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Brand New Heavies Featuring N'Dea Davenport to Play Select American Cities During Summer 2016 Tour
By: Jessica Fallon Gordon May. 23, 2016
Brand New Heavies featuring N'Dea Davenport will be playing select American dates this summer showcasing brand new music to be released in 2016 and 2017. The band plan to release and EP of new material, entitled TBNHND (Ear Music/Edel) as well as the sequel to The Heavy Rhyme Experience Vol. I originally released in 1992. The album featured collaborations with Guru of Gang Starr, Grand Puba, Main Source, and The Pharcyde to name a few and Brand New Heavies will be recording the next volume in New York City next month, announcing collaborators soon. This batch of new music follows 2014's Sweet Freaks.
The Heavies are also excited to announce the return of vocalist N'Dea Davenport who last worked with the group in 2013. The line-up is rounded out by original founding members, producer writers, Simon Bartholomew on guitar and Andrew Levy on bass, in addition to 12 year collaborator/ keyboard master, Matt Steele all combining their eclectic musicianship to bring the band's patented blend of acid jazz, soul, funk and Disco.
Brand New Heavies Live Dates (More TBA):
June 3rd New York, NY - B.B. Kings
June 5th Columbia, MD - Capital Jazz Fest at Merriweather Post Pavilion
June 15th Detroit, MI - Chene Park Amphitheater
June 30th New Orleans, LA - Essence Fest at Mercedes-Benz Superdome
July 2nd Atlanta, GA - The Buckhead Theater
July 3rd New Orleans, LA - Essence Fest at Mercedes-Benz Superdome
Pioneers of the London Acid Jazz scene, The Brand New Heavies translated their love for the funk grooves of the 1970s into a sophisticated sound that carried the torch for classic soul in an era dominated by Hip-Hop. Formed in 1985 by drummer/keyboardist Jan Kincaid, guitarist Simon Bartholomew, and bassist/keyboardist Andrew Levy - longtime school friends from the London suburb of Ealing - The Brand New Heavies were originally an instrumental unit inspired by the James Brown and Meters records its members heard while clubbing the rare groove scene in vogue at the moment. The trio soon began recording their own music, gaining enormous exposure when their demo tracks were spun at the influential Cat in the Hat Club.
Eventually adding a brass section, the Brand New Heavies built a cult following throughout the London club circuit, surviving the shift that saw the rare groove scene fade in the wake of acid house. After an earlier recording deal with Cooltempo yielded the single "Got to Give," the Heavies - now including vocalist Jay Ella Ruth - signed with the fledgling indie label Acid Jazz; recorded on a tiny budget, the group's self-titled LP appeared in 1990 to strong critical acclaim, resulting in a licensing deal with the American company Delicious Vinyl. With Ruth now out of the band, Delicious Vinyl hand-picked N'dea Davenport as her successor, insisting the Heavies re-record tracks from their debut for their first U.S. effort, also an eponymous release that appeared in 1992. The rest Is history.
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