Hazmat Modine
(New York / USA)
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In General
Hazmat Modine from New York City
"Hazmat Modine: ...this wild group led by the singer and harmonica player Wade Schuman. They play Blues originals, mostly, that are the product of Schuman's limitless imagination. His voice, for that matter, appears to be bottomless." (The New Yorker)
"Hazmat Modine is surely one of the most remarkable musical group that has made one of the most remarkable records I've ever heard...My ears turned inside out in every direction to hear all of it. What fantastic music!" (Bengt Eriksson, Roots, Denmark)
"...Hazmat Modine's CD 'Bahamut' is a raucous, raunchy, universally passionate celebration of life."
(John Noyd, Maximum Ink)
HAZMAT MODINE draws from the rich soil of American music of the 20's and 30's through to the 50's and early 60's, blending elements of early Blues, Hokum Jugband, Swing, New Orleans R & B, and Jamaican Rocksteady. The band is driven by a pair of duelling harmonicas which use call and response, harmony, melody, and syncopated interweaving rhythms. They are backed by a band which includes tuba, guitar, drums and percussion, claviola and Hawaiian steel guitar. The band's sound reflects musical influences ranging from Avant-garde Jazz to Rockabilly and Western Swing to Middle-Eastern, African, and Hawaiian musical styles.
HAZMAT MODINE's Frontman Wade Schuman has the appropriately throaty voice of someone who has both hopped freight trains and collaborated with the Throat Singers of Tuva (really...). In addition to his own material the band cover tunes by Slim Gaillard, Jimmy Rogers, Jaybird Coleman, and Irving Berlin.
Their Debut CD "Bahamut" was released in Europe in 2007 and gained world wide acclaim. Since then, Hazmat Modine performed more than one hundred concerts in 20 European countries, playing well-known festivals like Jazzfest Vienna, Copenhagen Jazzfestival, Berlin Jazzfest and many others. In spring 2010 they will tour Europe once again to present their upcoming second album, which will be released in 2010.
Hazmat Modine are:
Wade Schuman:
Diatonic Harmonica, Guitar, Banjitar, Lead Vocals.
Wade Schuman's first career has nothing to do with music. Born in 1962 he was awarded major scholarships and prizes incl. the Mary Post Prize fir Painting. Playing the harmonica since the age of ten, Wade is an accomplished master in the early Blues and musical styles of the 1920's and 30's. He grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan which has long had a vital and interesting musical scene, and currently resides and works in New York City. He draws musical inspiration from among others: Desmond Dekker, Jaybird Coleman, Sidney Bechet, Taraf De Haidouks and Slim Gaillard. Recording credits include Joan Osborn's "Relish" which was nominated for four Grammies.
Klick on the link to see some of his work.
Bill Barrett:
Diatonic Harmonica, Chromatic Harmonica, Sheng, Vocals
Bill Barrett performs with a wide range of well-known artists, from Anthony Williams (Diana Krall) and Greg Ginn (Black Flag) to the USC Orechestra and L.A. Philaharmonic. Bill Barrett has also performed and recorded with such new music innovators as Nels Cline (Wilco), Vinny Golia, Eugene Chadbourne and Oliver Lake. As a bandleader Barrett has released several genre bending records, ranging from soul-jazz aberrations and high-octane blues to modal chamber jazz on the Los Angeles Punk label SST and the renowned Ninewinds jazz label. He is currently one half of the innovative Indo-Blues duo Gutpuppet and holds down the harmonica chair in Marc Ford's Neptun Blues Club.
Joesph Daley:
Tuba
Joseph is a native of New York and perhaps this country's most consistent and creative "Lower Brass Specialist". Among others he has played with Sam Rivers, Carla Bley, Taj Mahal, Charlie Haden, Gil Evans, Lionel Hampton, Howard Johnson, Dave Douglas, and Muhal Richard Abrams. He appears on well over a dozen recordings.
Pete Smith:
Guitar
Pete Smith is a New York City-based guitarist who performs in a wide range of musical settings. A founding member of Grupo Los Santos, a vanguard Afro-Cuban and Brazilian-style quartet, he has played New York's Town Hall and concerts throughout the U.S. and in Cuba. For the last 10 years he has been a member of bassist Phil Bowler's band Pocket Jungle, performing at the New Haven and Hartford jazz festivals. He has worked with Norah Jones, Donald Byrd, Juan Pablo Torres, Andrew Hill, Steve Davis, Bill Charlap, The Flying Neutrinos, Vince Giordano & the Nighthawks, the Moonlighters and Madeline Peyroux. Pete's recording credits include Juan Pablo Torres' BMG release "Together Again", featuring Arturro Sandoval and Chucho Valdes, Kerry Pollitzer's "Yearning", and Paul Carlon's "Looking Up".
Michael Gomez:
Guitar, Steel Guitar, Banjitar
Originally from Northern California, Michael Gomez has been living in New York City for fourteen years. Apart from HAZMAT modine, he is currently playing with Greta Gertler & The Extroverts, his own band Wormwood and in a side-project with members of Ween. A highly sought-after and versatile guitarist, he has shared the stages of Joe's Pub, CBGB's, Barbes, The Living Room, Tonic, The Knitting Factory and many other venues, with amongst others: The Moonlighters, members of the Mink Lungs, The Bootleg Remedy, Slavic Soul Party!, and Jack Grace. He is a long-time student and disciple of Mike Longo, Dizzy Gillespie's pianist/arranger. Michael's fluid technique encompasses a remarkable range of styles and musical vocabulary, from Delta blues to Gypsy swing to Sun Ra. His subtle and unique approach to tone and rhythm, plus the breadth of his influences, make him a key, anchoring component of Hazmat Modine.
Rich Huntley:
Drums
Richard Huntley is a New York City based percussionist who plays a wide variety of music including Jazz, Brazilian, Afro-Cuban, klezmer and other styles. He has recorded and or performed with John Benitez, Luis Bonilla, Cameron Brown, Billy Drewes, Frank London, the Kleztraphobix, Hector Martignon, Mulgrew Miller, Dom Salvador, and Jack Wilkins. He is on the faculty at the Manhattan School of Music, and is a visiting instructor at the Fokemusicksolen in Arhus, Denmark. He has a M.M. from the Manhattan School of Music.
Pam Fleming:
Trumpet, Flugelhorn
NYC trumpet player and composer Pam Fleming is the leader of original world jazz group Fearless Dreamer. Pam is best known for her work with Lilith Fair artists Natalie Merchant, Sarah McLachlan, Indigo Girls; Reggae stars Burning Spear, Dennis Brown and Maxi Priest; and Klezmer groups Metropolitan Klezmer and Isle of Klezbos.
Steve Elson:
Baritone Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet, Duduk, Flute
As a teenager, saxophonist Steve Elson toured with the legendary Johnny Otis Rhythm and Blues Revue, featuring Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, Shuggie Otis and the Three Tons of Joy.He has gone on to play in a wide variety of settings including world tours with David Bowie, film soundtracks for Philip Glass, cooperation with the Slickaphonics and several hundred pop, jazz, klezmer, R&B and new music recordings. Elson has been a recipient of numerous compostion grants and fellowships from the NEA, NYFA and Mary Cary Flagler. among others. He leads his group Steve Elson's Lips and Fingers Ensemble.
