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Crosstown Arts presents Deborah Swiney with Ed Finney, Bob Buckley, and special guest drummer Ra Kalam Bob Moses in The Green Room.
TICKETS: $10 advance | $15 day of the show
Doors at 7 pm | Show at 7:30 pm
About Deborah Swiney:
Deborah’s affinity for music started at an early age with piano lessons and being active in music, whether in church or in school. Growing up in a musical family, music had no borders. If the walls of her home could sing, they’d reverberate the sounds of Nancy Wilson, Aretha Franklin, The Staple Singers, The Carpenters, and B.B. King, all mixed together; not to mention classical music, having a Memphis Symphony Orchestra bassoonist for a big brother.
Being on the local music scene, Deborah, a Memphian, eventually landed a position as a backup vocalist for the legendary Al Green during the ‘90s, which led to an international touring experience that included performances on The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Today Show.
That was then and this is now. In a city that loves its blues, rock, jazz, and gospel, Deborah has carved out a niche uniquely her own. This is evident with her highly praised co-produced debut album, I Remember Rio, a Brazilian-inspired album with “Memphis-Soul seasoning” (All about Jazz). I Remember Rio is filled with classic Bossa Nova standards and tunes written by the legendary Antonio Carlos Jobim, as well as Deborah Swiney’s “Bossa Nova Casanova” and guitarist Ed Finney’s title song, “I Remember Rio.” Jazz Weekly describes her as bringing “ a strong and Sarah Vaughan-esque voice to deliver soulful reads of Brazilian…” Transcending the standard definition of a jazz songstress, her melodic and sultry approach to bossa nova and other Brazilian stylings are natural without betraying her Bluff City roots.
About Ra Kalam Bob Moses:
Bob Moses, born January 28, 1948 in New York City, NY, is an American jazz drummer. Bob Moses’ life has been a continuous quest for vision, spirit, compassion, growth, and mastery in a multiplicity of art forms. A partial list of stellar musicians Bob Moses has worked and/or recorded with both as a leader and a sideman includes: Charles Mingus, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Jim Pepper, Larry Coryell, The Free Spirits, Dave Liebman, Gary Burton, Keith Jarrett, Steve Swallow, Michael Gibbs, Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays, Paul Bley, Herbie Hancock, Jack DeJohnette, Jaco Pastorius, Hal Galper, Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, Steve Kuhn, Sheila Jordan, Bobby McFerrin, Dave Sanborn, Bill Frisell, Eddie Gomez, Don Alias, John Scofield, Terumasa Hino, Dave Holland, Charlie Haden, Hermeto Pascoal, Jovinos Santos Neto, Danillo Perez, David Sanchez, Chucho Valdes, Jimmy Slyde, Savion Glover, Gregory Hines, Stan Strickland, Tiger Okoshi, Nana Vasconcelos, Obo Addy, John Medeski, Vernon Reid, DJ Logic, Badal Roy, Ravikiran, Master Anand, Raqib Hassan, Sam Rivers, Pharoah Sanders, Tisziji Muñoz, and many others.
About Ed Finney:
When you think of Memphis, you think of music, and Ed Finney, aka Jupiter-Skyfish, personifies this concept. Born and raised in Memphis, Finney started playing guitar in the early ’60s and immediately took to playing the blues. He soon discovered jazz, which has been his passion ever since.
Ed Finney’s experience includes: recording with Stax legendaries such as Isaac Hayes, Carla Thomas and David Porter; touring with Otis Redding; opening for Al Green, Chick Corea, The Doors, Frank Zappa, and many more. Finney’s most recent recording project was as music director for Deborah Swiney’s debut CD, “I Remember Rio.”
Finney has followed music around the world, which is articulated in his compositions layered with rich styles and rhythms from Mexico, Morocco, Brazil ,and many other countries. When not writing music, Finney teaches others to play guitar, which is part of his dream “for all beings to have access to creativity.”
About Bob Buckley:
Bob Buckley is a long-time Memphis sideman specializing in rhythm section work. He has backed such acts as the Drifters, The Platters, and the Coasters. Other rhythm and blues artists include Bobby Little and James Austin. These formative years included the opportunity to hang and sit in with heroes such as Little Milton, James Williams, Calvin Newborn, and R.L. Burnside. “Being able to sit in and play or rehearse with these guys early on set an example I’m still building on today,” says Buckley. Providing a pocket with some of the best drummers in the world is the Memphis tradition and Buckley holding down the fort.
