Artist description The music of The Jongleurs was not arrived at through a tradition of similar bands, but rather through the influence of many musicians in all categories. Their sound samples everything from popular American musical genres like bluegrass, rock and roll, and blues forms, to the traditional influences of instrumental improvisers: jazz and European classical music. The band claims specific influence from the music of Miles Davis, Charles Ives, Steve Coleman, Prince, and Frank Zappa. Journalists and audiences have frequently compared The Jongleurs to Medeski, Martin & Wood, The Charlie Hunter Quartet, Critters Buggin, John Zorn, and Mr. Bungle. The band creates an accessible yet unique music that appeals particularly to young, educated audiences by drawing on the roots of music loved by generations of listeners

Music Style Avant-Jazz, Post-rock, funk, humor

Musical Influences Miles Davis, Bill Frisell, Squarepusher, Bela Bartok

Similar Artists Frank Zappa, John Zorn, Mr. Bungle, Medeski Martin & Wood

Artist History The JongleursThe Jongleurs are a six-piece band whose brand of primarily instrumental music incorporates many traditional jazz concepts with the strong rock and roll influences of its members. In 1995 keyboardist Michael Stegner (Seattle, WA), bassist Forrest Giberson (Seattle, WA), drummer Eric Hastings (Trenton, NJ), saxophonists Matt Glassmeyer (Nashville, TN) and Josh Sclar (Chicago, IL), and trombonist Randy Kapralick (Philadelphia, PA) met in Miami. The result is a body of completely unique improv-oriented compositions, and a sound that is extremely spontaneous.Since their inception, The Jongleurs have consistently played such celebrated live venues as The Knitting Factory (NYC), The Iron Horse (Northampton, MA), Ziggy's (Winston-Salem, NC), and The Covered Dish (Gainesville, FL). They have shared the stage with national acts such as George Clinton, Col. Bruce Hampton, They Might Be Giants, The Dirty Dozen, Dag, Fat Mama and Day By the River. The Jongleurs were selected to perform at the 1996 Macintosh New Music Festival (NYC), the 1997 South By Southwest Music Conference (Austin, TX), the 1996-1998 Alachua Music Harvests (Gainesville, FL), the 1997 Spec's/Ft. Lauderdale Jazz Festival, the 1997 Tampa Bay avant-garde/new music series, the 1997 Homegrown Music Festival (New Paltz, NY), and the 1998 WE Fest (Wilmington, NC). Additionally, in the spring of 1997, The Jongleurs became a part of the HomeGrown Music Network- a collective of approximately 30 independent touring bands throughout the U.S. The band's members can be heard in performance and/or recordings with the likes of Joe Henderson, The Mavericks, Slide Hampton, Kenny Rogers, Aretha Franklin, The Four Tops, Ira Sullivan, and Barry Ries.The Jongleurs first put their sound on record in 1995 on the Cane Records compilation Miami Hybridized. Their first full-length album, The Jongleurs, was released in 1996 on NCM East Records. Their 1997 release, Five People, also on NCM East, proves the best description of their style and evolution. The Jongleurs also composed and recorded the soundtrack for the independent film, Superhero, released in 1998 by P.I.M.P Productions. A quick recording session which took place in Charlotte, NC on a day off on tour is currently being mixed down and might be made available for sale and/or downloading on the internet.The Jongleurs forge on to spread their brand of originality, unpredictability, and adventure. Booking and Management Info: 609-921-7808 – ehaste@juno.comRombox.com/~jongleurs or ncmeast.com

Group Members Forrest Giberson - bassesMatt W. Glassmeyer - saxophones, clarinets and percussionEric Hastings - Drums & PercussionJosh Sclar - SaxophonesJ. Michael Stegner - Keyboard Instruments

Instruments Drums, Bass, Keyboards, 2 Saxophones and sometimes trombone, clarinet and percussion

Albums The Jongleurs, Five People

Press Reviews “The Jongleurs are a testament to the uncommonly applied concept that music can indeed incorporate instrumental skill and intellectual stimulation with the ability to entertain. The Miami group creates a fresh, fun sound similar to Weather Report meeting Frank Zappa during a 1975 Santana concert featuring John Coltrane. All in all, an excellent work” – Moon Magazine“Their improvisational jazz runs the gambit from the ridiculous to the sublime. While others may assume that being avant-garde and experimental is license to proselyte and prophesize, The Jongleurs recognize it as the key to a hell of a good time. I absolutely promise that if you play these two CDs at your next party, everyone will have something to talk about!” – The Crass Menagerie“Not content with trite, three minute radio friendly tunes, they mix it up with more stylistic ingredients than the Monster Pizza at Pizza Hut. They enjoy thrusting bizarre changes and whacko, silly lyrics into the stew as well as treading distinct sonic ground. The twin saxes play some wild unison, contrapuntal, and tag-team lines all over this thing and give the band even more of a distinctive edge.” – Faze 3 Magazine“The band’s mixture of youthful funk/punk rhythms and heady improvisational explorations show that they are aligning themselves with the next generation of ‘young lions’ in this post-Wynton jazz era. Along with exploratory artists like Charlie Hunter, Hotel X, and Medeski, Martin & Wood, they are capturing the attention of rock audiences that can easily identify with their loose, organic grooves and adventurous soloing. Their distinct chord changes and creative improvisations owe as much to Coltrane and Monk as to The Minutemen or the Chili Peppers. A must hear, ****(out of five).” – Jam Magazine“Between these guys and Barry Black and Ben Folds Five, there should be an altogether new category: ‘brat jazz.’ Remember the theme to ‘Charlie Brown’ on TV? It’s like Lucy, Linus, Charlie, and Snoopy grew up, got complex, and now they jam harder.” – Creative Loafing Atlanta“The band’s lack of guitar works to its advantage, leaving most of the leads to the horn players who soar all over the soundscape, painting swashes of musical color as they go. I never knew where one of their songs is going to take me. More than once I found myself submerged in rolling passages, lost as to how I was taken there or how I was going to leave.” – Moon Magazine“The Jongleurs bring a new definition to music as we know it. The group could be defined as an experimental jazz band with lyrics that might have been composed by Frank Zappa. A band that students should definitely check out” – The Auburn Plainsman“The Jongleurs self-titled debut CD is one of the ten best albums of 1996” – ESP MagazineBooking and Management Info: 609-921-7808 – ehaste@juno.comRombox.com/~jongleurs or ncmeast.com

Location Miami, FL - USA

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