Get Ready for The Nth Power, Earth Wind & Power at A Feast of Funk & Soul Food
The newest event to hit the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park is A Feast of Funk and Soul Food, November 18 & 19 (Friday and Saturday). Small events there have been so wonderful, including Roosevelt Collier’s Suwannee Getdowns and Summer Splashdown, Reunion: Campout Concert, and numerous disc jams.
This new event, just a week before Thanksgiving, will be celebration of family, food, beverage, and music, all at the location many patrons refer to as heaven. Produced by Purple Hat Productions and Southern Soul BBQ, A Feast of Funk and Soul Food will live up to its name.
That goes especially for the musical aspect of this fest. Headlining the first annual event is Earth Wind & Power, a tribute to the music of Earth Wind & Fire performed by The Nth Power and featuring artists Jennifer Hartswick, Skerik, Farnell Newton, James Casey, Daniel Sadownick, and Brian Thomas. The Nth Power closes the music Friday night in the Music Hall, with the Earth Wind and Power set shutting down Saturday night.
The Nth Power are Nikki Glaspie (drums), Nick Cassarino (guitar), Nate Edgar (bass), and Courtney J’mell Smith (keyboards). They’ve just released a great new live album, To Be Free, and their current tour closes at A Feast of Funk and Soul Food. On Facebook, they list their genre as LOVE. Plus funk, soul, rock, and lots more.
The quartet has invited incredible players to join them for the Earth Wind and Power set, starting with Jennifer Hartswick, one of the most in-demand trumpet players anywhere. The Trey Anastasio alumna is also bringing her band this time. She absolutely killed at AURA Music and Arts Festival at the park last March and was pure magic at the recent Bear Creek Bayou. Hartswick’s band also performs Friday night.
Skerik brings his tenor saxophone to the conversation. His resume is so deep, starting with Critters Buggin’, The Dead Kenny Gs, Garage A Trois, Bandalera, Ponga, and Skerik’s Syncopated Taint Septet. He was a part of all of Les Claypool’s Frog Brigade bands. He has toured with artists from Roger Waters to Bonnie Raitt and has dozens of recordings to his credit. His set with Stanton Moore and Charlie Hunter at Bear Creek Bayou (the original Garage A Trois) was incredible as were his sit-ins the remainder of the weekend there.
Farnell Newton is a revered trumpet player, producer and educator in Portland OR. He teaches at Portland State University, leads a youth group called PDX Jazz Project, and has two albums, Ready to Roll and Class is Now in Session (what a great title!). He has toured with Jill Scott and Bootsy Collins, among others, including Earth, Wind and Fire (he’s a natural for this set!).
Another Trey Anastasio band member is tenor sax player James Casey. He has played in Animus Rex and Decipher, and he has played in the horn section with both Soulive and Lettuce.
And speaking of Soulive and Lettuce, Brian Thomas has played trombone with both bands and with Maceo Parker, Melvin Sparks and many others. He has played in Pressure Cooker and leads his own jazz quartet and jazz orchestra in addition to playing with funksters Akashic Record.
Drummer and percussionist Daniel Sadownick is a faculty member at New York University. He worked for several years with Lionel Hampton and has toured with Steely Dan and Me’Shell Ndege’Ocello and many others. His group function Over Structure has a percussion focus, playing all original compositions.
That is a spectacular band. You’d better get your dancing shoes and vocal chords ready, because you’re going to be dancing and singing all night long at A Feast of Funk and Soul Food. MusicFestNews will see you there!
The Nth Power will also return to Florida to headline Hometeam New Year’s Rally in Lakeland December 29-January 1.