Five Ten Jazz Band ‘NEW WORLD’ Latest CD Bridges Country Gap with Universal Sound

Sexperienced global jazz group based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Five ten is changing the course of the global jazz music scene with its soundscape of diverse genres. They recently released an inspiring CD named ‘NEW WORLD’ showcases their incredible versatility under one roof. The CD features an oscillation of different rhythmic flavors that intertwine without a single collision. The group had agreed to give us some time out of their busy schedule to do an interview with us. They shared many unknown aspects of their last CD and the soundscape in general with our readers.

Congratulations Five Ten on the success of your new and amazing CD, ‘NEW WORLD’! And thank you for allowing us to do this interview.

Daily Music Roll: Five Ten, how are things going since the Covid 19 pandemic in 2021?

Five ten: Things are starting to work out for us. We were all vaccinated and started to meet again and rehearse the material for the next shows. Show dates are still not available as concert halls and festivals are the last to get the green light to reopen. However, we’ll be ready when they call. We also started to work on new material… while continuing to move forward.

Daily Music Roll: How has the pandemic affected your music and the band?

Five ten: Well, we couldn’t get together to rehearse during the shutdown which was really depressing. Of course, that made us all pretty “rusty” on the hardware. We all kept in touch with each other to keep our spirits up. I think we all appreciate the band and each other especially since we’ve been missing out on making music together for so long. I don’t think any of us have ever played in our collective careers for such a long time. It was really strange.

Daily Music Roll: Let’s talk about your recent CD, “NEW WORLD”. He became a huge hit in the artistic jazz industry. How do you feel about this?

Five ten: I have the impression that we are only at the beginning of our journey. “New World” was the first recording with Billy and we really bonded as a band with him on drums. It takes time for everyone to learn each other’s style and ideas. Next, work on how to merge five individuals into one “sound”. I think we’ve just gotten to this and we’re really going to make the music bloom as we continue to play. “New World” is a great representation of our sound and the direction of the music we create. We love performing these songs and can’t wait to open them up even more by sharing the energy of the audience live. When listening to the entire recording, they will hear a variety of musical influences that will transport their mind and soul to wonderful places in this world (a welcome escape from the dystopian chaos of daily news).

Daily Music Roll: Tell us more about the CD. How many songs does he have? What are the titles?

Five Ten: 11 songs:

Pursuit – composed by Steve

Nickles and Dimes – composed by Dennis

Carty d’Amour – composed by Steve and Marquinho

Jubilation – composed by Jeff

Zigzag – composed by Steve

Mandingo – composed by Dennis and Marquinho

Sirocco – composed by Jeff

Sayulita – composed by Steve

Tranquility – composed by Steve

Images – composed by Dennis

People make the world go round – composed by Thom Bell and Linda Creed (our take on the classic Stylistics hit)

Daily Music Roll: Many international musicians have gathered in the group. What kinds of musical elements and influences were used in the songs on the CDs?

Five ten: I think the musical elements that run through all of our music are jazz and “East Bay Grease” (Funk and Soul) as its foundation. Then we add a bit of West Africa, Brazil, the Caribbean, Latin and even a bit of Gospel to add flavor to the stew. We want to create a salty and spicy stew.

Daily Music Roll: What are the instruments used in the CD?

Five ten: Billy and Dennis lay the rhythmic and sonic foundations for songs on drums and electric bass (and effects). Steve and Jeff add harmonic and melodic elements to electric keyboards and steel pans. Marquinho adds spice to a wide range of percussion instruments and sound effects. All topped off by occasional vocals from Marquinho, Dennis and Jeff.

Daily Music Roll: How is the CD different from its contemporaries? What’s so special about him?

Five ten: This CD is different because it is an original creation of the five of us. As we create our own unique sound and style, it cannot be like any of our contemporaries.

It’s like “lightning in a bottle”. The music we create is greater than the sum of the parts used to create it. We have all known and performed together for many years and when we perform we blend the energy of the audience with the music to create a unique “VSOP” experience. Each performance is a living art, ephemeral and above all shared with those present.

Daily Music Roll: How many members are there in the band? Tell us their names and how they contribute to the group?

Five ten: Five members of the group.

Billy Johnson, drums: groovemeister, Dennis Smith foundation, electric bass and effects, occasional vocals: rhythmic and harmonic foundation, dramatic influence, the spiritual center of Steve Carter music, various keyboards: soundscapes, harmonic and melodic explorations, Jeff Narell chops , steel pans, occasional vocals: also harmonic and melodic explorations, energetic centering of music, unique Marquinho Brasil sound, a wide range of percussion instruments, occasional vocals: musical spice, drama, energy, magic

Daily Music Roll: Which musicians have inspired you the most to create such universal instrumental rhythms?

Five ten: I can’t speak for the rest of the guys as I think the list would be too long to print out concisely. I think as a band we are inspired by bands like Return to Forever, Weather Report, Zawinul Syndicate, Yellowjackets, Herbie Hancock and Headhunters ……… ..

Daily Music Roll: What motivated you to form such a versatile group of musicians?

Five ten: You are looking to create a band with a unique sound and style. I also wanted a group that could “cook”! Kats that can break free in a musical situation and really go for it.

Daily Music Roll: Does the band operate independently or do they work under a production house / label?

Five ten: We operate independently with our own production house and our own label

Daily Music Roll: Are there any tours or stage shows planned by the band in the near future?

Five ten: We are currently awaiting the lifting of Covid restrictions for musicians, venues, etc. Then we would like to restart our tours and our stage shows. I’ve been responding to a few requests lately, but no specific date as promoters can’t really schedule shows yet.

Daily Music Roll: Are you working on something new or planning to release projects anytime soon?

Five ten: Since the Covid lockdown, we’ve all spent time composing new tracks for the band. We’ve just started rehearsing, so we have the material from “Cinco um Zero” and “New World” to tighten up. We also started working on some of the new material. We have our plates full of our music. We want to keep advancing our music and our ideas. We usually play our new material live before we decide to record it, so I’m sure people will hear a lot of great music when they come to see us.

Jennifer Stone turned her love of music to writing. She is one of the Daily Music Roll writers and is engaged in creating positive reviews, music blogs and music press releases for various artists here.