Some key points of departure are: the spirituality and intense energy of John Coltrane; the psychedelic colors of Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd; the down-home soul of the Meters and Sly & the Family Stone; the groundbreaking jazz/rock/funk of Miles Davis.

13 MP3 Songs
JAZZ: Jazz Fusion, JAZZ: Acid Jazz



Details:
Instrumental trio Green Light is drummer Adam Snow, bassist Dustin Hofsess, and guitarist Kevin Gill. This is a band that is coming from many different places musically. As a result, the Green Light audience is made up of an interesting variety of people: jazzers and rockers, the folky and the funky, hippies and computer programmers, the drunk and the devout... Each of them finds something about Green Light's music that draws them into the swirling vortex of energy that this band creates.
The group draws from a deep well of influences. Some key points of departure are: the spirituality, intense energy, and exploratory improvisation of saxophone master John Coltrane; the raw blues-rock power, and psychedelic colors of Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd; the funky rhythmic tension and down-home soul of the Meters and Sly & the Family Stone; the groundbreaking jazz/rock/funk fusion of Miles Davis; the beautiful reggae grooves of Bob Marley & the Wailers. As well as drawing inspiration from these relatively well known artists, Green Light infuses their music with sounds from all over the globe, including African, Indian, Middle Eastern, Cuban, and Brazilian musical elements.
Green Light music is powerful, raw, soulful, mysterious, spontaneous, positive and life-affirming. This is music made for people who long fororiginality and unadulterated creativity. To experience Green Light is to be taken on a consciousness-expanding trip.

"Green Light are decidedly one of the more eclectic outfits in this region. The instrumental trio take pieces of all sorts of musical styles and meld them into an improv-laden, spacy jazz rock...something. Sure, Pink Floyd comes to mind, as does John Coltrane and some of the more psychedelic stuff from the Beatles. The trick here is an almost perfect groove, where the musicians' crisp playing can take guitars/bass/drums into experimental soundscapes or subtle tonal shades. There is also an element of global fusion going on: the guitar sounds like a sitar, the percussion slides into middle eastern beats, and the whole group into a bossa nova groove. The tracks on this record run the gamut from 1-minute noise dirges to tracks that would have taken up the big chunk of a side of a record in the old days." 4 STARS
---Samir Shukla, Creative Loafing--Charlotte, NC

"Instrumental trio Green Light draws from their many influences to be a raw, soulful band. Having performed with such musicians as John Scofield, The Charlie Hunter Quartet, and Robert Walters' 20th Congress, the Charlotte, NC-based group brings blues, rock, and funk together . There are (jam oriented) African, Indian, Middle Eastern, and Cuban musical elements and should be enjoyed by those who are looking for an original fusion combo."
---Chase Farmer, Oxford Town--Oxford, MS

"The expressive guitar/bass/drums trio Green Light draws heavily from many styles of sound to create their own propulsive, psyco-cosmic blend of instrumental madness. Foreboding, yet funky, Green Light gives the go-ahead for danceable jazz/funk/fusion with it's first proper CD, My Experiments With Groove.
---Homegrown Music Network

"In the tradition of such acclaimed outfits as Medeski, Martin & Wood and the
Charlie Hunter Quartet, Charlotte-based fusion trio Green Light delivers a jam
oriented mix full of everything from rock and funk to jazz and world music. GreenLight continues to establish a reputation as one of the region's finest fusion combos."
---Dan Armonaitis, Metrobeat--Greenville, SC

"From rock fans to jazz fans, everyone walks away happy. If cool Reggae or hot funk isthe prescribed remedy for what ails you, Green Light is just what the doctor ordered...It would behoove the true believers of modern jazz to lend a lucid ear to the genius that is Green Light."
---Timothy G. Beeman II, ESP Magazine--Winston Salem, NC

"Combining dexterous playing and a real ensemble feel for jazz, funk, rock and world music, no words are necessary when the band tries to convey a message to its audience...Green Light is one of those rare bands that make strong, melodic instrumental music that is also good for dancing. All three musicians are expert instrumentalists but never let their own solos get in the way of the overall composition."
---Jeff Eason, The Mountain Times--Boone, NC

"Excellent jazz fusion group that pushes themselves, rather than falling back on tired cliches. This three-piece instrumental trio from North Carolina provides a wonderful break from the shot-out funkety funk that passes for jazz fusion around these parts...There is a hard driving energy that courses through their extended workouts and improvisational experiments."
---Jim Reed, Connect Savannah--Savannah, GA

"Finally, there's music that exists solely to create a mood...Green Light is poised on the edge of a fruitful career as respected jazz musicians."
---Christina Mitchell, Charleston Post & Courier--Charleston, SC