Mo Ambesa
Brattleboro, Vermont, United States | INDIE
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Thursday, June 26, 2008
BRATTLEBORO -- Brattleboro bands Jatoba and Mo Ambesa perform on Saturday, June 28, at 8 p.m., at the Hooker-Dunham Theater, 139 Main St.
Jatoba is an acoustic-groove trio with Jason Scaggs, John Jamison and Jeff Richardson, combining double bass, acoustic guitars, baritone guitar, mandolin, sitar and harmonizing vocals and drawing on Middle Eastern, African, Asian and Cuban traditions. They are based in Brattleboro.
Mo Ambesa, which means "Children of the Lion" in Amheric, is a dynamic group of individuals who bring a wide array of experience into a fresh but focused musical collective. Through the connection of the Vermont Jazz Center, the six members of Mo Ambesa joined musical forces with the idea of forming a band that draws on roots of reggae rhythms, has strong jazz ties, raps in a hip-hop groove and rocks at the same time.
Members of Mo Ambesa are Dan Rostov on trumpet, keys and vocals, Dylan Richardson on tenor saxophone and vocals, Pat Stevens on bass, Isaac Luxon on guitar, Molly Steinmark on drums and vocals and Ben Carr on drums, vocals and ukulele. - Brattleboro Reformer
Thursday, June 25, 2009
BRATTLEBORO -- Mo Ambesa, a six-piece reggae/hip-hop/jazz genre-fusion band out of Brattleboro, will perform on Saturday at 8 p.m., at the Vermont Jazz Center.
Formed in 2007, Mo Ambesa features Ben Carr on drums/percussion/vocals/uke, Molly Steinmark on drums/percussion/vocals, Pat Stevens on bass, Isaac Luxon on guitar, Dylan Richardson on saxophones/vocals and Dan Rostov on trumpet/keys/vocals.
They've shared the stage with members of Phish, Sun Ra, Mikey Dread, Trumystic, Zabap, Carlos Averhoff, Eugene Uman, Walter "Wolfman" Washington and Ayizan Sannon. Band members have also opened for Culture, Mikey Dread, Army, Abjah, Sonny Rollins, Dave Holland and the Neville Brothers.
Mo Ambesa will be releasing its first album, "Unconscious," this summer featuring guests from West Africa on kora and guitar, Kirsty Rock from the Easy Star All Stars and Trumystic and Eugene Uman of the Vermont Jazz Center.
The group's members have all studied at the VJC through the years -- local mentors include Uman, Howard Brofsky, Jamie McDonald, Julian Gerstin, Scott Mullett, Steve Sonntag, Dan Dewalt and the renowned VJC Summer Workshop faculty.
Admission is $10.
- Brattleboro Reformer
Thursday, June 19, 2008
"...Mo Ambesa is a reggae-jazz band based in Brattleboro. Through connections with the Vermont Jazz Center, the six members of Mo Ambesa (Amheric for "children of the lion") joined musical forces. The result is a band that draws on roots reggae rhythms, has strong jazz ties, raps in a hip-hop groove and rocks at the same time. Members include Dan Rostov, Dylan Richardson, Pat Stevens, Isaac Luxon, Molly Stienmark, and Ben Carr." - Brattleboro Reformer
....Also in the realm of tapping into fresh territory is a performance by six-piece reggae fusion band Mo Ambesa, based in Saxtons River and Brattleboro, at the Putney Community Center, Friday, 6 p.m. Mo Ambesa is comprised of Dan Rostov on trumpet, keyboards and vocals; Dylan Richardson on tenor saxophone and vocals; Isaac Luxon on lead guitar; Joel Eisenkramer on rhythm guitar; Pat Stevens on bass; and Ben Carr on drums, vocals and ukulele. They are often joined by Vermont Jazz Center Artistic Director Eugene Uman on piano and keyboard, local activist Dan DeWalt on trombone and Molly Steinmark on drums and vocals.
??If that seemed like a particularly long and diverse list of players for one band, let alone one reggae band, therein lies the essence of Mo Ambesa's forward-thinking perspective on traditional reggae's sound and essential message.??
The Putney show, Mudslide Madness, is a benefit for the nonprofit Green Valley School serving the children of Putney, Saxtons River and Westminster. Desserts, drinks, an auction of local goods and even onsite babysitting accompany the music. - Rutland Herald, by Clara Rose Thornton
Discography
'EP' -- 2007
'Metaphor' -- July 2010.
Frequent radio play on WVEW LP-FM (http://www.wvew.org)
and WOOL FM (http://www.wool.fm)
http://www.freevermontradio.org
Photos
Bio
"A house built on granite and strong foundations, not even the onslaught of pouring rain, gushing torrents, and strong winds will be able to pull down." -- Qedamawi
Honing in from Brattleboro, Vermont, Mo Ambesa breaks genre barriers with original conviction. Drawing on Reggae, Hip-Hop, and Jazz beats they steap melodic improvised lines into heavy drum and bass rhythms that dance the people.
Mo Ambesa's lyricists invoke the teachings of RasTafari, Leonard Peltier, Sufi and other mystics. Through poetic word they empower conscious living and impartial justice.
The group's horn section, formerly of Trumystic, has been dropping rich Bebop and Funk lines since the days of their youth. And it is through the Vermont Jazz Center that the band met and developed their unique approach to music.
Their name means 'Children of the Lion' in the Amharic language of Ethiopia.
In this Pop Star addicted culture, Mo, the "children", bring musical water and resolve to the parched.
Now for a word on the individuals:
Dan Rostov began learning music from his father, guitarist Bruce Rasow in elementary school. His early musical influences of Marilyn Manson and White Zombie were later replaced by Clifford Brown, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane. In high school his main musical mentors were trumpeter Stevie Sonntag and pianist Eugene Uman.
Rostov first became known in the musical community through the dub reggae band, Trumystic, out of Brooklyn, touring the United States for two years. During much of the three years since, Rostov has traveled, playing with bands in Senegal, Gambia, Nepal, and India. He also currently plays with the Senegalese reggae band Aziz Boukote, which has just released the CD 'Guidance' and toured West Africa and Europe in early 2008.
Dylan Richardson is a master of many arts and most recently a graduate of Hallmark School for Photography, MA. At an early age he took great interest in the likes of Sonny Rollins, Charles Mingus, and John Coltrane. His most influential teacher through the years has been the NH saxophone colossus, Scott Mullett. In recent years Dylan has been developing his Hiphop ability, vibing to the likes of Immortal Technique and Black Thought from The Roots.
Ben Carr started playing music in the 4th grade (saxophone), though didn’t pick up the drums until his freshman year of college. He grew up near Philadelphia then travelled to NOLA to play music, and did so till moving to Brattleboro in 2005. He has shared the stage with members of Phish, Trumystic, Carlos Averhoff, Eugene Uman, Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown, and Ayizan Sannon.
For many years Pat Stevens has played in a wide variety of groups around Southern Vermont. He's played styles ranging from funk to folk and jazz to rock, and has never been attributed to one lone instrument. Whether it be drums, guitar or bass, when a group was seeking an player, he was usually there to fill the void. His vast influences make him a versatile player and with Mo Ambesa he's been able to hint at styles unique to reggae/hip-hop on the bass guitar.
Isaac Luxon is at present a jazz guitar major in the Jazz and African Music program at UMass Amherst. Isaac has previously studied at the Vermont Jazz Center in Brattleboro Vermont and at the Concord Community Music School in Concord New Hampshire.
Joel Eisenkramer has studied guitar for a number of years, performing with different groups in Vermont and Santa Cruz, California. Joel is also student of Dr. Ranjan Kumar, Mohan Veena player of the University of Delhi, India.
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