Feveband – Drinks Downtown Never Sounded So Good

24Sep09

This past Sunday, I had the pleasure of hearing Feveband play a mind-blowing set of genre-bending jazz tunes, downtown at the Feve.  Feveband packs its namesake bar weekly. The crowd was a combination of dedicated fans and newbies, attracted by covers of songs like “Crazy” (Gnarls Barkley).

Take a listen; I’ve attached a link to Feveband recording.

http://www.mediafire.com/file/jhhoo2kvrtd/Once 6.21.09.mp3
(This song features drummer Alex Ritz, OC’ 08)

The Feveband performs upstairs at the Feve at 9:30 p.m. this semester on the following Sundays: October 4th and 11th, November 1st and 22nd, and December 6th

You can hear more of Rafiq’s music at:
www.rafiqbhatia.com or http://www.myspace.com/rafiqbhatiamusic

More complete biographies of the band’s members are below.

Rafiq Bhatia (OC’10) is an East-African Indian American guitarist/composer seeking to synthesize a genre-bending musical lexicon informed by the traditions of his transmigratory heritage. A first-generation American, Bhatia is currently completing an interdisciplinary honors degree in economics and cognitive science at Oberlin College. He is also associated with the world-renowned Oberlin Conservatory, where his concept quickly caught the attention of prolific drummer Billy Hart. Besides apprenticing under Hart and Cleveland-based drummer Paul Samuels (Greg Osby), Bhatia is the artist-in-residence at The Feve Bar, an Oberlin mainstay, where his group has attracted a loyal fan-base and critical acclaim for their weekly performances. He also frequently returns to New York, performing with the Rafiq Bhatia Collective and studying with Downbeat magazine’s “Rising Star Jazz Pianist/Composer” Vijay Iyer.

Jackson Hill (OC’10) is a young acoustic and electric bassist from Raleigh, North Carolina. Jackson is interested in performing a wide variety of music and draws inspiration from a wide array of musicians and thinkers. Past experience includes composing for and fronting an alternative rock band, performing in the UNC-CH Symphony Orchestra, and learning from and working with countless musicians on the North Carolina, New York, and Ohio music scenes since he began his professional career in 2005. As a jazz bassist, Jackson has had the privilege of working with guitarist and composer Rafiq Bhatia, vocalist Nina Moffitt, the New York based group Chrysalis, and in private lessons with the legendary drummer Billy Hart, North Carolina bassist John V. Brown, and at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music with bassist Peter Dominguez. He is currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Music program at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin, Ohio with a concentration in Jazz Studies and Double Bass.

Austin Vaughn (OC’11) is a drummer and percussionist from Greensboro, North Carolina. He is currently double-majoring in percussion and jazz studies at Oberlin Conservatory, where he is a student of Michael Rosen and jazz legend Billy Hart, among others. Since beginning his studies at Oberlin, Austin has performed in a variety of contexts with large and small ensembles, orchestras, chamber groups, and percussion ensembles. Spring 2008 saw him exploring mixed-meter dance pop with the short-lived supertrio, BoogieForce. In Fall 2008, he began a residency at The Feve (Oberlin, OH) with guitarist Rafiq Bhatia and bassist Jack Hill. Austin was invited to appear as a soloist at the 2008 Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) in Austin, Texas, and collaborates regularly on cross-disciplinary projects with Baltimore-based visual artist Miranda Pfeiffer.

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Tags: Class of 2010, downloads, Genre: Experimental, Genre: Jazz