INFO
From a city that is solidifying its reputation as an indie music goldmine, Kweku & The Movement have emerged from Montreal as the answer to a call for a new soul sound.
With influences drawn from such diverse genres as jazz, funk, hiphop, gospel, and soul, this eight-piece group delivers an original blend with innovative arrangements, and smooth vocal harmonies.
The outfit features the songs of Kweku Sam Kwofie a singer/songwriter/band leader, who after extensive musical training in and around the Montreal music scene, has found a home within The Movement. From choral ensembles, to musical theater, to bands, he demonstrates his ability to mould seamlessly into any musical setting, lending his talents to such Montreal-based bands as Afrodizz, Urban Afro Five and AOT. Further examples of his accomplishments include; performing at Montreal's Place Des Arts under Maestro Dutois, singing with The Joel Miller Quintet during the Montreal International Jazz festival, performing under Maestro Bobby Mcferrin during festival 500, as well as roles in Gilbert and Sullivan and off-Broadway productions. It is no surprise that his diverse musical background has provided the foundation for his career as a solo artist.
Together Kweku & The Movement provide an experience that is designed to excite and entice. The show is musically tight and mellifluous. Kweku's charisma, vocals, and lyrics invite us all to enjoy and feel the love. 2008 presents a year of expansion into Philadelphia and continued musical growth export.
ALBUM REVIEWS
"Ambitious songwriter, vocalist and bandleader Kweku Sam Kwofie goes all-out for the Movement's debut, a polished seven-song EP showcasing the unit's varied sound and style. Epic song arrangements take the listener on an engaging journey through soul, jazz, funk, hip-hop and R'n'B climes. Like a modern day Barry White cross-bred with Gnarls Barkley and a cast of female vocalists, Kweku marries uplifting harmonies with complex song structures that allow individual musicians, especially guitarist Jordan Peters, to show off their chops for critical listeners. While the EP certainly qualifies as smooth listening, upbeat jams including the title track and swinging honky-tonk funk number Louise possess serious pop/dance sensibilities. **** " - Steve Lalla - MONTREAL HOUR
http://www.hour.ca/music/spin.aspx?iIDDisque=4747
http://www.ottawaxpress.ca/music/spin.aspx?iIDDisque=4747
"The full'EH'Show is a musical feast-a quintessential synergy of Pan African aesthetic, merging so immaginatively a vibrant menu of blues,jazz,fun in a rich and potent vibrant sound. Its poignancy poetry invites the melodious ululations of a powerful tradition.There lives in this unique musical blend a poignant poetry and a relentless optimism in the profound transformative pulse and potency of music. You will I trust hear the emerging new universal and international paradigm , a beautiful and innovative musical genre, visceral and celebral. This is a musical journey I most highly recommend. Stay tuned." - Professor Ibrahim Rubama, PhD, poet writer, art critic. New York, 2008.
PRESS
MONTREAL HOUR - Brendan Murphy
MONTREAL HOUR
CBC RADIO "ALL IN A DAY" - Adrian Hayward
CBC RADIO
CJNT MONTREAL "SOUL CALL" - Peter Anthony Holder
CJNT MONTREAL
MONTREAL HOUR - Steve Lalla
MONTREAL HOUR
BEN HAMMOND "REASONABLY HONEST CD REVIEW" - Darryl Gregory at Indie-Music.com
http://amiestreet.com/listRecs.php?artistId=81871
FLICKR.com - Tristan
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tristanbrand/sets/72157594414284845/
THE CONCORDIAN - Ida Jorgensen
http://media.www.theconcordian.com/media/storage/paper290/news/2006/03/29/News/Live-Aid.Montreal.Helps.In.The.Fight.Against.Poverty-1764235.shtml
THE BULL & BEAR - Jacqueline Destefano
http://www.bullandbear.ca/articles.php?id=277
"With thanks and praise." -Kweku & The Movement
