Entertainment

Reggae Meets Jazz and Tropicália: Kiwi Brings You a Uniquely Uplifting Sound

NEW JERSEY – Warm, summery and hypnotic like all the best roots reggae… [with]wise, slinky vocals.” -Lucidculture.com

Rooted in reggae rhythms and tropicália-inspired melodies, Jersey City-based Kiwi dynamically blends jazz flourishes and soulful grooves into a uniquely uplifting sound.

Much of Kiwi’s pan-ethnic approach to music is inspired by the time Tea spent in Brazil, beginning with a trip to the ocean-side city of Fortaleza over a decade ago. It was in Fortaleza that Tea first fell in love with the Portuguese language and capoeira, the Brazilian martial art that combines exuberant dancing and singing with powerful strikes and take-down maneuvers.

“What drew me most into capoiera was the sense of community among everyone involved,” says Tea. “Each roda [capoeira exhibition/match ]had a live soundtrack that featured instruments, melodies, and cadences that I had never heard before, but seemed so familiar.” It didn’t take long for Tea, the grandson of a classical violinist, to incorporate Brazilian rhythms and instruments, as well as Portuguese lyrics, into Kiwi’s music.

After nearly a decade of entertaining audiences around the Northeastern US and Brazil, Kiwi has hit their stride with a new lineup featuring some of the New York City area’s finest soul and funk musicians. The band, which includes Ramsey Norman (drums), Matt Quinones (bass), Ben Guadalupe (percussion), Dave Stolarz (keys), Barami Waspe (tenor sax), Curtis Taylor (trumpet), and Rob Edwards (trombone), has been invited to share the stage with veteran reggae/ska acts including the Pietasters and John Brown’s Body.

In addition to over a hundred club and dancehall performances, Kiwihas also performed at a variety of music festivals and community events in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Tennessee. They are also proud to be an active and vibrant presence in their home base, the Jersey City arts scene. In addition to a burgeoning American following, Kiwi also has a growing fanbase in Brazil, where they have embarked on two short tours and plan to head to again next month.

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