our music
will uplift people’s lives.”
John Fumo first met Kelly when they were playing
together in the band Delaney Bramlett and Friends;
John was in the horn section while Kelly was singing
background vocals. After they got married, they began
writing music together and the result was Fumosonic, a
melding together of their varied musical interests.
While John’s background was based in jazz (including
Miles Davis and Ornette Coleman), he enjoyed the rock
of Pink Floyd, James Brown and the modern classical
music of Mahler and Ives. Kelly loved groove music,
hip hop, dance music and funk in addition to jazz.
Together the Fumos have the potential of mixing
together virtually all styles of music to form their
own unique genre.
John Fumo took private lessons starting in the seventh
grade, attended the New England Conservatory of Music,
and moved to Los Angeles in 1978. He worked with
Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra, met
multireedist Vinny Golia, and recorded both as a
sideman and a leader (1986’s After The Fact) for
Golia’s Nine Winds label (an association that
continues up to this day), displaying a higher
original and spirited style on trumpet. Since that
time, he has appeared on dozen's of film scores, TV appearences (including American Idol) and
played with a remarkably wide variety of artists
including Tito Puente, Japan’s Inner Galaxy Orchestra,
Mel Torme, Neil Young, Brian Setzer, Rudy Regalado,
Wayne Peet’s Doppler Funk, Brian McKnight, Dianne
Reeves, Faith Hill, James Brown, Tower of Power, U2,
Celine Dion, Smokey Robinson, Michael Bolton, Whitney
Houston, John Tesh, Flora Purim, Phoebe Snow, Lou
Rawls, The Four Tops, K.D. Lang, Babyface, Al Jarreau,
Bon Jovi, Neil Diamond (with whom he extensively
tours in 2008) and pianist George Kahn. In addition,
he teaches at Cal Arts.
But clearly the project that is closest to John Fumo’s
heart is Fumosonic. The group has thus far recorded
All That Is, Strange And Wonderful and Different Place
And Time, and the Fumos are currently working on a new
recording. Kelly Fumo had previously worked
extensively on television jingles and film scores
while immersing herself in contemporary music. Her
memorable vocals and inventive lyric writing are major
assets to Fumosonic. “Kelly puts a lot of heart into
her singing and uses space like Miles Davis or Chet
Baker used to. She knows a lot more about contemporary
music and grooves while I bring in my jazz knowledge,
a combination that works well together. Musically we
are on the same page.”
The expertise of such musicians as the masterful
electronic percussionist Brad Dutz, Don Markese on
reeds, pianist Joe Rotundi, guitarist Tim Kobza,
drummer Eli Hludzik and percussionists MB Gordy and
Mitchito Sanchez add colors and inventive ideas to
Fumosonic alongside Kelly’s vocals, guitar, keyboards
and loops and John’s trumpet and flugelhorn.
Although
there have been other attempts to combine jazz
improvising with dance rhythms, few are on the level
of Fumosonic, and no band sounds quite like this one,
the musical dream of John and Kelly Fumo.
www.fumosonic.com
Instrumentation
Vocals(belly dancing)-Kelly Fumo, Trumpet(effects)-John Fumo, Drums(electronic sounds)-Chris Wabich, Percussion(dumbek, tabla, riq, udu, congas)-Brad Dutz, Guitar(sitar)-Tim Kobza, Bass-Nick Rosen, Keys -Wayne Peet
Discography
"Love is Everything", May 2nd, 2008
"Different Place & Time", Angry Vegan Records, 2005
"Covers", Fumosonic, 2002
"All That Is/Is That All?" RTown Entertainment, 1998
"After the Fact"-Nine Winds 1987
Current Radio Plays
Birmingham, AL AL WVSU 91.1 FM
Pacific Grove, CA CA Smoothjazz.com
Champaign, IL IL WBCP 1580 AM
Norfolk, VA VA WHOV 88.1 FM
LARAMIE, WY WY KUWR/KUWZ 91.9 FM
#39 in the top 100 New Age charts Sept and October
Barcelona Radio Despi 107.2 FM
Bucharest RFI (Radio France Intl)
Santa Rosa, CA CA KRCB (core) 91.1 FM
Grand Junction, CO CO KAFM 88.1 FM
Wilmington, DE DE WVUD 91.3 FM
Honolulu, HI HI KTUH 90.3 FM
Raleigh-Durham, NC NC WXDU 88.7 FM
KEENE, NH NH WKNH 91.3 FM
Jeffersonville, NY NY WJFF 90.5 FM
Toronto, ON ON Galaxie CBC Cable
Cedar Rapids, IA PA KCCK 88.3 FM
EAST STROUDSBURG, PA PA WESS 90.3 FM
Chattanooga, TN TN WAWL (core) 91.5 FM
Chattanooga, TN TN WUTC 88.1 FM
Moab, UT UT KZMU 89.7 FM
Seattle, WA WA KAOS 89.3 FM
Wausau, WI WI WWSP 89.9 FM
Movies
Paint Me Nude - 2005
Mean Parents Suck - 2006
Links
| http://www.fumosonic.com |