Groundation

Groundation is a group of Reggae Californian originating in Sonoma (California of the South).

Biography

Groundation is formed in 1998 by Harrison Stafford (leader, guitarist and singer), Marcus Urani (keyboard) and Ryan Newman (low), who met in a university of Jazz where they studied all the three. The group played initially of the Jazz. The first three members are joined by a trumpet player of Jazz living with San Francisco, David Chachere and by a trombonist, Kelsey Howard in 2000. The saxophonist Jason Robinson left the group to become a head of program of a Festival of Jazz of San Diego and to be able to benefit from the new life of the southernmost scene south-Californian. The group, created a kind of community voluntary, “Grounded Soldiers”.

Composition of the Group

Current members

Harrison Stafford (Song, guitar)
Marcus Urani (Piano, Rhodos, Mélodica)
Ryan Newman (low)
Paul Spina (battery)
David Chachere (Trumpet)
Kelsey Howard (Trombone)
Jason Robinson (Saxophone on all the albums but it does not make any concert with Groundation)
Benjamin Krames (Congas, percussions)
Kerry Ann Morgan and Kim Pommell (choruses)

Former members

Mingo Lewis Junior (Congas and percussions of 2004 to 2006 and on Upon the Bridge )
James Stafford (battery on the first two albums)

Elders jamaïcains

Since its second album, Each One Teach One, the group took the practice to invite legends of the reggae jamaïcains:

Close-cropped Michael (funde and repeater on Each One Teach One )
Marcia Higgs (choruses on Each One Teach One )
The Scientist (Post-production on Each One Teach One )
Cedric Myton of the Congos (Chant on Hebron Spoils )
Don Carlos of Black Uhuru (Chant on Hebron Gate and We Free Again )
Apple Gabriel of Israel Vibration (Song on We Free Again )
IJahman Levi (Song on Upon the Bridge )
Pablo Moses (Song on Upon the Bridge )

Discography

1999 - Young Tree (the USA: Young Tree Records, Europe: Night)
2001 - Each One Teach One (the USA: Young Tree Records, Europe: Night)
2002 - Hebron Spoils (the USA: Young Tree Records, Europe: Night)
2003 - Dragon War (remixes Dub of the Hebron album Spoils) (LP) (Only on Young Tree records)
2004 - We Free Again (the USA: Young Tree Records, Europe: Night)
2006 - Dub Wars (remixes Dub of the Hebron albums Spoils and We free again) (the USA: Young Tree Records, Europe: Night)
2006 - Upon the Bridge (the USA: Young Tree Records, World except the USA: Night)

A philosophy

Groundation occurs into live through rounds européeennes and American with always the same objective: to make pass a message of peace. But only through theirs discography, one can find elements interesting about their philosophy and of their vision of the world, the whole through biblical references (in connection with philosophy Rastafari) and imaginary.

Hebron Spoils , left in 2002, presents during all the album a war between the human ones and the dragons. It proves that these dragons represent Babylon, symbol of the mercantile, dehumanized and perverted Western company, or the repressive system, any form of oppressive authority.

Each album reflects an evolution, not only musical, but in the history. Thus the last album, Upon the Bridge, details the passage of a man " through the pont" , the bridge which cuts the man in a perfect world, nine, given to zero.

Broadly the texts of Groundation are a spiritual reflection, in particular on the topic of the money.

The evolution continues album in album and year by year.

Round 2008

After having carried out in February 2007 a European round whose passage to the Olympia and a French and European estival round, the group envisages for 2008 a series in concerts to the Zenith of Paris (April 9th, 2008) and in several Zeniths of France, as with that of Lille on April 19th or with that of Strasbourg on April 20th.

External bonds

Official site of the group {{in}}
Official site of the label {{in}}
Groundation France, French community of Groundation

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