About Members of ViBiraTion
Jomo Faulks - mbira, percussion, vocals
A rare spirit, Jomo is
an innovator and player of the first chromatic/electric mbira of its kind,
based on the ancient African mbira (thumb piano). His solo debut CD, Mystical
ViBiraTion, is a
collection of his original compositions, performed on traditional mbiras
from across the diaspora. Laced with his signature African/Eastern inspiration,
these compositions draw from traditional, R&B, hip-hop, jazz and new age
influences.
From east to west
coasts of the United States, and Canada to Jamaica, this Dayton, Ohio native
has traveled extensively, playing with numerous performers and recording
artists of renown. He appeared with such
music greats as Don Cherry and Carl Berger. Accompanying Brother Ah, Jomo performed with The Sounds of Awareness in Washington D.C. in the
mid-1980s, recording "Meditation/Black Light from the Womb." He appeared on the soundtrack for the movie
"From Ashes to Embers," produced by Haile Gerima, the maker of the movie “Sankofa” which premiered at
the International Film Festival of New York (1983), playing mbira, percussion
and performing vocals. While
specializing in rhythms that have a decidedly African flavor, Jomo is equally
fluent in jazz and R&B.
On the concert circuit,
Jomo has opened for such noted entertainers as James Taylor, Spyro Gyra,
Doc Severinson, Sun Ra, Michael Brecker,
Dick Gregory and King Sunny Ade. He has performed live theatrical scores for
"Kickin' High", a play by L. Maurice White, and for "The Colored
Museum", an off-Broadway musical by George C. Wolfe.
Jomo was commissioned
by the Miami Zoological Society to create the theme
song for Miami’ Metro Zoo’s
then new exhibition, “Wall of the Wild.”
His composition, “Wild Walls,” premiered at the exhibit's unveiling,
marking the newest at the zoo since it had been ravaged by Hurricane Andrew.
This composition along with an
improvised live recording called “Meeting of the
Ancestors,” recorded with master balafon player and percussionist, Yaya Diallo, has been re-released on the above CD.
Other projects to his
credit include performing on the CD “Caribbean Jazz Cruise” with Miami Steel
& Percussion Orchestra (2000), composing and performing “Baqti” on
cellist Ron Clearfield's album,
“Songs of a New Earth” (1985), playing percussion on Clearfield’s “Dream
Manifestation”album (1987); and, performing as a member of the Afro-pop group,
Asante, on their recording of “Serengeti Voices”(1986). He is currently working
on his next recording project featuring his chromatic mbira playing new
compositions and some familiar jazz and R&B tunes. Jomo is the founder of ViBiraTion.
Stuart King - trumpet, percussion, vocals
Stuart
King is a trumpet player residing in Miami, Florida. Originally from Bolivar,
Tennessee, he grew up absorbing the jazz, blues, and gospel sounds in and
around Memphis, the Deep South--the Bible Belt--the "Land of Cotton".
At an early age he would listen and
practice to far-ranging musicians and influences such as Phineas Newborn, Jr.,
Baptist church hymns, marching bands, The Jackson, Tennessee Symphony
Orchestra, Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, Don Cherry, Dizzy Gillespie, Louis
Armstrong, R&B groups on AM radio and country music shows on television. He
honed his talents playing gigs in Memphis and other Mid-South areas, including
a recording date at Stax Records. He played throughout Arkansas, the
Mississippi Delta region, Tennessee, Texas, and New York before moving to
Miami.
Life in multi-cultural Miami ushered Stuart’s
foray into that dizzying array of musical influences and styles known as World Music. His performances with many international
musical organizations have led him to venues in multiple cities throughout
Africa, Western and Eastern Europe, Asia, India, South and Central America, and
the Caribbean. Stuart regards his musical quest as an unforgettable experience
and a blessing that has allowed him to see how other cultures live and to hear
the music they hold dear. He places a high value on the musical influence and
interactions with musicians throughout the world. His musical travels have taken him from three
miles high in the Andes Mountains of Peru to ten feet below sea level in New
Orleans, and across every ocean on the planet.
More than
allowing him the witness the marvels of our world, Stuart’s travels put him on
stage with some of the world’s finest artists: Celia Cruz, Mongo Santamaria,
Ira Sullivan, Jaco Pastorius, KC and the Sunshine Band, Tavares, and many of
the great bands from Puerto Rico, Haiti and The Dominican Republic are among
the many he has accompanied with his trumpet sound. He has appeared in music
videos with Willie Nelson, Julio Iglesias, Willy Chirino, Gloria Estephan and
has appeared on The Today Show and CBS's Sunday Morning. He played for
President Reagan on his visit to Miami.
Stuart is part of the exciting group Oriente'. Oriente' has played many venues
including The St. Lucia Jazz Festival, Naples Jazz Festival, So. Florida Jazz
and Heritage Festival, Arturo Sandoval's Jazz Club, and many other events over
the past four years; also many local venues in the Miami area. Stuart also played with the fantastic group from
Ivory Coast, Chakala, led by guitarist/singer, Dadji and his wife/vocalist,
Kwinah. The music is very moving both melodically and rhythmically. Add BV on
African drum and Stuart's haunting trumpet to the mix, produces the sublime
sound of true World Music. --Stuart is also a part of the SOS Free-Jazz
Movement(Sing Our Song) and he teaches music at Emanuel Baptist Haitian Church
in Little Haiti. Now he adds his immense talents to the new mbira band, ViBiraTion.
Sharif Abdullah - mbira, marimbula, percussion
Added soon
Jojo Morocco - percussion, violin
Widely acclaimed as a percussionist
extraordinaire, JoJo Morocco is a proven master of the tabla (Darbouka), congas,
bongos and a variety of other percussion instruments. A versatile artist who
has recorded an impressive number of tracks, JoJo received outstanding reviews
in 1988 for his EP “JoJo Morocco,” produced by Bones Jones, former drummer for
the late James Brown. The album was
nominated to receive Canada’s
most prestigious “Juno Award” as well as the Best Jazz Dance Music Award by the
Record Pools of Canada.
Born to Salim Azra, Joseph’s father greatly
influenced his son’s percussion musical career whose roots began in their
native Casablanca, Morocco. Salim was a legendary Moroccan and Egyptian
classical musician, renowned worldwide as a Qanun player and favorite performer
at the Royal Palace of Morocco.
Since 1965, when JoJo’s family
migrated to Montreal, Canada, JoJo continued to develop his musical
talents. In 1974, JoJo met Edmond
Charles, a master pan player and teacher, whose brother was Rudolph Charles, a
renowned pan player and one of the best pan tuners in Trinidad.
JoJo played his first conga set in Edmond’s band,
the following month, quickly picking up most of the Calypso and Caribbean rhythms.
JoJo relocated in 1976 to Los Angeles where he had the opportunity to
play with great artists such as Jimmy Smith, George Benson, Ronnie Foster and
Phil Upchurch at Jimmy Smith’s Supper Club in the late ‘70s.
Then in 1981, JoJo’s keen interest
in jazz motivated him to return to Montreal where he played extensively with that
city’s best. In 1983, JoJo joined with
Bones Jones and Rhonda Smith to form a group called “The Bones Jones Band”,
which introduced High Energy Funk groove to Canada. The JoJo Morocco-Bones Jones team has since evolved
and continue to produce. In 1986, JoJo
recorded in Canada
his first Extended Play Album with unique Funk Fusion Groove Jazz sounds that
both exhilarated and bewildered the Canadian market.
Currently, JoJo continues to record
with multicultural musical groups and threads with many styles of global music,
including Middle-Eastern, Rai, African Jazz, Brazilian Jazz, Latin Jazz,
Fusion-Funk Jazz, dance tracks, Classical & Commercial Egyptian and most
Northern African styles. His “Master Jam”
CD, demonstrating his totally unique and eclectic sounds, has been released
worldwide on iTunes, CD Baby, GarageBand, REVER NATION.COM and many other
internet distributors.
Together, JoJo and Bones Jones have produced and licensed several
artists including two of JoJo’s CDs, available for sale on the internet, under
their own label, Nubop International LLC. We
are honored to now have Jojo as our percussionist with ViBiraTion.