NADIRAH SHAKOOR & Outside Art

Nadirah Shakoor may work for one of the most calculatedly laid-back guys in the music business -- she's a Coral Reefer who has toured with Jimmy Buffett for 13 years -- but in her own songwriting, the neo-soul/pop singer is all about the message.

She started her mid-day set at the Gentilly Stage at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival presented by Shell with an intense jungle beat, singing, "Freedom is not free, they say / Who made our world this way?"

Her percussion-heavy ensemble, which included djembe, steel drum, bass and drum kit, set an earthy, welcoming tone as Shakoor breezed through the conscious-raising "Just a Breath Away" and self-conscious "Making Music For Money."

She introduced "Love Song" with an anecdote about some advice she received from "a powerful man" in the music business:

"He thought that my lyrics tend to get a little deep at times, which is true," Shakoor said. "He asked me if I could just write a love song. So I did."

She gave the resulting tune the appropriate if baited name "Love Song."

"I really want to write a love song / But every time I try the world calls / Guiding my pen, my hand," she sang.

It was a perfect accompaniment to this strange day, where the usual frivolity and joy of Jazz Fest is being overshadowed -- both by the ominous gray skies and by the massive, almost unimaginable disaster washing up on Louisiana's coast due to the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

"I really want to make a love song / But every time I try some other cause / Takes my voice," Shakoor sang.

I could relate. - Times-Picayune - April 30, 2010

That enthusiasm is shared by the Coral Reefer Band, an outstanding 12-piece ensemble that seems to get better with every tour. Out of this group of sensational players, backing vocalist Nadirah Shakoor really seemed to shine at Shoreline.

Fans might be hearing more about this versatile singer, who came to fame in the Grammy-nominated hip-hop group Arrested Development. She's just released a solo record, "Nod to the Storyteller," which includes her take on seven Buffett tracks.

Shakoor was central to the mix as Buffett hit the homestretch, powering through enjoyable versions of "Southern Cross," "Margaritaville" and "Fins." It was enough to leave the dudes wearing shark fins on their heads, and the guys with cheeseburger hats, crying out for more.

Reach Jim Harrington at jharrington@bayareanewsgroup.com. Read his Concert Blog at www.ibabuzz.com/concerts. - San Jose Mercury News , 10/22/2008

Musosguide.com (live review) By: C.L. Thomas
The historic Palias Royal, in Toronto.
..... Midway through the set Nadirah Shakoor, whom many will remember from Arrested Development blew the crowd away performing her smash hit Tree of Life. The words of the song, fully enraptured the whole crux of Osunlade’s soul jerking orgasmic set.
- Musosguide.com

Billboard Magazine- Boston (Fenway Park) Jimmy Buffett Concert review
..."Son of a Son of a Sailor" showcased Nadirah Shakoor's soaring vocals (the
powerful singer tore up a brief cover of "Respect" as well).
- Billboard Magazine

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Jimmy Buffett and his Coral Reefer Band made landfall at Jones Beach .... Intermission was ended with an enthralling performance by Coral Reefer vocalist Nadirah Shakoor, who conjured an Aretha-like presence as she belted the classic "Respect." By Mick Stingley - Hollywood Reporter

... His attention to musical detail showed in his band.... aided by soulful backup singer Nadirah Shakoor.

Larry Nager, lnager@enquirer.com
- The Cincinnati Enquirer

Club Pittsburgh Manager [mailto:clubpittsburgh@stargate.net] Subject: Pride,
I have just recently gotten an import CD from the UK called Underground
Soul featuring the most hypnotic and wonderful song called Pride. Your
vocals are so intimate (I love it when I can hear your lips separate
when you sing "I am a Father. I am a brother"). It is the greatest dance
song I've heard in some time... It should be promoted
heavily to DJs in this country. Those drums are still moving me.
- Club Pittsburg Manager

www.Jazz-not-Jazz.de/reviews/electricsoul.html CD Review
Jazzanova with Vikter Duplaix ... still gets deeper with Osunlade and Nadirah Shakoor, “U Touched My Soul” wonderful, spiritual, driven.
- www.Jazz-not-Jazz.de/reviews/electricsoul.html CD Review

By
David Hoekstra
on December 17, 2008 1:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)


3 p.m. Dec. 17----

Nadirah Shakoor's stint with the hip hop group Arrested Development came in handy for her current role as a vocalist in Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band.
His audience is in a perpetual state of arrested development.
Now, after 13 years on the road with Buffett, Shakoor has released her first solo CD. It is called "Nod to the Storyteller," (www.mailboatrecords.com) which of course features seven Buffett songs. I don't need to hear someone else cover "Margaritaville" so what hooked me was the non-Buffett material such as J.J. Cale's intense gospel-swamp composition "When This War Is Over."
anguilla_final.jpg

Buffett duets with Shakoor on "When This War Is Over" as a modern day Belafonte-Miriam Makeba.They are adroitly backed by Louisiana slide guitarist Sonny Landreth and his band. It is the record's highlight track and far too political to be heard at a Buffett concert.........
....Nadirah Shakoor joined Arrested Development in 1993 while living in Los Angeles. She moved with the group when they relocated to Atlanta and remained with the group until they disbanded in 1996. (They reformed in 2000).

Shakoor neded another singing job in 1996. She had three offers:
Spearhead.
Yanni.
Jimmy Buffett.
Maybe Spearhead + Yanni = Buffett.
"Initially I was going to go with Spearhead," she said in a conversation from her Atlanta home. "I liked their music and I knew them. But it was a short gig. Yanni would have been great, but I would have sung one song per show which would have been boring." (For me, any Yanni song is boring).
So she chose Buffett.

"Nod to The Storyteller" seems conceived as a Buffett tribute CD, but what worked for me was how Shakoor's soulful sensibiilty has the potential to push Buffett. Shakoor can sing in a lilting Caribbean cadence, but also stretches into scat on her own composition "Give Henry The Receipt," the best jazz number I have heard about a CPA.
Buffett and Shakoor had talked about doing a solo record for years. "I do solos in his shows and the response is cool," she said. "I've built up a fan base of my own amongst his fans. Of course, he had like 300 to 400 (of his own) songs to choose from. It was overwhelming. Instead of listening to all of them, first I went to his daughter Savannah and asked what she would suggest."
Savannah Jane Buffett, who hosts a radio show on the online station Radio Margaritaville, gave Shakoor a list of about 28 songs. That list was taken to Buffett, who refined the slate. Shakoor said, "Then I went to one of the Parrott head sites---www.buffettnews.com/ (the web's largest Jimmy Buffett website) --to ask fans to tell me what songs meant something in their life and why." Besides "Margaritaville," the Buffett covers include "Creola," "Makin' Music For Money" the beautiful La Vie Dasante," and "Volcano." Buffett and Shakoor eloquently duet on Buffett's "Son of a Son of a Sailor."
But Shakoor also picked a soulful ringer like Art Neville's "Why You Wanna Hurt My Heart" because the oohs-and-ahs-backgrounds reminded her of the Four Tops. "I know it sounds silly, but that's why I chose it," she said. "At first I didn't realize it was an Art Neville song. (It also has been covered by Buffett). Once I found that out we added a New Orleans flavor, but Mac (McAnnally, producer) is from Muscle Shoals (Ala.) so we added that R&B flavor too."

Buffett's stage show is full of musical ideas, ranging from former Belafonte-John Lennon percussionist Ralph McDonald to Robert Greenidge, a master steel drummer from Trinidad who has also played with J.J. Cale and Taj Mahal. "I've been to Trinidad three or four times with Ralph and Robert," Shakoor said. "Ralph's parents are from Trinidad too, even though he was born and raised in Harlem. That encouraged me too, the first time I went to rehearsal met Robert and heard more of the Caribbean flavor in Jimmy's music." Ralph McDonald also has a new solo record out called "Mixty Motions," which features guests like Ashford and Simpson.

Shakoor was born in San Antonio, Tx. and raised in Los Angeles. Her mother Anna worked for the phone company and her father Rasheed was a carpenter who also played guitar and trumpet. In 1992, while working outdoors in Los Angeles, her father was shot and killed by a stray bullet.

"I think about him every day," Shakoor said. "I remember him telling me to never give up and just keep going. I'm not 24 anymore, but I'm still going."
Shakoor was first attracted to Arrested Development after hearing their 1992 breakout hit "Tenneseee." She had just gotten off the road singing in the Janet Jackson "Rhythm Nation" tour. "My brothers and I had a group similar to Arrested Development in that there was singing and rapping going on," she said. "A little more pop and less hip hop. When I bought their CD "3 Years, 5 Months, & 2 Days in the Life Of...." I was looking for Dionne Farris on the cover (she sang lead on 'Tennesee') and discovered she was a guest artist. I wanted to be a part of that group. I liked their music, the women and men together in hip-hop and I liked the positive message."

Shakoor checked out the entourage when they came through Los Angeles. They shared a bill with En Vogue, who ironically was Janet Jackson's former band. Shakoor had an in. She auditioned for Arrested Development in the arena's catering room. "Speech hired me and next thing I know I was on the Grammys with them," she said.
It was a bit different than playing in front of throngs of Parrotheads every summer.

"I first thought Jimmy was a jazz gig," she said. "(Buffett saxophone player) Amy Lee lived in Atlanta. She made me feel comfortable. She told me how people had been in the band for years. It was a family type atmophere. All the drugs and that craziness was past them." There are 12 members in the Coral Reefer Band including Buffett plus a crew of 39 people, not including the truck drivers. Shakoor explained, "They talked to me how important it was for Jimmy's people to have open personalities and good attitudes." You can hear the results in "Nod to the Storyteller," a project that radiates warmth on these long December nights. - Chicago sun Times

Nadirah Shakoor's "Nod to the Storyteller" CD Celebration on Friday night at Margaritaville was phenomenal! Talk about high energy, smiles, and goosebumps! :D :D And from the audience, it truly seems that she's not only surrounded herself with amazing talent, but with love as well.

It's just heartwarming to see the admiration between her and her bandmates... Coral Reefers as well as Outside Art. She performed many of the songs from the new CD, songs from her previously released "Obsessed With Peace", and a few rocking familiar covers, including "Can't Get Next to You". It was her big night, yet she took the time to showcase her supporting cast on many occasions. Coral Reefers Ralph MacDonald, Mac McAnally, Robert Greenidge, Tina Gullickson, and John Lovell. I didn't see them from my vantage point in front of the stage, but Mr Utley and Peter Mayer were there showing her support as well.

She introduced the rest of her Outside Art band many times throughout the show too, and featured her backup vocalists on some songs. I can't remember their names, and I'm not having any luck with Google, but if I find them, I'll share them. The 22 year old female backup did a nice rendition of "Walking in Memphis". Nadirah told a story of how when Club Trini used to play before the shows, this girl was there with her parents, and said she liked to sing, so they let her. And I'm pretty sure she said she even got up on stage with Jimmy to sing Cheeseburger in Paradise. Pretty darn cool!

She also gave props to Mike Ramos for his help. He was there to introduce her and the show.

Also noteworthy on BN, Nadirah told the audience how she first asked Savannah Jane for her song recommendations, and then Jimmy helped her narrow that list down. And after that, how she then turned to ask the fans on BuffettNews, but that the first person she asked was balcony girls, who's right up here in the front, and turning 61 on Tuesday. Thank you Cindi for your love and support. (Or something like that.) Again, pretty darn cool!

A friend of Nadirah's, Ronald I think his name was, was at the show painting a nice sized (probably 4'x5') portrait of the inside photo from Nod to the Storyteller.

from Reeferette Nadirah Shakoor MySpace:

Image

They sold raffle tickets for his rendition that turned out beautiful, and donated proceeds to a Las Vegas charity (food depository I believe). The winner was a woman from a town that I thought was in England and started with a W, but it's not coming to me either. Here's where I should say that drinking didn't have anything to do with the memory loss - I was drinking ice water!)

Nadirah has such a stage presence - soooo beautiful, soooo radiant, soooo captivating, soooo expressive... and what a powerful voice... and "voice"! :) She told great stories, and the recurring theme for the evening was PEACE.

Songs I remember her playing, in no particular order:

Creola
Why You Wanna Hurt My Heart
Makin' Music For Money
La Vie Dansante (featuring Tina Gullickson)
Give Henry the Receipt
Let Him Go
Margaritaville
Volcano
When The War Is Over
Wonder Why We Ever Go Home
(Let Peace Be) Just a Breath Away (she reached the mic out to BG to sing a line on that one!)
Obsessed With Peace
Walking in Memphis
Can't Get Next to You - BuffettNews.com

Nadirah Shakoor may work for one of the most calculatedly laid-back guys in the music business -- she's a Coral Reefer who has toured with Jimmy Buffett for 13 years -- but in her own songwriting, the neo-soul/pop singer is all about the message.

She started her mid-day set at the Gentilly Stage at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival presented by Shell with an intense jungle beat, singing, "Freedom is not free, they say / Who made our world this way?"

Her percussion-heavy ensemble, which included djembe, steel drum, bass and drum kit, set an earthy, welcoming tone as Shakoor breezed through the conscious-raising "Just a Breath Away" and self-conscious "Making Music For Money."

She introduced "Love Song" with an anecdote about some advice she received from "a powerful man" in the music business:

"He thought that my lyrics tend to get a little deep at times, which is true," Shakoor said. "He asked me if I could just write a love song. So I did."

She gave the resulting tune the appropriate if baited name "Love Song."

"I really want to write a love song / But every time I try the world calls / Guiding my pen, my hand," she sang.

It was a perfect accompinament to this strange day, where the usual frivolity and joy of Jazz Fest is being overshadowed -- both by the ominous gray skies and by the massive, almost unimaginable disaster washing up on Louisiana's coast due to the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

"I really want to make a love song / But every time I try some other cause / Takes my voice," Shakoor sang.

I could relate. - Times Picayune: http://www.nola.com/jazzfest/index.ssf/2010/04/nadirah_shakoor_gives_new_orle.html