Mandrill | |
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![]() Mandrill in 1974 | |
Background information | |
Origin | Brooklyn, New York City, United States |
Genres | |
Years active | 1968–1982, 1992-present |
Labels | Polydor, United Artist Records, Arista Records, Montage Records |
Members | Carlos Wilson Ric Wilson Wilfredo Wilson Marc Rey Stacy Lamont Sydnor Derrick Murdock Eli Brueggemann Keith Barry |
Past members | Lou Wilson Claude "Coffee" Cave II Bundie Cenas Omar Mesa Charles Padro Fudgie Kae Solomon Neftali Santiago Douglas Rodrigues Arlan Aschierbaum Gemi Taylor Brian Allsop Tommy Trujillo Juaquin Jessup Andre “Mouth Man” Locke Eddie Summers |
Website | www mandrillmusic |
Mandrill is an American funk band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 1968 by brothers Carlos, Lou, and Ric Wilson. AllMusic called them "One of funk's most progressive outfits... [with an] expansive, eclectic vision." [1]
The Wilson brothers were born in Panama and grew up in the Bedford–Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn. With Carlos on trombone and vocals, Lou on trumpet and vocals, and Ric on saxophone and vocals, they formed the band to combine funk, soul, jazz, and Latin music. [3] The band was named after the mandrill species of primate, which was known for its colorful features and family-oriented social structure. The other original members included keyboardist Claude "Coffee" Cave, guitarist Omar Mesa, bassist Bundie Cenas, and drummer Charlie Padro. [1]
They signed with Polydor Records [1] and released their self-titled debut album in 1970. The album and its self-titled single "Mandrill" both reached the Billboard charts. [4] [5] Fudgie Kae Solomon replaced Cenas for their second album Mandrill Is , which also reached the Billboard soul and pop charts. [4]
Neftali Santiago then became Mandrill's new drummer. [1] Their third album Composite Truth was released in 1973 and became their most successful release, with the single "Fencewalk" reaching number 19 on the Billboard soul singles chart. [6] During this period, Mandrill gained critical notice as one of the most progressive and experimental funk bands of the 1970s, while their use of Latin elements drew comparisons to Santana and War. [6] Funk historian Rickey Vincent noted Mandrill's multi-ethnic membership and "bizarre blend of African-based rhythms, scorching rock riffs, country fonk, bop jazz, and one-chord guitar rock operas." [7]
Guitarist Dougie Rodriguez, a former Santana sideman, joined in time for the fifth Mandrill album, Mandrilland , [1] which earned the band another entry on the Billboard R&B Albums chart. [8] In 1975, all members of the group other than the Wilson brothers and Cave departed, and Mandrill switched to United Artists. The albums Solid and Beast from the East were recorded with session musicians. The band then switched to Arista Records and added a fourth Wilson brother, Wilfredo, on bass. Former drummer Neftali Santiago returned and guitarist Joaquin Jessup joined. [1] This lineup released the album We Are One in 1977 and scored their biggest hits in several years with the singles "Funky Monkey" and "Can You Get It." [9] The band released three more albums for Arista, with diminishing success, and stopped recording as a group in 1982.
Lou Wilson died at age 71 in 2013. In 2019 Mandrill announced a new album titled Back In Town. [10] The album was released in October 2020. [11] The current lineup includes Carlos, Ric, and Wilfredo Wilson, plus Marc Rey (lead guitar), Stacy Lamont Sydnor (drums), Derrick Murdock (bass), Eli Brueggeman (keyboards), and Keith Barry (viola, saxophone, flute). [12]
Mandrill songs have been sampled by many acts, such as Johnny D, Public Enemy, Beck, DJ Shadow, Shawty Lo, Big L, Kanye West, Jin, Eminem, The Avalanches, and 9th Wonder. [12]
Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the rock band Santana. Born and raised in Mexico where he developed his musical background, he rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s in the United States with Santana, which pioneered a fusion of rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound featured his melodic, blues-based lines set against Latin American and African rhythms played on percussion instruments not generally heard in rock, such as timbales and congas. He experienced a resurgence of popularity and critical acclaim in the late 1990s.
Abraxas is the second studio album by Latin rock band Santana. It was released on September 23, 1970 by Columbia Records and became the band's first album to reach number one in the United States.
The Cars is the debut studio album by American new wave band the Cars, released on June 6, 1978, by Elektra Records. The album was managed by longtime producer Roy Thomas Baker, and spawned several hit singles, including "Just What I Needed", "My Best Friend's Girl", and "Good Times Roll", as well as other radio and film hits such as "Bye Bye Love" and "Moving in Stereo". The Cars peaked at number 18 on the US Billboard 200 albums chart, and has been certified six-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Automatic Man was an American rock band from San Francisco. Consisting of well-respected musicians of diverse backgrounds within the rock, funk and jazz communities of the mid-1970s, Automatic Man played progressive rock and space rock.
Santana is the debut studio album by American Latin rock band Santana. It was released on August 22, 1969. Over half of the album's length is composed of instrumental music, recorded by what was originally a purely free-form jam band. At the suggestion of manager Bill Graham, the band took to writing more conventional songs for more impact, but managed to retain the essence of improvisation in the music.
Tower of Power is an American R&B and funk based band and horn section, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing since 1968. There have been a number of lead vocalists, the best-known being Lenny Williams, who fronted the band between early 1973 and late 1974, the period of their greatest commercial success. They have had eight songs on the Billboard Hot 100; their highest-charting songs include "You're Still a Young Man", "So Very Hard to Go", "What Is Hip?", and "Don't Change Horses ".
Supernatural is the eighteenth studio album by American rock band Santana, released on June 15, 1999, on Arista Records. After Santana found themselves without a label in the mid-1990s, founding member and guitarist Carlos Santana began talks with Arista president Clive Davis, who had originally signed the group to Columbia Records in 1969. Santana and Davis worked with A&R man Pete Ganbarg, as Santana wanted to focus on pop and radio-friendly material. The album features collaborations with several contemporary guest artists, including Rob Thomas, Eric Clapton, Eagle-Eye Cherry, Lauryn Hill, Dave Matthews, Maná, and CeeLo Green.
Guillermo "Jorge" Santana was a Mexican guitarist, brother of musician Carlos Santana.
Santana is the third studio album by the American rock band Santana. The band's second self-titled album, it is often referred to as III or Santana III to distinguish it from the band's 1969 debut album. The album was also known as Man with an Outstretched Hand, after its album cover image. It was the third and last album by the Woodstock-era lineup, until their reunion on Santana IV in 2016. It was also considered by many to be the band's peak commercially and musically, as subsequent releases aimed towards more experimental jazz fusion and Latin music. The album also marked the addition of 16-year-old guitarist Neal Schon to the group.
Borboletta is the sixth studio album by the American Latin rock band Santana. It is one of their jazz-funk-fusion oriented albums, along with Caravanserai (1972), and Welcome (1973). Non-band albums by Carlos Santana in this style also include Love Devotion Surrender (1973) with John McLaughlin and Illuminations (1974) with Alice Coltrane, Jack DeJohnette and Jules Broussard. The guitarist leaves much room to percussion, saxophone and keyboards to set moods, as well as lengthy solos by himself and vocals. The record was released in a metallic blue sleeve displaying a butterfly, an allusion to the album Butterfly Dreams (1973) by Brazilian musician Flora Purim and her husband Airto Moreira, whose contributions deeply influenced the sound of Borboletta. In Portuguese, borboleta means "butterfly".
Moonflower is a double album released in 1977 by Santana. The recording features both studio and live tracks, which are interspersed with one another throughout the album. It is perhaps the group's most popular live album, because the 1974 album Lotus did not receive a U.S. domestic release until 1991. It displays a mix between the fusion of Latin and blues rock styles of the late 1960s and early 1970s, and the much more experimental and spiritual jazz fusion sound that characterized the band's mid-1970s work. The live material was recorded during the supporting tour for the Amigos album. This is the first of 5 albums with drummer Graham Lear.
Santana is an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1966 by Mexican-born guitarist Carlos Santana. The band has undergone various recording and performing line-ups in its history, with Santana being the only consistent member. After signing with Columbia Records, the band's appearance at the Woodstock Festival in 1969 increased their profile, and they went on to record the commercially successful and critically-acclaimed albums Santana (1969), Abraxas (1970), and Santana III (1971). These were recorded by the group's "classic" line-up, featuring Gregg Rolie, Michael Carabello, Michael Shrieve, David Brown, and José "Chepito" Areas. Hit songs of this period include "Evil Ways", "Black Magic Woman", "Oye Como Va", and the instrumental "Samba Pa Ti".
Joseph Thomas "Coke" Escovedo was an American percussionist, who came from a prominent musical family including five musician brothers and his niece, Sheila E. He played in various genres, including R&B, jazz fusion and soul, with bands including Santana, Malo, Cal Tjader, and Azteca.
The discography of the rock band Santana formed by the Mexican-American rock guitarist Carlos Santana consists of 26 studio albums, 8 live albums, 61 singles, and 23 compilation albums.
Pleasure is an American band from Portland, Oregon, United States. Blending soul, funk and jazz with a street edge, they became a cult group on the underground black music scene of the late 1970s. Their song "Glide", from the album Future Now, went to #55 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #10 on the Best Selling Soul Singles chart in 1979; it was their biggest hit. The band broke up in 1982.
Composite Truth is the third album by the Brooklyn-based soul/funk band Mandrill. Released in January 1973 on Polydor Records, the album reached No. 8 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart.
Just Outside of Town is the fourth album by the Brooklyn-based soul/funk band Mandrill. Released in October 1973 on Polydor Records, the album reached No. 8 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart.
Mandrilland is the fifth album by the Brooklyn-based soul/funk band Mandrill. Released in August 1974 as a double album, Mandrilland was the band's last album on Polydor.
Solid is the sixth album by the Brooklyn-based soul/funk band Mandrill. Released in 1975, it was their first album on United Artists Records.
The Welcome Tour was a concert tour by Santana promoting their album, Welcome. The tour began on November 13, 1973 at Colston Hall in Bristol, England and ended on October 29, 1974 at the William P. Cole, Jr. Student Activities Building in College Park, Maryland.