Tony Adamo

BEFORE RAP, THERE WAS…Tony Adamo: Miles of Blu

by George W. Harris • July 15, 2013 • 0 Comments


You think rap (did I ever tell you the perfect radio station for it? K-RAP?) was the first music to offer the street scene? Forget it! Guys like Tony Adamo, and before him, Gil Scott-Heron tell BETTER stories, with a BETTER rhyme and with FAR BETTER musicians. Adamo on this disc celebrates the vibe, the attitude and the stars of the jazz scene on this disc with heavy hitters like Mike Clark/dr, Tim Ouimette/brass, Steve Homan/g and other cats with a rubber neck. His own tunes have a funky feel, and like the best street preachers, he tells the story like he means it. Homages to James Brown and Miles Davis sound right on the mark with Adamo dodging and ducking the lyrics like Floyd Patterson, and while the “America R We Free” tells me that Adamo could use a few economic books by Thomas Sowell, his streetwise readings of a couple Tower of Power tunes, particularly “Soul Vaccination” is a perfect update of a similar attitude.
- Jazz Weekly

BEFORE RAP, THERE WAS…Tony Adamo: Miles of Blu

by George W. Harris • July 15, 2013 • 0 Comments


You think rap (did I ever tell you the perfect radio station for it? K-RAP?) was the first music to offer the street scene? Forget it! Guys like Tony Adamo, and before him, Gil Scott-Heron tell BETTER stories, with a BETTER rhyme and with FAR BETTER musicians. Adamo on this disc celebrates the vibe, the attitude and the stars of the jazz scene on this disc with heavy hitters like Mike Clark/dr, Tim Ouimette/brass, Steve Homan/g and other cats with a rubber neck. His own tunes have a funky feel, and like the best street preachers, he tells the story like he means it. Homages to James Brown and Miles Davis sound right on the mark with Adamo dodging and ducking the lyrics like Floyd Patterson, and while the “America R We Free” tells me that Adamo could use a few economic books by Thomas Sowell, his streetwise readings of a couple Tower of Power tunes, particularly “Soul Vaccination” is a perfect update of a similar attitude.
- Jazz Weekly

As the business and cultural landscape of improvisational music has evolved over the last year or two I am starting to notice a slight trend toward the inclusion of poetry and spoken word passages on some recordings and with incredibly mixed results. Tony Adamo is releasing a spoken word recording or "beatnik jazz" that is way outside my personal wheelhouse but when you toss in drummer Mike Clark, pianist Michael Wolf and horn ace Stephen "Doc" Kupka you end up with the next generation of hip. Sort of a deconstructed Miles Davis Birth Of The Cool amped up to the new millennium. Adamo is much in the same way as Miles, a visionary.




Tony's unique vision has opened up yet another sub genre on the jazz family tree being commonly referred to as "HipSpokenWord." Personally I like "Beatnik Jazz" better but to each his own. Jazz / funk drummer Mike Clark is the producer and lends his prolific talents to help elevate Adamo's game to the next level. When you have the former musical director for Arsenio Hall in Michael Wolf and Tower of Power veteran "Doc" Kupka then you know people are indeed buying what you are selling. Adamo's words are powerful, topical and guaranteed to make you think while expanding your musical horizons into a well defined poetry for the culture today.




"JB" kicks off and pays tribute to the hardest working man in show business while "America R We Free?" is a more personal statement involving the p.o.v of America being built on the blood sweat and tears of the middle class. While not necessarily agreeing with Adamo's politics, I would be the first to applaud his fearlessness in putting himself "out there." A former editor would often caution me on gratuitous self references but whether you are a writer or a vocal artist, a shared perspective is just that and what the audience chooses to do or make of it is strictly up to them. "Sun-Ra Rockets To Mars" has a more ambient vibe and spatial integrity reinforced by the relentless groove of producer Clark.




With the exception of only a handful of traditional rap artists, most creative vocalists are lacking the substance and stamina to put an entire recording on their backs in an effort to either spread their message, music or both. Tony Adamo makes it look effortless and with a virtual all star line up he gains the freedom to let his imagination soar. Sometimes stepping outside your musical comfort zone is a good thing and Tony Adamo makes it an enlightening experience!




5 Stars for creativity and ingenuity alone!




Tracks: JB; Miles Of Blu; Funkin' At The Chickn Shack; America R We Free?; BBQ; The Power Of Funky Madness; Soul Vacation; Don't Change Horses; Ain't That A Groove?"; Jack Kerouac, Jack!; Sun-Ra Rockets To Mars; What Is Hip?" The Other Side Of Time; Ticking Clock.




Personnel: Tony Adamo: vocals, hipspokenword; Mike Clark: drums; Tim Ouimette: trumpet / trombone; Bill Harris: bari / alto / tenor sax; Richie Goods: bass; Delbert Bump: organ; Steve Homan: guitar; Gary Mielke: bass / keyboards; Rob Dixon: tenor / alto sax; Derrick Gardner: trumpet; Stephen "Doc" Kupka: bari sax; Brett Palm: bass; Bill Summers: percussion; Kati Mac: background vocals; Tom Guarna: guitar; Michael Wolf: piano.

Learn More About Tony:

http://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/musician.php?id=1728


- Bop-N-Jazz

As the business and cultural landscape of improvisational music has evolved over the last year or two I am starting to notice a slight trend toward the inclusion of poetry and spoken word passages on some recordings and with incredibly mixed results. Tony Adamo is releasing a spoken word recording or "beatnik jazz" that is way outside my personal wheelhouse but when you toss in drummer Mike Clark, pianist Michael Wolf and horn ace Stephen "Doc" Kupka you end up with the next generation of hip. Sort of a deconstructed Miles Davis Birth Of The Cool amped up to the new millennium. Adamo is much in the same way as Miles, a visionary.




Tony's unique vision has opened up yet another sub genre on the jazz family tree being commonly referred to as "HipSpokenWord." Personally I like "Beatnik Jazz" better but to each his own. Jazz / funk drummer Mike Clark is the producer and lends his prolific talents to help elevate Adamo's game to the next level. When you have the former musical director for Arsenio Hall in Michael Wolf and Tower of Power veteran "Doc" Kupka then you know people are indeed buying what you are selling. Adamo's words are powerful, topical and guaranteed to make you think while expanding your musical horizons into a well defined poetry for the culture today.




"JB" kicks off and pays tribute to the hardest working man in show business while "America R We Free?" is a more personal statement involving the p.o.v of America being built on the blood sweat and tears of the middle class. While not necessarily agreeing with Adamo's politics, I would be the first to applaud his fearlessness in putting himself "out there." A former editor would often caution me on gratuitous self references but whether you are a writer or a vocal artist, a shared perspective is just that and what the audience chooses to do or make of it is strictly up to them. "Sun-Ra Rockets To Mars" has a more ambient vibe and spatial integrity reinforced by the relentless groove of producer Clark.




With the exception of only a handful of traditional rap artists, most creative vocalists are lacking the substance and stamina to put an entire recording on their backs in an effort to either spread their message, music or both. Tony Adamo makes it look effortless and with a virtual all star line up he gains the freedom to let his imagination soar. Sometimes stepping outside your musical comfort zone is a good thing and Tony Adamo makes it an enlightening experience!




5 Stars for creativity and ingenuity alone!




Tracks: JB; Miles Of Blu; Funkin' At The Chickn Shack; America R We Free?; BBQ; The Power Of Funky Madness; Soul Vacation; Don't Change Horses; Ain't That A Groove?"; Jack Kerouac, Jack!; Sun-Ra Rockets To Mars; What Is Hip?" The Other Side Of Time; Ticking Clock.




Personnel: Tony Adamo: vocals, hipspokenword; Mike Clark: drums; Tim Ouimette: trumpet / trombone; Bill Harris: bari / alto / tenor sax; Richie Goods: bass; Delbert Bump: organ; Steve Homan: guitar; Gary Mielke: bass / keyboards; Rob Dixon: tenor / alto sax; Derrick Gardner: trumpet; Stephen "Doc" Kupka: bari sax; Brett Palm: bass; Bill Summers: percussion; Kati Mac: background vocals; Tom Guarna: guitar; Michael Wolf: piano.

Learn More About Tony:

http://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/musician.php?id=1728


- Bop-N-Jazz

Tony Adamo: Miles of Blu (2013)

By
NICHOLAS F. MONDELLO,












Published: August 19, 2013
Long before rappers and scratchers, resurrected Mummies, and Lord Buckley's hipsters and flipsters, the ancient Greeks had a name for "cats" like Tony Adamo

—rhapsode. The homonym notwithstanding, a rhapsode was a speak-singer—who plucked his lyre and "spung" (spoke-sung) expressive tales of towering, powerful Gods and the tribulations of mortals below them. Pan pipes and percussion types might have accompanied a rhapsode (perhaps doing an early Greek version of James Brown

's "Famous Flames" or Adamo's hip crew here?).

With Miles of Blu,vocalist and modern day rhapsode Tony Adamo and his outstanding supporting musicians deliver a hip, poignant and exciting recording. He covers both slick original material and specifically salutes Tower of Power, James Brown, great Hammond B3 players, beboppers, and jazz-funk groups. Adamo's pungent yet poetic social commentary—performed and described as "hipspokenword"—glides over tight funk and jazz backgrounds.

As vocalist, Adamo's exciting, highly-energetic interpretations avoid any faux hip inflections. He swings soulfully heavy ("Ticking Clock"), has great rhythmic feel, and injects a soul vaccination across the date. His scripted dialog is powerful in presentation and content ("Sun-Ra Rockets to Mars"). There's no hand or lip jive; the "hipspokenwords" are performed as dit-dot tight as the horns and infectious rhythms behind him ("Ain't That a Groove"). He channels the "Beat" poets Jack Kerouac and Alan Ginsberg, and modern verbalists, Mark Murphy and Gil Scott-Heron. Adamo is way too sophisticated and on social point to be placed on the same street corner as "rap." His lines, inflected with the verbiage of the then-and-now hip, evoke and show an abundance of thought ("America R We Free?").

Adamo's entire support crew is superb and clearly dyed deep blue in the jazz-funk tradition. Laying down a solid, driving underbelly, drummer Mike Clark (of Herbie Hancock

's "Headhunters" fame) shines. Trumpeter Tim Ouimette screams, leads and blows great jazz ("Miles of Blu"). The addition of Delbert Bump's B3 brings the R+B thing full circle ("Don't Change Horses") and Tower of Power

's Stephen "Doc" Kupka makes a studio call, bringing his hat, black bag, and balls-to-the-wall baritone along.

While the Greek philosophers might have suggested we take all things in moderation, a very full serving of tasty jazz-funk and brilliantly performed verbal presentations are served on this "Blu"-plate special. It's a jazz-funk ear-feast. So, please pass the Ouzo, Plato.

Track Listing: JB; Miles of Blu; Funkin’ at the Chicken Shack; America R We Free?; BBQ; The Power of Funky Madness; Soul Vaccination; Don’t Change Horses; Ain’t That a Groove; Jack Kerouac, Jack!; Sun-Ra Rockets to Mars; What is Hip? The Other Side of Time; Ticking Clock.

Personnel: Tony Adamo: vocals, “hipspokenword”; Mike Clark: drums; Tim Ouimette: trumpet, trombone; Rick Gardner: trumpet (6, 7); Bill Harris: alto, tenor, baritone saxophone (1, 4, 14); Richie Goods: bass; Delbert Bump: organ; Steve Homan: guitar; Bill Summers: percussion (4, 9, 13); Rob Dixon: tenor, alto saxophone; Gary Milked: bass (4, 9), keyboards; Brett Palm: bass; Danny Drawer: guitar (14); Stephen “Doc” Kupka (7, 9); Tom Guarna: guitar (11, 13); Michael Wolff: piano (13); Kati Mac: background vocals (11); Brett Palm: bass (8, 12, 14).

Record Label: Random Act Records
Style: Modern Jazz




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- Allaboutjazz NICHOLAS F. MONDELLO

Tony Adamo: Miles of Blu (2013)

By
NICHOLAS F. MONDELLO,












Published: August 19, 2013
Long before rappers and scratchers, resurrected Mummies, and Lord Buckley's hipsters and flipsters, the ancient Greeks had a name for "cats" like Tony Adamo

—rhapsode. The homonym notwithstanding, a rhapsode was a speak-singer—who plucked his lyre and "spung" (spoke-sung) expressive tales of towering, powerful Gods and the tribulations of mortals below them. Pan pipes and percussion types might have accompanied a rhapsode (perhaps doing an early Greek version of James Brown

's "Famous Flames" or Adamo's hip crew here?).

With Miles of Blu,vocalist and modern day rhapsode Tony Adamo and his outstanding supporting musicians deliver a hip, poignant and exciting recording. He covers both slick original material and specifically salutes Tower of Power, James Brown, great Hammond B3 players, beboppers, and jazz-funk groups. Adamo's pungent yet poetic social commentary—performed and described as "hipspokenword"—glides over tight funk and jazz backgrounds.

As vocalist, Adamo's exciting, highly-energetic interpretations avoid any faux hip inflections. He swings soulfully heavy ("Ticking Clock"), has great rhythmic feel, and injects a soul vaccination across the date. His scripted dialog is powerful in presentation and content ("Sun-Ra Rockets to Mars"). There's no hand or lip jive; the "hipspokenwords" are performed as dit-dot tight as the horns and infectious rhythms behind him ("Ain't That a Groove"). He channels the "Beat" poets Jack Kerouac and Alan Ginsberg, and modern verbalists, Mark Murphy and Gil Scott-Heron. Adamo is way too sophisticated and on social point to be placed on the same street corner as "rap." His lines, inflected with the verbiage of the then-and-now hip, evoke and show an abundance of thought ("America R We Free?").

Adamo's entire support crew is superb and clearly dyed deep blue in the jazz-funk tradition. Laying down a solid, driving underbelly, drummer Mike Clark (of Herbie Hancock

's "Headhunters" fame) shines. Trumpeter Tim Ouimette screams, leads and blows great jazz ("Miles of Blu"). The addition of Delbert Bump's B3 brings the R+B thing full circle ("Don't Change Horses") and Tower of Power

's Stephen "Doc" Kupka makes a studio call, bringing his hat, black bag, and balls-to-the-wall baritone along.

While the Greek philosophers might have suggested we take all things in moderation, a very full serving of tasty jazz-funk and brilliantly performed verbal presentations are served on this "Blu"-plate special. It's a jazz-funk ear-feast. So, please pass the Ouzo, Plato.

Track Listing: JB; Miles of Blu; Funkin’ at the Chicken Shack; America R We Free?; BBQ; The Power of Funky Madness; Soul Vaccination; Don’t Change Horses; Ain’t That a Groove; Jack Kerouac, Jack!; Sun-Ra Rockets to Mars; What is Hip? The Other Side of Time; Ticking Clock.

Personnel: Tony Adamo: vocals, “hipspokenword”; Mike Clark: drums; Tim Ouimette: trumpet, trombone; Rick Gardner: trumpet (6, 7); Bill Harris: alto, tenor, baritone saxophone (1, 4, 14); Richie Goods: bass; Delbert Bump: organ; Steve Homan: guitar; Bill Summers: percussion (4, 9, 13); Rob Dixon: tenor, alto saxophone; Gary Milked: bass (4, 9), keyboards; Brett Palm: bass; Danny Drawer: guitar (14); Stephen “Doc” Kupka (7, 9); Tom Guarna: guitar (11, 13); Michael Wolff: piano (13); Kati Mac: background vocals (11); Brett Palm: bass (8, 12, 14).

Record Label: Random Act Records
Style: Modern Jazz




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- Allaboutjazz NICHOLAS F. MONDELLO

Website: http://randomactrecords.com/
On his latest effort, and debut recording for
Random Act Records, TONY ADAMO has created a
unique genre: “HipSpokenWord.” Built on the
wisdom of musical wizards like Gil-Scott Heron,
Mark Murphy, Jack Kerouac and hip/hop master
rappers, Tony speaks the Truth through his poetic
musings. With preeminent players like producer
Mike Clark (drums), Richie Goods (bass), Delbert
Bump (organ), Michael Wolff (piano), Bill Summers
(percussion) and Tim Ouimette, Rob Dixon, Derek
Gardner and even Tower of Power's own physician of the funk, Stephen "Doc" Kupka. This release will turn heads and blow minds: Tales of travails and triumphs, told in the hippest of ways! Tony speaks/sings his way through the
urban landscapes of Jazz, Funk and Soul.
From the title track “Miles of Blu,” a nod to the
dark prince of Jazz, to “JB,” an homage to the
Godfather of Soul, to a down-home “BBQ” and
asking “America R We Free,” Tony tells it like it is
in his own mesmerizing manner.
The Grooves are infectious, the moods evocative,
the music sizzling and the words – HIP! “MILES OF
BLU” takes listeners on a swinging journey,
culminating in a funky good time!
Fred Harris Random Act Records
- Random Act Records

Website: http://randomactrecords.com/
On his latest effort, and debut recording for
Random Act Records, TONY ADAMO has created a
unique genre: “HipSpokenWord.” Built on the
wisdom of musical wizards like Gil-Scott Heron,
Mark Murphy, Jack Kerouac and hip/hop master
rappers, Tony speaks the Truth through his poetic
musings. With preeminent players like producer
Mike Clark (drums), Richie Goods (bass), Delbert
Bump (organ), Michael Wolff (piano), Bill Summers
(percussion) and Tim Ouimette, Rob Dixon, Derek
Gardner and even Tower of Power's own physician of the funk, Stephen "Doc" Kupka. This release will turn heads and blow minds: Tales of travails and triumphs, told in the hippest of ways! Tony speaks/sings his way through the
urban landscapes of Jazz, Funk and Soul.
From the title track “Miles of Blu,” a nod to the
dark prince of Jazz, to “JB,” an homage to the
Godfather of Soul, to a down-home “BBQ” and
asking “America R We Free,” Tony tells it like it is
in his own mesmerizing manner.
The Grooves are infectious, the moods evocative,
the music sizzling and the words – HIP! “MILES OF
BLU” takes listeners on a swinging journey,
culminating in a funky good time!
Fred Harris Random Act Records
- Random Act Records

'Doc' Kupka gets hip to Tony Adamo's "What is Hip"

"I love Tony’s version of "What Is Hip?". He evokes the beatnik-bongo days of my youth and gives a whole new slant to a hard-charging funk tune. Congrats to both Tony Adamo and Jerry Stucker!" Stephen ‘Doc’ Kupka, Tower of Power co-founder
www.strokeland.com
www.myspace.com/tomyrocadamo
- SF Weekly

'Doc' Kupka gets hip to Tony Adamo's "What is Hip"

"I love Tony’s version of "What Is Hip?". He evokes the beatnik-bongo days of my youth and gives a whole new slant to a hard-charging funk tune. Congrats to both Tony Adamo and Jerry Stucker!" Stephen ‘Doc’ Kupka, Tower of Power co-founder
www.strokeland.com
www.myspace.com/tomyrocadamo
- SF Weekly