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Chocolate Genius, Inc. is a musical collective started by Marc Anthony Thompson, an Afro-Panamanian [1] -songwriter based in New York City. [2] [3] Thompson conceived Chocolate Genius as an alter ego, which then became a music project.
Thompson released two solo albums in 1984 and 1989. His self-titled debut album contained his only ever charting single, "So Fine". (No. 101 on the Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100 Singles Chart).
Chocolate Genius' first album, Black Music , on V2 Records, was released in 1998, and was considered part of the neo-soul movement. Chocolate Genius included guitarist Marc Ribot, cellist Jane Scarpantoni and other former members of the Lounge Lizards, keyboardist John Medeski and bassist Chris Wood of Medeski, Martin & Wood, guitarists Chris Whitley and Vernon Reid.
In 2001, Thompson released his next solo album, GodMusic , followed by, in 2005, a switch to Commotion Records and the release of Black Yankee Rock , produced by Craig Street. The album featured many prominent New York musicians, many of whom had appeared on his previous two records: Marc Ribot, Abe Laboriel Jr., David Stone, Glenn Patscha, Me'Shell NdegeOcello, Oren Bloedow, Yuka Honda, and Van Dyke Parks, among others. [4]
Thompson has scored film and theatre productions. He won an Obie award in sound design for A Huey P. Newton Story in 1997 and has written music for Rikers High (2005), Brother to Brother (2004), Colorvision (2004) (which he hosted in the same year), American Splendor (2003), Urbania (2000), and Twin Falls Idaho (1999). His recording of The Beatles' "Julia" was included on the soundtrack to the film I Am Sam .
In 2006, Thompson was enrolled in the line-up for the Bruce Springsteen with The Seeger Sessions Band Tour, playing acoustic guitar, providing backing vocals and sharing the lead vocals on several songs, including "Eyes on the Prize" and "When The Saints Go Marching In".
In 2010, Thompson released his fourth album, Swansongs (One Little Indian Records/No Format!), as Chocolate Genius Incorporated.
Thompson is the father of actress Tessa Thompson [5] [6] and singer Zsela. [7] [8] [9] [10]
Bar Kokhba is a double album by John Zorn, recorded between 1994 and 1996. It features music from Zorn's Masada project, rearranged for small ensembles. It also features the original soundtrack from The Art of Remembrance – Simon Wiesenthal, a film by Hannah Heer and Werner Schmiedel (1994–95).
Marc Ribot is an American guitarist and composer.
The Lounge Lizards were an eclectic musical group founded by saxophonist John Lurie and his brother, pianist Evan Lurie, in 1978. Initially known for their ironic, tongue-in-cheek take on jazz, The Lounge Lizards eventually became a showcase for John Lurie's sophisticated compositions straddling jazz and many other genres. They were active until about 1998 with the Lurie brothers as the only constant members, though many leading New York City based musicians were members of the group.
Oren Bloedow is an American singer, guitarist and bassist. He founded the band Elysian Fields in 1995 with Jennifer Charles. His father, Jerry Bloedow, was a playwright, poet, and film editor whose theater, the Hardware Poet's Playhouse, participated in the New York avant-garde scene in the 1950s and 1960s.
Anthony John Medeski is an American jazz keyboard player and composer. Medeski is a veteran of New York's 1990s avant-garde jazz scene and is known popularly as a member of Medeski Martin & Wood. He plays the acoustic piano and an eclectic array of keyboards, including the Hammond B3 organ, melodica, mellotron, clavinet, ARP String Ensemble, Wurlitzer electric piano, Moog Voyager Synthesizer, Wurlitzer 7300 Combo Organ, Vox Continental Baroque organ, and Yamaha CS-1 Synthesizer, among others. When playing acoustic piano, Medeski usually plays the Steinway piano and is listed as a Steinway Artist.
Black Yankee Rock is the third album by Chocolate Genius. It was produced by Craig Street and released on Commotion Records on October 22, 2005.
GodMusic is the second album by Chocolate Genius. It was released on V2 Records on August 7, 2001. The album release party and concert was held at Bowery Ballroom in New York City.
The Dropper is an album by avant-jazz-funk organ trio Medeski, Martin & Wood.
End of the World Party (Just in Case) is an album released by Medeski Martin & Wood.
Yo! I Killed Your God is a concept album by Marc Ribot, recorded live between 1992 and 1994. It was released May 18, 1999 on Tzadik Records.
Melvin Gibbs is an American bass guitarist who has appeared on close to 200 albums in diverse genres of music. Among others, Gibbs is known for working in jazz with drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson and guitarist Sonny Sharrock, and in rock music with Rollins Band and Arto Lindsay.
Filmworks VI: 1996 features three scores for film by John Zorn. The album was released on Zorn's own label, Tzadik Records, in 1996. It features the music that Zorn wrote and recorded for Anton, Mailman (1996), a short film directed by Dina Waxman that was never completed due to loss of funding in its final stages, Mechanics of the Brain (1996) directed by Henry Hills and The Black Glove (1996), which was directed by, and starred, Maria Beatty.
The Prosthetic Cubans is a studio album recorded in New York City by Marc Ribot with Los Cubanos Postizos and features compositions by Arsenio Rodríguez. It was the first album by The Prosthetic Cubans and was followed by ¡Muy Divertido! in 2000.
Ben Perowsky is an American drummer, percussionist, composer, and music producer. He is the drummer on stage in the 8 TONY award winning Broadway musical Hadestown. Perowsky leads the Ben Perowsky Trio, Moodswing Orchestra and Upstream Trio with Chris Speed and John Medeski. He is a founding member of the electric jazz group Lost Tribe. A prolific sideman, Perowsky has performed with Roy Ayers, John Scofield, The Lounge Lizards, Joan As Police Woman, Elysian Fields, Darryl Jenifer, Uri Caine, Dave Douglas, Mike Stern, Bob Berg, Walter Becker, Steven Bernstein., and John Zorn.
This is a discography for guitarist Marc Ribot, including both his own albums and significant recordings to which he has contributed. The year in brackets indicates the date of first release.
Shrek is a 1994 album by Marc Ribot recorded and released by the Japanese Avant label in 1994.
23rd Street Lullaby is the second full-length album by singer-songwriter Patti Scialfa. Released in 2004, a full 11 years after her debut, Rumble Doll, it finds her writing all the songs by herself, as well as co-producing the disc with Steve Jordan.
Trixie Whitley is a Belgian American multi-instrumentalist. As the daughter of singer-songwriter Chris Whitley, she began her musical career playing with her father, and recording on several of his albums. Whitley has released three solo EPs, is a member of Black Dub, and was the vocalist on their self-titled debut album.
Truth vs. Beauty is the fifth studio album by New York-based singer-songwriter Marc Anthony Thompson under the name Chocolate Genius and is his 7th studio album in all. Truth vs. Beauty was Thompson's return to music, as he had announced he was moving on from music after the release of his 4th studio album under Chocolate Genius, Swansongs, in 2010. The album was released 6 years after his intended retirement. The album came out on October 7, 2016, via the French independent record label NØ FØRMAT!
Zsela Thompson is an American singer-songwriter. She self-released her Ache of Victory EP in 2020.
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