John Zorn is an American composer, conductor, saxophonist, arranger and producer who "deliberately resists category". Zorn's avant-garde and experimental approaches to composition and improvisation are inclusive of jazz, rock, hardcore, classical, contemporary, surf, metal, soundtrack, ambient, and world music. In 2013, Down Beat described Zorn as "one of our most important composers" and in 2020 Rolling Stone noted "Though Zorn has operated almost entirely outside the mainstream, he's gradually asserted himself as one of the most influential musicians of our time".
William Earl "Bootsy" Collins is an American bass guitarist and singer.
William Otis Laswell is an American bass guitarist, record producer, and record label owner. He has been involved in thousands of recordings with many collaborators from all over the world. His music draws from funk, world music, jazz, dub, and ambient styles.
Praxis is the name of an experimental rock project, led by producer/bassist Bill Laswell and featuring guitarist Buckethead and drummer Brain in nearly every incarnation of the band.
Blind Idiot God is an American instrumental rock trio formed in 1982 in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, by guitarist Andy Hawkins, bassist Gabriel Katz and drummer Ted Epstein. The phrase "blind idiot god" comes from horror writer H. P. Lovecraft's description of the god Azathoth. Their often improvisational musical style combines influences from punk rock, noise music, 20th-century classical music, heavy metal, dub, free jazz, and funk. They are currently based in New York City and have often collaborated with musicians Bill Laswell and John Zorn.
Material was an American band formed in 1979 and operative through to 1999, led by producer and bassist Bill Laswell.
Painkiller is a band that formed in 1991, combining avant-garde jazz and grindcore. Later albums incorporated elements of ambient and dub.
Live at Stubb's is a live album by Matisyahu. It was recorded live at Stubb's in Austin, Texas on February 19, 2005 under his record label Or Music. The album debuted at number 5 on the Billboard Reggae Albums Chart, then seven months later it debuted at number 176 on the Billboard 200. On the issue of January 7, 2006 it reached the top of on the Reggae Albums Chart, and on the issue of March 18, 2006 it reached number 30 on the Billboard 200. The album was also certified gold by the RIAA on February 27, 2006 with over 500,000 copies sold. On December 27, 2006 it was announced that Live at Stubb's was ranked 2nd on the Billboard Reggae album charts for the year. The CD contains the music video for "King Without a Crown".
Youth is an album by American reggae singer Matisyahu, which was released on March 7, 2006. It is his second proper studio release, as Live at Stubb's is a live album. The CD quickly shot to the top of iTunes best sellers list the day it was released.
Uri Caine is an American classical and jazz pianist and composer.
Youth Dub is a bonus disc released in conjunction with Matisyahu's second studio album Youth. Both discs were released on March 7, 2006. Youth Dub is included with some copies of Youth and is available as a limited edition, stand-alone album. Producer Bill Laswell made a King Tubby style dub remix of Youth, adding effects and bringing to the fore the music of the backing band Roots Tonic rather than Matisyahu's vocals. Laswell was so impressed with the band that he invited them back into his studio and teamed up for an all-instrumental dub album, Roots Tonic meets Bill Laswell.
Roots Tonic was the name of the three piece rock-reggae band best known as Matisyahu's backing band during live shows and studio recordings. The band was made up of Aaron Dugan, Josh Werner, and Jonah David. They have recorded two studio albums and a live album with Matisyahu, but the name Roots Tonic was first mentioned on the inside cover of Matisyahu's 2006 major label album Youth and its dub version, Youth Dub.
Perfect Machine is the thirty-seventh album by jazz pianist Herbie Hancock. It was the third and final album in Hancock’s series co-produced by Bill Laswell. Guests include bassist Bootsy Collins.
Matthew Paul Miller, known by his stage name Matisyahu, is an American Jewish reggae singer, rapper, beatboxer, and alternative rock musician.
Transmutation is the first album by Bill Laswell's ever-changing "supergroup" Praxis. The album was released in 1992 and features Buckethead on guitar, Bootsy Collins on bass and vocals, Brain on drums, Bernie Worrell on keyboards and DJ AF Next Man Flip on turntables.
Mark Guiliana is a Grammy-nominated American drummer, composer and leader of the band Beat Music. He is known for his playing with Avishai Cohen, Brad Mehldau, David Bowie, Meshell Ndegeocello, Gretchen Parlato, Jason Lindner, Lionel Loueke, Dhafer Youssef, Tigran Hamasyan, Matisyahu, the European piano trio Phronesis and his own groups, Heernt and the Mark Giuliana Jazz Quartet.
Sacrifist is the second album by Bill Laswell's experimental music project Praxis, released in 1993 on Laswell's label Subharmonic. Originally, the album was intended to be a Rammellzee project, but soon was converted into the second Praxis album, after suggestions made by John Zorn.
Maya Dunietz, is an international musician and artist, combining a solo career with collaborations with renowned musicians: Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou, Roscoe Mitchell, John Tilbury, Habiluim, and many others. Her works are exhibited in venues such as Centre Pompidou Paris, Athens Onassis Center, Frac Paca, and CCA Tel Aviv.
Josh Werner is an American bassist, producer, composer and songwriter.
Jonah David is a drummer/percussionist who has performed and recorded with a wide variety of musicians including Matisyahu, Costello, Roots Tonic, Josh Werner, Bill Laswell, Braindance, Joshua Nelson, King Django and the Brooklyn Funk Essentials.
