Select language
By A Web Design
Select language
By A Web Design
LIVE IN PARIS SOON
Lineup:
AL McKAY - GUITAR (Original)
MICHAEL HARRIS - TRUMPET (Original)
TIM OWENS - VOCALS
CLAUDE WOODS - VOCALS
DEVERE DUCKETT - VOCALS
BEN DOWLING - KEYBOARDS
FREDDIE FLEWELEN - BASS
DEAN GANT - KEYBOARDS
AARON HAGGERTY - DRUMS
DAVID LEACH - PERCUSSION
STEPHEN REID - TRUMPET
JUSTIN KIRK – TROMBONE
ED WYNNE - SAXOPHONE
With an over 15 million adience the french movie "Les Intouchables" is the biggest hits of all time ! The movie's original soundtrack is greatly dedicated to mythical bands such as Earth Wind & Fire and Kool and the Gang. Some hits like Boogie Wonderland are even part of the story itself told by Driss (Omar Sy) which gives a good exposure to the band.
This highlights, to a wide audience, the Earth Wind & Fire Experience featuring its original guitare player, composer, Al McKay (original member and composer of many hits such as "September"...) and trompetist Mike Harris. A breathtaking show, soldout Olympia in Paris in 2011, Montreux Jazz Festival, etc...
Earth Wind & Fire took the world by storm in the 70s and 80s with its pioneering fusion of African beats and funk rhythms with popular American soul, R&B and disco. Today, Al McKay, who had been an instrumental force behind the supergroup's music from the beginning, recaptures the spirit and sound of the band, with an assemblage of some of the best and brightest.
Guitarist, songwriter, producer and former Earth Wind and Fire member Al McKay, born in the musical melting pot of New Orleans to musician parents, cut his chops as a young aspiring guitarist with the Ike & Tina Turner Revue.
Al's tenure with the Revue lasted a year and a half, after which time he returned to L.A. where he garnered a reputation as a versatile session player and landed short stints with funk progenitors, Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd St. Band, followed by the late Sammy Davis Jr.'s backing band. When he finally moved on, everyone from Andy Williams and Pearl Bailey to The Sylvers and Isaac Hayes made use of the hot, young guitarist's distinctive sound.
It was then that Al was approached by a freshly minted band out of Chicago with a whole new music approach, who called themselves Earth, Wind & Fire, and the rest, as they say, is history. From 1973 to 1981, Al was responsible for much of the group's instantly recognisable sound, and helped write and co-write with Earth, Wind & Fire bandleader Maurice White on some of its most enduring hits such as September and SingaSong.
However, he left after eight years and seven albums to take a break and produce albums for artists such as Carl Anderson and the Temptations, and when he reemerged in the early 90s, it was with a different direction and whole new energy, focusing on gathering the best and brightest musicians to create an unparalleled concert experience.
As the frontman for what became first known as The L.A. Allstars and then The Al McKay Allstars, he fashioned a large and revolving cast of superior supporting players to explore new musical territory, even as they helped to celebrate Al's incredible history with performance highlights from his years with Earth, Wind & Fire.
Today, The Al McKay Allstars brings back to audiences across the world the real musical experience of Earth Wind & Fire. The group presents and further develops the true musical heritage of Earth Wind & Fire through live performances and a new album, Al Dente, which features a sparkling selection of hits from Al's long-running tenure as a member of the legendary Earth, Wind & Fire as well as a sampling of some of the artist's newest original tracks.
So far, it has been rave reviews and enthusiastic response across countries from Switzerland to Japan, Italy to South Africa, for The Al McKay Allstars' take on the Earth Wind & Fire experience is one of fantastic musicianship and pure unadulterated joy. As Happy Feelin', a song which Al co-wrote with Maurice White, Philip Bailey, Verdine White and Larry Dunn goes, the band's really about "Feelin, happy feelin in the music/ That we're giving, feel the power/ Of the hour, every moment, that/ You're living..."
The current band consists of Al McKay on guitar, Mike Shapiro on drums, former Tower of Power member Bruce Conti on guitar, original member of the Phoenix Horns (touring with Earth Wind & Fire) Michael Harris on trumpet, Joey DeLeon on percussion, Hussain Jiffry on bass, Ben Dowling on keyboards, Ed Wynne sax, Wendell Kelly on trombone, Bryan Loren on keyboards and Tim Owens, Claude Woods and DeVere Duckett handling the vocal chores.
"Their groundbreaking mixture of jazz, funk, soul and pop influences paved the way for artists from Prince to the Fugees..." - Rolling Stone (on Earth Wind & Fire)
"...On Experience the Al McKay Allstars accomplish their mission of creating an album that captures the joyful side of the music of Earth Wind & Fire...which got folks on the dance floor at clubs or basement parties for the better part of two decades. And there's something to be said for that." – Soultracks (on The Al McKay Allstars)
