Marc Cary's Cosmic Indigenous
Apollo Music Cafe, May 12, 2012. Marc Cary’s group Cosmic Indigenous captures the elements and energies of cultural sounds infused with the essence of Africa, India, Native America and beyond. Marc Cary was hailed by Down Beat as one of the most, “multi-dimensional keyboard players on the scene today,” whose music reveals those multi-dimensions in sensual living color. Marc Cary’s continual search for his musical identity has brought him to all corners of the earth, quenching his thirst to bring forth indigenous music in all of its forms. Cary was among the pioneers of Washington, D.C.’s infamous "GO-GO" rhythms that defined that musical scene and are continuously being referenced in hip-hop and jazz.
He was exposed to all types of musical genres. Marc started his musical journey playing the cello, trumpet, drums and piano. Classical music was very much a part of his training, however, jazz became his passion. At 18, he was playing with the Dizzy Gillespie Youth Ensemble at Wolf Trap. He has earned four Grammy® nominations for his ensemble work, most recently in 2009 for "Best Contemporary Jazz Album" as a participant in Stefon Harris's Blackout.
His production work on Q-Tip's The Renaissance helped earn that disc a nomination for "Best Rap Album" of 2009. Cary’s seminal masterwork, Rhodes Ahead Vol 1., released in 2000 and considered by many to be a classic, earned him the first Annual Billboard/BET "Best New Jazz Artist Award." His collaborations in all musical genres across the board include work with Meshell Ndegeocello, Dizzy Gillespie, Betty Carter, Arthur Taylor, Abbey Lincoln, Erykah Badu, Max Roach, Shirley Horn, Jackie McLean, Seku Sundiata, Ani DiFranco, Cindy Blackman Santana, Wynton Marsalis and Roy Hargrove, among others.
THE COSMIC INDIGENOUS
Daniel Moreno on percussion – A prolific musician, producer and improvisational composer, Daniel Moreno started his musical career playing with artists like George Benson, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Jo Cano, Manu and Willie Kahaialihi in Hawaii. He then moved to Brazil where he recorded the classic album Es Tamos Juntos and with the Angolan superstar Waldermar Bastoes featuring Chico Buargue. Daniel Moreno has performed in jazz and sacred music festivals, venues and universities all over the world collaborating with everyone from Pharoah Sanders and Les Paul to Roy Haynes and his musical conduit Don Cherry.
Awa Sangho,Vocals - was born in 1972 in Bamako, Mali. She spent her childhood in Dire in Mali, raised by her grandmother. She joined her family in Abidjan, the capital of the Ivory Coast, in 1980 and quickly became immersed in its music scene, absorbing the Bete influences. In 1988, she joined L'Ensemble Koteba D'Abidjan, and toured around the world, mastering the band’s theatrical style of chants and dance. Soon after, she formed the renowned female band Les Go De Koteba, where she tapped into her roots of authentic, modern African music. Her extraordinary voice lent itself well to interpreting the moving Sahelien lyrics and polyphonies of the countryside. Sangho continues to flourish and gain musical maturity as she carries on the traditions of L'Ensemble Koteba D'Abidjan.
Sameer Gupta is known as one of the few percussionists simultaneously representing the traditions of American jazz on drumset, and Indian classical music on tabla. Though his first few years were spent under the guidance of Ustad Zakir Hussain, his own interests and love of tabla brought him to the great tabla maestro Pt Anindo Chatterjee, of whom he is now a dedicated disciple.
Igmar Thomas, Trumpet - Trumpeter, composer, arranger, bandleader Igmar Thomas has developed his craft since the age of 12, picking up appendages to his style from playing with legends such as Lionel Hampton, Clark Terry, Roy Hargrove, Ralph Peterson, and Terri Lynne Carrington. He graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2006 where he studied on a full
