Tiger Speak

(Boston, Massachusetts) Independent hip hop artists Tiger Speak dropped this video in my inbox to post. It’s called “87?. It’s on IHH so I fux wit it. Check it out.... - Indiehiphop.net

I’m no zoologist, not even really a “cat” person, but apparently when tigers decide to speak, they’ve got a lot of cool and thoughtful ish to say, so you better listen.

Featuring the feathery narrative of MC/trumpeter Ryan Easter, “Tiger Speak” (Boston, Mass.) seeks to unite and explore the two worlds of jazz and hip-hop. Heavily influenced by the jazz background of many of its players, this New England-based group boasts — using true jazz jargon — killin’ horns and a pocket rhythm section. Hip-hop heads will be happily surprised: like many groups exploring this relationship between genres, TS is heavily rooted in the works of late legendary producer J Dilla. Give them a listen and let us know what you think!

For more tunes and info about upcoming show dates, be sure to head over to the Tiger Speak Music Page. - Candid Music Group (http://www.candidmusicgroup.com)

Every now and then, you’ll meet people who are just as passionate about music as you are. Sometimes that passion translates into a conversation, and that conversation into an article. A friend who I met on my journey to Israel recently hit me up with an article he had been sitting on and figured it would be cool to release the article via TGLR. The article is about a Boston band that is actually really cool. Click below and read about Tiger Speak, a Jazz octet from Boston. Read what Greg Wilson had to say and check out their self-titled album as well!

Read More................... - http://www.thagoodlifereviews.com

If your answer to the title’s question is “no”, that’s perfectly fine. And if you answered “yes” to it, well just know that what you are about to witness is something a lot more gratifying than the talking tiger on Madagascar. Just recently we sat down with Richmond, VA native Ryan Easter of the XXL recognized Jazz/Hip-Hop band Tiger Speak. The meshing of Jazz and Hip-Hop has been done many times throughout the history of music, but done rarely in our generation. With keen similarities to The Roots, the 8 member band Tiger Speak has a sound that preserves the essence of what music is about. It’s a breathe of fresh air to see that actual music is still important.

Check out what Ryan had to say in our interview below.

First off, who came up with Tiger Speak? And what is it’s meaning?

A: Carter lee, the bassist/MD/founder came up with it. He had a project called “feed the tiger” already. In my eyes, tiger speak as a name is an animalistic personification of aggressive beauty. Tigers are gorgeous yet dangerous creatures, our music is aurally pleasurable yet driving and fierce. Either that or something to do with vaginas.

How many members are in the band, how did it come about, and how long have you been together?

A: Carter and Phenix (drums/Mpc) are the roots. Carter’s band “Feed The Tiger” was the original project, but he wanted to incorporate rapping, thus “Tiger Speak” happened. I joined a year after the band formed (harrison, the origibal mc, moved away) and have been a member for a year and a half. There are 8 members. Carter Lee, Matt Phenix, Corey Hendricks (guitar), Samson Mengsteab (keys), Jared Yee (tenor sax), Michael Summer (tenor sax), Jake Baldwin (trumpet), and myself. We also have nicknames.

Although Hip-Hop and Jazz are distant relatives of one another, does the band find it difficult to fuse these sounds? Who comes up with most of the music?

A: Distant? Nah. They’re a lot more closely related than people assume. As far as being rhythm- based, African American-rooted, improvisational (jazz entirely, hip hop has improvisation for flair or showmanship), they’re brothers. They naturally gel together to us. Carter comes up with most of the lead sheets and melodic lines, the band as an entity molds and arranges it into a song, I write and perform lyrics. Now, everyone is throwing compositions into the pot. I have several that we’ll be working with.

Do you consider the band to be more hip hop influenced or more jazz influenced?

A: not at all. An even mix. There’s a lot more theoretical input musically. I’m rapping in odd meters, orchestration and voicings, there’s a lot of jazz in there.

The greatest rapper ever is…
Either Lupe Fiasco, Shakespeare, or Moses. He wrote Exodus yo. That had the laws of God in it.

The greatest jazz musician ever is…
Miles Davis. For obvious reasons. Don’t even talk to me. Miles Davis.

Who/What are your personal influences?
Ambrose Akinmusire. Woody Shaw. Lupe Fiasco. Billy Strayhorn. Wayne Shorter. Jesus. Stan Lee. Corn pudding. Felatio. Gibraltar. Family. Asha Berry. PSImDope. 17. The American dollar. Black power.

How did being recognized by XXL come about? How does that feel?

A: A writer hit us up for an article. I feel like I’m actually a rapper now. But nobody’s checking for me. Tiger Speak, maybe. Me, no.

What can we expect from Tiger Speak in the near future?

Our next album. An album with our friends The Love Experiment. Merchandise? I hope. Sex tape featuring me and 12 women called “the first supper”. Tiger speak playing in the background of course. - Soletron.com

"This outfit out of Boston fuses elements of Hip Hop, Jazz and Soul to create a sound that’s all their own..." - XXL Magaziene

Tiger Speak is your new favorite band that you haven't heard of yet. Featuring trumpeter/MC Ryan Easter on lead vocals, Tiger Speak's self titled debut is the perfect combination of jazz and hip hop. This is the first album I've ever heard where I can tell that Tiger Speak is the band's band, not just Ryan Easter's. You can feel the joint effort of every song in every track. From Easter's lyrical savagery in foreign time meters to the horn section's tasty accented lines, Tiger Speak is the new group you need to check out, now. No seriously, now. - nextbop.com

I finally had a chance to give Tiger Speak's new album a thorough listen... Harrelson Trumpets Client Jake Baldwin is playing with them and they just released the album a couple of weeks ago... you can get yours here: http://tigerspeakmusic.com/album/tiger-speak the album starts off with a free floating intro that instantly put's you into a groove... budos band-ish groove ... Each track there after builds on the original idea... and I found myself asking aloud to Paul... what does this remind you of? I've pinned it down I believe... there are a lot of hip hop bands coming out of minneapolis on the doom tree label and they regularly do a combined show at first ave called the doom tree blow out... ya... tiger speak would fit right into that event... maybe tucked between dessa and pos... i guess it might sound biased to say the brass lines were my favorite part of the album... but they were... recently i've found myself really loving a local rock band here called chooglin... they are straight ahead rock with trumpets and bones... a really wall of sound ... and there are a few others popping up that marry brass with hip hop or rock... and it adds so much... i also found the vocals on tiger speak reminding me of a tribe called quest... as soon as the album ended i pulled up this track as a matter of fact... to see if i was just imagining it... i think if you squint you can hear tiger speak in this also... tiger speak opening for tribe called quest? i'd go to that show... - Harrelson Trumpets

Hip-hop production has undergone a transformation into a more electronic beats, electronic-click-drum-pad medium. Though, some like BADBADNOTGOOD have decided to go the other way with their hip-hop—regressing to the music’s jazzy roots. Tiger Speak on their self-titled debut have decided to do the same. Tiger Speak combines the jazz sensibilities of a coffee shop act and the lyricism of some forgotten Stones Throw artist. MC Ryan Easter intertwines Rudyard Kipling, John Belushi and Dr. Claw references to embody the group’s prowess. It’s oddly spit out at a speed to match their trumpet blasts. These Bostonian cats are pretty cool. Ya’ll should check ‘em out. - Marinate Media

"Tiger Speak’s fusion of jazz and hip hop makes sense and they pull it off flawlessly..." - digboston.com