NYC Artist Tomas Doncker Pays Tribute to Howlin' Wolf on new EP

Article Contributed by Independent Mu… | Published on Wednesday, June 19, 2013

New York soul artist Tomas Doncker is a man with an uncompromising mission. He is determined to spread something he calls "Global Soul" on a worldwide scale. Inspired by numerous sources including East and West Africa and the Carribean, Doncker describes "Global Soul" as "The sound of our collective conscious. The unified rhythm of heart beats creating a positve, spiritually uplifting force for good. Musically speaking it is not genre specific, but in fact genre inclusive. It is the best of what we have to offer to each other, from Brooklyn to Ethiopia, and every where in between."He has been a mainstay on the NYC music scene for over 20 years, having worked with an A-list of iconic musicians including Yoko Ono, Bonnie Raitt, and Meshell Ndegeocello. In 2010, Doncker brought his "Global Soul" sound to China as a headlining act at the Shanghai Folk Festival in front of an audience of over 100,000 as part of the Shanghai World Expo.Doncker's latest release is a heartfelt tribute to blues legend Howlin' Wolf titled "The Tomas Doncker Band's Howlin' Wolf E.P.", to be released June 10 through his own True Groove Records.About the E.P, Tomás says "The idea of doing a project focusing on the legacy of Howlin' Wolf (and Classic Blues in general) had been bouncing around for awhile. The Blues is the heart of "Global Soul" and the opportunity to feature David Barnes (Harp) was something we were really excited about. When the "Diablo Love" Project was presented to me by Alfred Preisser (award winning director) it seemed like the obvious thing to do. Besides,Who doesn't like Howlin' Wolf?"Legendary harp player David Barnes adds "In my mind , Howlin' Wolf is the John Henry of the Blues: A musical giant of mythic proportions, he commanded nothing but awe and respect while demanding it with (a handful of stage antics aside) nothing but dignity. It is a profound experience to join a Blues continuum through Hubert, to Wolf & the Chicago Greats, all the way back to Charlie Patton and beyond. In this way and through these efforts, the Blues shall continue moving ever forward."Joining Tomas's movement on the EP are harp player David Barnes, pianist Nick Rolfe, guitarist James Dellatacoma, bassist Josh David and drummer Damon Duewhite.Not content to stay in the studio, Tomas is bringing "Global Soul" to the big stage. He is booked for 11 feature performances at 2013's NYC Summer Stage concert series. Visit Tomas Doncker at www.tomasdoncker.net and download the new EP at http://tomasdonckerband.bandcamp.com/album/howlin-wolf-ep.Streaming link: http://tomasdonckerband.bandcamp.com/album/howlin-wolf-epMembers/Instruments:Tomas Doncker-Vocals,GuitarDavid Barnes-HarmonicaNick Rolfe-Organ,KeyboardsJosh David-BassDamon Duewhite-DrumsProduction:Produced by Tomas Doncker & James Dellatacoma for True GrooveTracklisting:1-Evil2-Back Door Man3-Spoonful4-Shook Down5-Smokestack Lightning