Incognito is a British acid jazz band that has been active since 1979 and has released 24 albums worldwide.Their music spans a variety of genres, including jazz-funk, acid jazz, jazz, soul, and pop. The band has had several hit singles in the UK, including “Always There”, “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing”, “Everyday”, “Jump To My Love”, and “Out Of The Storm”. Incognito has also collaborated with many international artists, such as George Benson, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Philip Bailey, George Duke, Al Jarreau, Paul Weller, and Mario Biondi.
Jean-Paul “Bluey” Maunick is the band’s leader, singer, guitarist, composer, and record producer. Born in Mauritius in 1957, Bluey moved to the United Kingdom when he was ten years old. Over the course of their 30-year career, Bluey has worked with more than 1,000 musicians and vocalists from many different countries, including England, Scotland, Ireland, South Africa, India, Brazil, Argentina, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. Some other key members of the band include drummer Richard Bailey, bassist Francis Hylton, and keyboard player Matt Cooper.
DuPont Brass is a one-of-a-kind, brass-driven supergroup from the D.C. Metropolitan Area. Originally composed of five music majors from Howard University trying to raise money for tuition during the Christmas season, they have grown to a 9-piece ensemble consisting of brass, a rhythm section, and vocalists. Gaining popularity from playing at local Metro stations, DuPont Brass started professionally playing for weddings, banquets, and other private events in the surrounding area. Thanks to the foundation laid in their earlier years, DuPont Brass has had the opportunity to perform in conjunction with the D.C. Jazz Festival, The Washington Performing Arts Society, The Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, and The National Cannabis Festival. Consistently touching the community’s hearts with their heartwarming testimony, DuPont Brass has been featured on WPFW’s “Live at Five” three times and the Washington Post Newspaper six times. Recently, they made their local television debut on WHUT’s “DMV the Beat” on PBS. Through their training in classical and contemporary styles, DuPont Brass has developed a sound they’ve coined “Eclectic Soul” that mixes varied genres of music, including jazz, hip-hop, and R&B. In their latest effort, Music Education, DuPont Brass shows us why they are qualified to excel in both the education and performance arenas of the music industry. Filled with a diverse arsenal of musical styles, they present a catalog made with every kind of listener in mind.
The Dwonztet, consists of all Hartford based musicians that attended either the Artist Collective, the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts or the Hartt School of Music (Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz). I’m grateful to say that I attended all of these places and the Dwonztet is the result of the connections and friendships made a long the way.
Throughout the pasted 10-15 years, I have been performing in the Hartford area with many different groups. The same goes for the other members in the Dwonztet. We all have a deep connection with the Hartford music scene and community, specifically in jazz.
I am the leader of the Dwonztet but every member is a leader in their own right. We all have a trust and love for one another and I’m grateful to continue to nurture our relationship through performing and recording together as the Dwonztet.
We released our first album “Wonderful World” in 2019 and we will be releasing our second album “A Year and a Day” July 1st, 2022.