Thousands of One

UTICA - On Saturday March 29 The Electric Company on Varick Street was the scene of a rare musical event. No it wasn't a musical magic show. No, Barack Obama did not show up and sing. It was rare because of the music.

It had a vintage quality. A timeless mixture of melody, harmony and rhythm that transcended time, space and emotions.

Genre? Hmmmm. Sometimes it's hard to label music. Every once in a while a band comes along that just hits you in the gut.

Through their music they wield power. The power to raise or lower spirits. The power to conjure good or bad energy. The power to inspire violence and rage or to nurture love.
With five years of war looming like a dark cloud over our lives, the violence and rage seems to dominate the airwaves.

Just in the nick o' time a band like Thousands of One comes along. The six piece group out of Ithaca, N.Y. define their music as space age gospel, roots hip hop and soul funk dub. I describe it as spiritually uplifting neo soul with a sprinkle of punk and hip hop, a dab of jazz and a heaping spoonful of talent.

Think Jamiroqui with a light dab of Rage Against the Machine, exemplified through their righteous politics (peace, love, justice, racial harmony).

The group has been together six years. Two albums later they have mastered a sound that not only makes you dance but also makes you think.

Not every band is political, has a mission or takes a stance. Some groups are just about a good time. Others declare their stance.

What they write for. Why they sing.

Lead singer Jhakeem Haltom clearly stated their purpose early during their show.

"We represent love and racial harmony. I hope you enjoy."
Enjoy we did.

Performing songs off their self-titled debut album and their sophomore effort titled SoulForce, Jhakeem, accompanied by backup singer Will Sapp, belted out his melodic lyrics with an authenticity reserved for church or Broadway theatre. Eyes were transfixed, hips swayed and conversations got deep when Haltom sang.

Perhaps it was the lyrics like this sample from "I Believe" off of the first album:

”I step into infinity
these feelings of serenity
moving trough me endlessly
there's order in the tendencies
I know I was meant to be”

The heady mix of guitar, bass, relevant lyrics, bongo drums and the saxophone all add to their unique stage presence. Sax player Mark Weinand literally shows off on each song with a solo. He wields the tenor, alto, and baritone sax with equal aplomb, adding an intangible quality to the music. His band mate the Turkish guitarist, Safak Ozkan performs magic using feedback from the reverb, wah and distortion pedals. A truly signature sound to go with his signature appearance. Modest drummer/ producer Joel Blizzard (real name) and bass player Brent Eva, playing in his socks, complete the eclectic mix of souls that make Thousands of One.

Throughout their show they periodically broke into an impromptu jam session inspired by Haltom on the congas. Haltom learned percussion from his father, an original member of classic '70s soul group Tower of Power. He obviously is not limited to the congas. His vocal mastery and command of the flute were on full display as well for all art lovers to appraise.

Owner operator of the Electric Company, Zee, offered his opinion.

"I heard these guys the first time (demo) and booked 'em. That almost never happens."

They have performed at the Electric Company twice and each time have left a memorable impression.

Sometimes their message gets lost in the harmony. People are having too good a time to worry about being a consumer automaton programmed to eat, drink and sleep without worrying about anyone or anything else. But we thank them for distracting us.

For more information on Thousands of One check out their myspace page at:

www.myspace.com/thousandsofone
- By: David Dancy, Life & Times of Utica

On its debut CD, Thousands of One serves up political party music from the same galaxy as John Brown's Body and J-San and the Analogue Sons. This is spiritual, Afrocentric funk-soul-reggae hip-hop hybrid. Things get a little post-romantic on "Jezebel", but generally the mood is pious, positive and unpretentious. The group is anti-corporate, pro-community, anti-hatred, and pro-sugar - all more or less unimpeachable positions. On "One More Hand", Jhakeem Haltom announces that he's "like an ascetic monk in India / except I'm kinda loud."
Haltom's got a great, clear voice that sometimes evokes Stevie Wonder and sometimes - oddly enough - Steely Dan's Donald Fagen. Regan Carver's sax solos stand out, but everything's tied together by the capable production of Elliot Martin. Listening to the album, I'm kicking myself for not having seen these guys in concert yet. These songs came together as a result of frequent jamming at the Rongo and elsewhere, and they do sound organic and involved, but not at all haphazard, and never, ever sloppy. - Caey Westerman - Ithaca Times

February 10, 2006

"When you invest yourself in something, it can't just be an ideological thought. It has to be represented in what you do day to day. How you act, how you love and care for people, it reflects. People need to create a habit. What you do over and over again, that's what you're going to be." -Jhakeem Haltom, Thousands of One

Up on stage Friday night, Thousands of One begins a relaxed jam together, Brent Eva and Joel Blizzard settling into a simple drums- and-bass groove as Tom Sayers tunes up and Mark Wienand and Jhakeem Haltom work on a sound check. Musicians are moving on and off the stage- the band hasn't presented itself yet, but people are gathering in front of them- hips are starting to sway. Five minutes later it seems like everyone on stage has been outlined with thick black ink.
The area in front of the band is packed, and the audience has become captivated with the group's energy. Musically an in terms of stage presence, Thousands of One is lit up, not with glam-funk showmanship or hip hop panache, but with a gentle kind of charisma. Their sound bends itself around like a yogi in an impossible-looking pose, but with a smoothness like something from the church of Marvin Gaye.

Just a few months off the release of their first CD, Thousands of One is an Ithaca-based band best described in two words- judeochristianbuddhistactivist afrofunkhop. Band members fuse together elements of funk, jazz, gospel, reggae, hip hop, and traditional African and Latin music into a blend that, combined with words speaking sometimes as love croons, sometimes as fiery political- metaphysical rhetoric, breathes with originality.

Thousands of One's first regular gigs were at the Rongovian Embassy in Trumansburg, where what started as small, jam-oriented club shows quickly became a weekly happening known as Stepper's Lounge. It was here that the band was noticed by John Brown's Body vocalist Elliot Martin, who soon asked members to work with him on songs from his solo album, <i>Black Castle. </i> The connection persisted, and soon Martin offered to produce their album. "As Thousands of One came up," says vocalist Jhakeem Haltom, "he was watching us, saying 'Okay, it's getting tight, maybe I can help you with recording.' So after eight, nine months of being together, we recorded it with him." Since then, the group has played gigs throughout the Northeast, and is about to embark on a Hawaiian tour, taking with them a new saxophonist, Mark Wienand.

What the band shares together is at least somewhat the result of
seeing their work as an expression of beliefs, more than just music
for the sake of music. "There's something spiritual about all of us,
a connectedness that we all have, thus the name Thousands of One." At
the show, vocalist Jhakeem Haltom stretches his hand over the crowd
like an evangelist. His voice is not angry, but fiercely indignant
and full of rhetoric that speaks about social injustice and what it
means to be a revolutionary. "People want to hear this, but you've gotta give it to them kindly. I think that's added power to things we say."

Sitting propped up in the doorway of the practice space where
Thousands of One is working on a Thursday night. It's a Small, faux-
wood paneled room with ancient brown carpet. On the wall, stuck
behind the calendar, are cut-out pictures of Martin Luther King and
the Dali Lama. Incense is burning and the room is lit by tangled
strings of Christmas lights and Salvation Army floor lamps. Drummer Joel Blizzard chimes in, "We should give thanks." Everyone closes their eyes and becomes very still. Together they pray for a sick
friend, for peacefulness, for their upcoming tour.

Check out the kickoff show to Thousands of One's Hawaiian tour,
February 18th at Castaways, or visit them online at thousandsofone.com.
- Steve Rokitka - Buzz Entertainment

"'Thousands of One' is a journey. It is a socio-political commentary, as well; a personal inquiry to the soul in search of roots, love and culture. Music with a mission." - The Stepper Sound v.1 3/05

09/14/2005
Homegrown Music
By: bryan vancampen

This week, I have been drowning - no, luxuriating - in beautiful music. The reason is that our own I-Town Records, founded by John Brown's Body frontman Kevin Kinsella in 1996, has decided to release five new albums by some of Ithaca's favorite musicians simultaneously.
Follks can watch out for the wispy and ethereal Glen the Owl (a first-time collaboration between the Sim Redmond Band and FiveTwo's Uniit Carruyo and Billy Cote); Trevor MacDonald's plaintive, countryish solo effort Porch Light; self-titled releases from reggae powerhouses Jsan and the Analogue Sons and Thousands of One - Jsan's samples and mad-scientist dub style could scarcely be more different than Thousands of One's more streamlined, classic songcraft; and a flat-out masterpiece from Crow Greenspun, a confident mix of everything from hip-hop to back porch finger-picking called Blood and Decision.
I-Town has been growing by leaps and bounds in the past nine years. They now have a catalog of more than 50 albums and an artist roster of 26 songwriters and bands. I-Town sales rep and local musician Sean Kobuk admits that the label has never launched this much music all at once before, but then nothing about I-Town is typical of the way record labels are run. Talk to any of the artists who record for them, and the word that comes up most often is "community."
"There's a huge community and a pool [of musicians]," says MacDonald, "and it's always mixing together. It's hard to gauge sometimes; it's not like we only play shows together, but the community of I-Town and Ithaca has a lot of support and it comes through in a million ways. This town is totally unique in that way, where the music scene is very original. And as a result, all the other people who are doing that are influenced and helped to get that done ... I-Town definitely facilitates that." He adds, "The mission originally was never to make a record label in the traditional sense. It was to break those guidelines and come up with something that was supported by the community and the artists."
Greenspun, who heard about I-Town through his pal Sim Redmond, says, "People get together and brainstorm about marketing and tactics. The money to do things comes from the bands, and that's why I think it can be open in that way. It's a collective."
Uniit Carruyo met her husband, I-Town's Kevin Kinsella, when she was releasing her first solo album back in 2001. She says, "The unique quality about I-Town isn't just a lot of talent and a lot of productive musicians. It is that sense of community. The thing that keeps me coming back to I-Town is that spirit of working together. Whenever you have a lot of people doing something similar, there's always the opportunity to compete and to compare; I-Town is a real support system."
There is no one way of working at I-Town. Greenspun works at REP Studios, and so he recorded his album whenever there was studio downtime. He paid for mastering at Pyramid Sound. Likewise, MacDonald recorded some of Porch Light at home and at Electric Wilburland Studios. Billy Coté recorded Glen the Owl at home, along with Mary Lorsen - who played on one track (Coté was the main songwriter and guitarist for Madder Rose from 1992 through 1999, and currently plays with Lorsen in Saint Low and with Jennie Stearns). Of I-Town, Coté - who isn't signed on to the record label (he and Lorsen are aligned with a London label called Cooking Vinyl) - says, "I don't think I-Town gets in the way of an artist's vision, they're artist friendly."
Thousands of One - Jhakeem Haltom on vocals, conga and flute; saxophone player Regan Carver; bassist Brent Eva; guitarist Tom Sayers; and drummer Joel Blizzard - were putting the finishing touches on their self-titled debut album last May and were invited to release it on I-Town Records.
"It was a bit of a rush to make it all happen by our release party in July, but we are very grateful to have been given that flexibility," says Blizzard. "Thousands of One would not be what it is without the support of the I-Town community and the wider Ithaca community as well. As we considered our options and looked into offers from out-of-town labels and such, we considered the adage 'grow where you are planted.'"
Jsan agrees. "The basic model [for I-Town] is unique and daring as well. The model the major labels use is on built on the dollar bill and therefore is a short-term plan, [and] impossible to nurture new talent into lasting, evolving artists." His band - which includes Mike Stark, Matt Saccucci-Morano, Lee Hamilton and Alejandro
Bernard - is already recording their next album for release early next year and will tour Europe in December.
With so much wonderful stuff out and in the pipeline, I-Town now looks to the future of music and marketing. With ipods, file-sharing and Web sites siphoning off much of the majors' dominance, Kob - Ithaca Times / www.ithacatimes.com

Local band Thousands of One have come a long way since coming together a year ago, honing its eclectic blend of gospel, rock, soul, electronica and other organic elements into an inspiring sound.

From the start, Thousands of One have been community oriented in its mission. “The main goal when we got together was to be a collective that would bridge gaps in the community,” says singer Jhakeem Haltom. “We've got the Alternatives-Greenstar crowd, but we still have the low-income housing and people who are disenfranchished who are jumping on to this philosophy that Ithaca says it wants to spread. That was what we wanted to do with our music.”

The band's popularity has rapidly grown, with out-of-town gigs on the horizon. Yet the band members are careful not to let their success distract them from their original goal. “As we've been doing things with the People's Garden Project and the Northside Community Center, and making things happen on that level, I feel better about letting the music get out to the surrounding areas,” says Haltom. “It is a surprise how much it's grown.”

Friday, the band will release its self-titled debut CD with a show at the Rongovian Embassy. It was recorded with producer Elliot Martin, singer with John Brown's Body, who added a modern sensibility to the band's organic grooves.

“It was Elliot who gave us that inspiration and that skill of production,” credits Haltom. “He said, ‘You guys sound pretty good, let's bring it together,” and he really inspired us and brought it to the next level”

Jsan and the Analogue Sons open the 10 p.m. show.

- article written by Jim Catalano
- from The Ithaca Journal July 14, 2005

Friday of last year's Grassroots Festival in the Cabaret Hall... For what was billed as Steppers Lounge, those in attendance were treated to three great feats of rhythm: Elliot Martin's Black Castle, local soul and funk band JSAN and the Analogue Sons, and a three-hour marathon by Thousands of One that refused to end until the birds began to sing their own songs, ushering out one day and chiming in the next. Just one year later, Thousands of One is poised to return to the festival having played dozens of local shows, refined their sound and dedicated themselves to taking the music and their positive spirit as far as they will go.

Thousands of One grew out of a weekly jam at the Rongovian Embassy in Trumansburg. The jam, called Steppers Lounge, started out as a reggae show and slowly mutated into a soul-inspired jam with a rotating company of players. Eventually, the cast became more regular, and a band was formed: Jhakeem Haltom on vocals, flute and percussion, Brent Eva on bass, Joel Blizzard on drums, and Regan Carver on sax.

"Then we added the icing on the cake in Tom Sayers," says Blizzard, who describes the guitarist and keyboardist as "a great arranger and atmospheric player... like a father figure in this band."

Since many of the group's earliest material grew out of jams, deep grooves are the backbone of Thousands of One, and the players are adept at creating an atmosphere and still leaving room for each other, musically speaking. Haltom is a charismatic presense whose apparent comfort on stage as well as his vocal range, have been captivating.

This past winter and spring, it was not performing, but the recording process, that helped the band to refine their musical direction. Blizzard credits producer Elliot Martin, singer for John Brown's Body, with helping the band move in the right direction.

"Elliot really went all out to create a narrative texture that makes the transition from 'live sound' to 'studio sound' very exciting," says Blizzard. "We did what we like to do and then Elliot did what he likes to do and the result is like our live show, but with an invisible samurai who keeps pushing the 808 button with dead-on precision."

written by Mike Levy - Buzz Entertainment Guide 7-13-2005

Plenty of groups replicate the '70s R&B/soul sound of Marvin Gaye, but few try to match his deeply conscious message. Singing of slavery in the context of modern struggles, this Ithaca neo-soul/R&B collective does just that, while an instrumental hip-hop feel (recalling the Roots and Kweli) keeps the vibe from getting weighed down by heavy issues. - Download.com

"I picked up a copy of this cd at a festival where i saw the band perform, hoping it would match the intensity of the show they put on. This cd, I can not tell you enough, how deep it is. It speaks to everything I been through. It sounds very, very rich too, as well as rootsy and old. This is a revolutionary sound, nothing like it before!" - Max Thompson