A brash combination of sophisticated jazz virtuosity, funk-rock groove, and raw soul. Mostly original compositions and two innovative arrangements of jazz favorites.

9 MP3 Songs in this album (69:27) !
Related styles: JAZZ: Jazz-Funk, ROCK: Funk Rock

People who are interested in Tribal Tech Vital Information Steps Ahead should consider this download.


Details:
Unfulfilled Desires (UD) is a jazz-funk-rock collective based in Lenox, Massachusetts and Paris. The band has a fresh and eclectic soundâthe combined expression of the jazz, classical, rock, funk, and avant garde backgrounds of the revolving international lineup of players. From France, Germany, Chile, and the US, these talented and creative improvisational musicians span three continents to create a unique musical expression that both includes and transcends their cultural and musical influences. The sound is a brash combination of jazz virtuosity, funk-rock groove, and raw soul.

The visionary heart, soul, and core of the band are the Lenox-based team of Andrew Cohen, founder and drummer, and Rodrigo Tarraza on sax, electric wind instrument, and flute. Since 2000, the band has gone through different formations and theyâve been rocking clubs from New York to Paris to Tel Aviv with a dynamic and sophisticated sound, inspiring audiences to dance and dissolve into their hypnotic grooves. UD has released two CDs Live at the Iron Horse (2003) and Enlightened Dog (2005). And their latest Punk Funk is scheduled for release in fall 2008.

Berkshires-based guitarist Jon Suters and bassist Carl Oman recently joined the band in the US, UD West, and theyâve begun a series of gigs this summer/fall in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. Together, they add a new dimension to the band with a jazzier yet powerfully engaging sound. Special guest saxophonist, Jim Campagnola from NYC joins UD West whenever available.

The European band, UD East, has been playing in intimate and medium-size clubs and outdoor stages in the US, Europe, and Israel to audiences numbering 50-500. Theyâve shared the stage with contemporary jazz greats Mike Stern, The Bad Plus, Oz Noy Trio, and guitar virtuosos David Fiuczynski and his band Screaming Headless Torsos and Fareed Haqueâs Garaj Mahal.

Last summer, UD East played the three top jazz clubs in Israel to packed audiences. On a recent European tour, Time Out London described them as âa hard-driving jazz-funk quintet playing virtuosic jazz and jazz-rockâ and chose them as âHot Pick of the Week.â And David Mossman, owner of the legendary New Vortex Jazz Club in London, defined them as âSteps Ahead and Miles Davis brought into the 21st Century.â


BIOS
Band Leaders
Andrew Cohen: Drummer and Founder
Andrew Cohen began playing drums in his teens while living in Rome. He later attended Berklee College of Music in Boston and has trained professionally with Sonny Igoe and the legendary Gary Chaffee. Not only is Andrew the creative visionary behind Unfulfilled Desiresâheâs also a world-renowned spiritual teacher, pioneering voice in the field of evolutionary spirituality, and founder of the international nonprofit organization EnlightenNext and its award-winning magazine, What Is Enlightenment? Through his revolutionary philosophy, magazine, and books, and his work with thousands of people around the world, Andrew is dedicated to creating nothing less than a revolution in consciousness and culture. Unfulfilled Desires is an expression of this revolution in culture through music.

Rodrigo Tarraza: Sax, Electronic Wind, Flute
Rodrigo Tarraza is a Chilean-born, classically trained professional flutist. He toured, performed, and recorded with many international orchestras before moving to sax and electronic wind and playing bossa nova, improvisational jazz, and avant-garde music. In 1995, he founded Ensemble Les Inegales, which released several recordings in Europe. Rodrigo has taught at the San Francisco Conservatory, the New England Conservatory, and several universities in South America. In addition to his work with Unfulfilled Desires, he performs baroque flute with the Berkshire Baroque Trio and other groups, and teaches a course on music and the evolution of consciousness.

UD West
Jon Suters: Electric Guitar
Jon Suters grew up in a musical family and began studying classical guitar at thirteen. In his late teens, he joined a German rock group, Pearls at Swine, and toured the US and Germany for two years before settling in the Berkshires, where heâs made a living as both a performer and music educator. Jon has appeared on numerous albums as a sideman, played for various productions of Broadway and off-Broadway musicals, and toured with several different groups. He currently lives in Lenox, MA and is well-known in the area as a both a bass and guitar player.

Carl Oman: Electric Bass
Carl Oman began his professional music career as a percussionist with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra from 1969 to 1975. In the 1990âs, he began playing electric bass and currently performs with a variety of jazz-fusion and Latin groups throughout New England, including Creacion, Patty and the IOUâs, Sonny & Perley, and Unfulfilled Desires. Carl, a resident of North Adams, MA, teaches percussion and electric bass at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and through private instruction.

James Campagnola: Tenor Sax
Regular special guest, James Campagnola, saxophonist, keyboardist, composer, bandleader, and one of New Yorkâs most sought-after session musicians, began his professional recording career in New York City in 1975. He has performed throughout the world both as a bandleader and as a featured soloist with such notable artists as: Eric Clapton, Natalie Cole, Larry Coryell, Roberta Flack, David Sanborn, Brian Auger, Bo Diddley, Jon Lord, The Young Rascals, Kenny Kirkland, Jan Akkerman, The Four Tops, David Bromberg, and many others. Jimâs music and performance have been featured on hundreds of CDs, film scores, and television commercials and he has performed at some of New York Cityâs legendary jazz venues including The Blue Note, Birdland, and The Knitting Factory.

UD East
Christophe Bonnard: Bass Guitar
Christophe Bonnard began playing bass as the age of twelve. Later, he studied at the CIM School of Jazz and the American School of Modern Music, both in Paris. In the mid-1980s, he and guitarist Matthias Vogel started a trio called Non Grata, playing original compositions of jazz, funk, and rock. Theyâve produced five CDs together and have performed throughout Europe. Christophe has played with numerous other jazz and funk bands and has taught bass at several schools in Paris.

Matthias Vogel: Electric Guitar
Matthias Vogel was born in Germany and began playing rock and folk guitar in his early teens. His interest later moved to jazz and he studied as the American School of Modern Music in Paris, where he met Christophe Bonnard and together they started the Non Grata Trio. Matthias has composed music and lyrics in French and English for several recordings. In the late 1990s, he started another band called French Garage, which played psychedelic fusion rock and recorded two CDs.

Jeff Alpert: Vibraphones
Jeff Alpert began his musical studies at the High School of Performing Arts in New York City where the movie Fame was filmed, and in which Jeff played percussion. After completing his orchestral percussion studies with Vic Firth at the New England Conservatory, Jeff turned his attention to jazz and improvisation on the vibraphones. In 1991, he moved to Europe, where heâs performed with such renowned musicians as Chico Freeman and Dee Dee Bridgewater. Jeff currently performs with jazz singer Cynthia Utterbach in France as well as his own trio in Hamburg, Germany, where heâs lived since 1997.