Klyntel

Anyone can put a group together. In this day and age of machine-generated, manufactured studio clones, groups litter the musical landscape like so much lifeless, overly sampled debris.

Curtis "The Overlord" Seals takes his keys to the limit at a past Jazzbones show.
Curtis "The Overlord" Seals takes his keys to the limit at a past Jazzbones show.
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Klyntel holds church — the church of R&B jazz — at Jazzbones tonight. Don’t miss their collective grooves.
Klyntel holds church — the church of R&B jazz — at Jazzbones tonight. Don’t miss their collective grooves.
Klyntel
Seattle’s Klyntel isn’t a group. Klyntel is a legit, seven-piece R&B jazz band with real musicianship — forget auto tune, loops, or crutch gadgetry masquerading as feel — and a real connection to the audience.

This band has been pleasing audiences since the late 1990s, covering fusion jazz, rock, soul, and funk in its own collective groove. From an R&B quartet, Klyntel grew into a monster seven-piece band, featuring new, powerhouse vocalist Todd Brown.

Brown’s been around. He’s played with the great producer/drummer Narada Michael Walden and MC Hammer, among others, signed with major record labels, appeared on BET’s Video Soul and MTV, was once a major Motown and RCA recording artist.

Klyntel’s all about the solid players, including keyboardist Curtis Seals, keyboardist/vocalist Paul Davis, percussionist/vocalist Derrick Lockhart, bassist/vocalist Marvin Shields Jr., and guitarist Walter Finch.

Together, the R&B jazz fusion band have put out infectious jams, onstage and in the recording studio. Their “Uninhibited: The Groove Collective” really enforced Klyntel’s indelible dance sound and funked-up instrumental prowess, producing two European hits, “Red CoolAde” and “My Time.” A second album, “The Elected Eclectic,” fires up R&B with high-energy jazz and funk, showing off a finesse to the cool, and an ability to cleverly reimagine a few songs from their first recording.

Tonight, the festival band brings its Grown and Sexy to Tacoma’s Jazzbones 10 p.m., with a fiery set list of audience favorites, from “Everynight/Everyday” and “Red Koolade,” to “Alright” and the closer, “Cuidando De Los Negocio.”

Klyntel’s high energy R&B and jazz fusion, together with Todd Brown’s Motown vibe (think Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, and a little Marvin Gaye), will definitely make for an unforgettable night. If that’s not enough, the first 20 people lucky enough to buy tickets to the show get a free copy of the band’s single. Only two more Jazzbones shows left this year, so don’t miss this one. - Carol Bank Weber

Klyntel, "Love Is Here to Stay" (out now, self-released, klyntel.com): '90s R&B in the tradition of Blackstreet and Motel Jordan that would have fit snugly onto the Space Jams soundtrack. CK - C.K.

I've produced and engineered (along with others) the Alki Art Fair for the past two years and Klyntel has been a featured performance both times. Klyntel brings crowds to events and their music gets that crowd off their feet and into the music. A highly professional and super-entertaining group, Klyntel is not only a great band, they are great musicians to work with. - Chad R