Original Jelly Roll Soul
Foster, Rhode Island, United States | SELF
Music
Press
"A new band in the area playing high octane Jazz" "A fun, uplifting, danceable, and educational musical experience." - The Villager
"They sound FANTASTIC, and had the entire place dancing." - Providence Journal
Original Jelly Roll Soul, an outfit that plays with a big band old time feel but managed to rock the Yacht club. Their influences range from ragtime, boogie woogie, Louisiana, swing jazz, and a whole lot more. An island groove number found Leo Charpentier picking some nice riffs with his big jazz guitar. “Just Like A Woman” felt like an oldies rock and roll number loaded with jaunty rhythms and sprightly melodies. That barrelhouse piano by Jim Poland sounded out righteously and the band soon had quite the dance floor following. A New Orleans flavored piece had all the Big Easy elements, light touches on the guitar, magnanimous offerings of cornet from leader-vocalist JP Beausoleil, and a twangy bass solo from Kurt Meyer. Drummer Gary St. Germain kept people moving their groove thang with a variation of beats from Calypso, jump-blues, and Afro-Cuban. - Bill Copeland Music News
Discography
OJRS just released our first studio album "Ain't Gonna Give You None" in November 2012.
Photos
Bio
"Everyone loves jazz music, they just don't know it!" This is the fundamental thought behind Original Jelly Roll Soul. Original Jelly Roll Soul is based out of Foster, Rhode Island. A place far, far off the jazz map. It was started in the summer of 2010, and has evolved into a band that prides themselves on the idea of constantly evolving, musically, and technically. OJRS is a eight piece band consisting of: vocals, cornet, sax, trombone, guitar, piano, upright bass, drums and percussion. Their performances are always diverse, humorous, high energy, and fun, with PLENTY of dancing.
Original Jelly Roll Soul has a sound that is very unique. Think Louis Armstrong meets Louis Jordan for lunch in Cuba, or Trinidad perhaps. The group presents their sound "Roots Jazz" within the many sub-genres of danceable jazz music, including: New Orleans, swing, jump, hard bop, Afro-Cuban, as well as Ethiopian, and others. They also draw from the many genres, such as blues, gospel, ragtime, calypsos and other Caribbean styles of music that came together in early New Orleans to create jazz. This is a group that cannot be pigeonholed into one particular genre, and as such it automatically sets them apart from most bands out there today. It also keeps the listener on their toes, interested and eager to see what's next.
The band follows a very simple philosophy in its approach to bringing jazz to the masses. Band leader JP Beausoleil says, “Jazz is the sound of everyday life. It is a sound that everyone can relate to on some level, in some sort of way. That is the main reason I started this band. And it is that reason, among others, that separate us from your run of the mill Jazz band.” Indeed, this group is NOT your ordinary jazz band. So if you want an exciting, uplifting, danceable, and educational musical experience then this is the group to see. So accept our invitation and get yourself an Original Jelly Roll Soul too!!!!
Original Jelly Roll Soul has shared the stage with some great acts like the Grammy award winning Carolina Chocolate Drops,The American Songster Dom Flemons, master percussionist Jesus Andujar as well as many other great and influential musicians.
But as Thelonious Monk says, " Talking about music is like dancing about architecture." So, onto the music!
OJRS was a nominee for 2011 Jazz act of the year for The New England Music Awards. And also for best Jazz band for the RI Motif Music Awawrds.
OJRS is pleased to announce three new members to the band!!!
Klem Klimek on Saxopohones- Klem is a veteran player, his past bands include Rizzz, NRBQ, Ilo Ferreira, Entrain, and many many more. A celebrity on the New England scene for sure. What he adds to this band is pretty amazing, and must be seen and heard to believe.
Josh Kane on Trombone- Josh Kane is a trombone and euphonium player out of Providence RI. As an in demand player in the area, he has been seen all over New England, down the East Coast, New Orleans and parts of Canada and Alaska playing jazz, funk, rock, latin, ska and classical, and with groups such as, The Free Funk Allstars, TUBA!, The Kickin Brass Band, John Allmark Jazz Orchestra, Chris Jason and the Sinatra Live Big Band, The American Band and Royal Caribbean. Josh has shared the stage with Wycliffe Gordon, Doc Severinsen, Phil Wilson and others.
Jesus Andujar on Congas and Percussion- Mr. Andujar was born in the Dominican Republic. He developed his
timing, rhythm, tempo and his ear for music while working on the farms. He peeled rice, using a big piece of wood with a hole in it, using his hands to smash the rice. This is when he developed his extraordinary talent for playing drums with bands in the Dominican Republic and becoming a great percussionist.
He went to New York City and studied at the New York Collective Drumming School, with the likes of Bobby Sanabria, Ricky Sebastian and Mike Clark. Later, he relocated to Puerto Rico, where he played
with various, well known, Island groups like Grupo Wao, Bonny Cepeda,
etc.
Experience:
• Anibal Bravo Orchestra- Dominican Republic (1979) Master Percussionist
• La Gran Manzana Orchestra- New York (1982) Master Percussionist
• New York Band- New York City (1990)
• Maestro Carlos de Leon- Rhode Island 1998 to present
Mr. Andujar plays with world renouned orchestras as well as New England bands.
He is also musical director of his own band, Grupo Sazon.
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